iPhone question - maybe someone knows?

[toasterstrudull]

I want to get the new iPhone, but I'm not sure if I can. Currently I'm on an ATT family plan (signed up around Xmas time), and I'd like to get an iPhone. However, I'm wondering if A) I'm going to have to pay an ETF, B) If I'll be stuck for another 2 years added on to my 1.5 more (totaling 3 1/2 more years with ATT), and C) Can I add my new iPhone to my family plan?

hopefully an ATT/Apple rep is on the forums, as the people in the store are completely useless as far as U can tell.

[damnedeyez]

I want to get the new iPhone, but I'm not sure if I can. Currently I'm on an ATT family plan (signed up around Xmas time), and I'd like to get an iPhone. However, I'm wondering if A) I'm going to have to pay an ETF, B) If I'll be stuck for another 2 years added on to my 1.5 more (totaling 3 1/2 more years with ATT), and C) Can I add my new iPhone to my family plan?

hopefully an ATT/Apple rep is on the forums, as the people in the store are completely useless as far as U can tell.

I don't know for certain with AT&T...but the other services I've used only use the early termination fee if you do that, terminate the contract entirely. They generally don't add the 2 years onto the end either. The only stipulation I've had is, if I upgraded a phone too early I wouldn't get a discount and have to pay full price, but generally they just reset you to the start of a 2 year plan.


You'd have to call AT&T support for certain though. Particularly with having to sign up when you buy the phone thing.

[aerodash84]

I will say I have AT&T and got myself the iPhone. I used my end of a contract term to upgrade my Mom's phone so she could early and bought myself an iPhone. As far as I know, the only thing we had to do to our family plan is add an extra $20 a month for unlimited data, the voicemail & 200 text messages. I may even upgrade that for more text messages. I think the new ones have a little more expensive addition for the 3G or something. I'd just go to an Apple store and talk to someone there if you have more questions cause that's what I did before I bought mine. AT&T stores don't carry the iPhone and you just activate the phone over the internet. It was simple, fast and set it up at like 10pm so nice I didn't have to wait till the next day.

[tokenuser]

Word on the street is that - a.) you will be up for ETF because your contract is too new, and b.) your contract gets renewed out to 2 years.

Only way to know for sure is to walk into an AT&T store (dont call - speak to someone face to face).

An iPhone can be added to a family plan, but as mentioned, you need to pay the data fees (now $30).

[spades]

You're going to have to pay an early termination fee. You can head over to att wireless site and type in your number and password. Look under account for upgrade and they'll tell you if you're eligible and when. You can call cumstomer service as well, but I think they may be busy today.

I have to wait until November 2009, that's the tech gods way of telling me to wait for rev 3 of the iPhone.

[siraim]

You're going to have to pay an early termination fee. You can head over to att wireless site and type in your number and password. Look under account for upgrade and they'll tell you if you're eligible and when. You can call cumstomer service as well, but I think they may be busy today.

I have to wait until November 2009, that's the tech gods way of telling me to wait for rev 3 of the iPhone.

He won't be subject to the ETF. As was said before, the ETF is used to penalize someone that leaving their contract early, not someone who is simply switching phones within ATT. ATT has long had a policy that new customers and customers that have met their 2 year commitment are eligible for discounted phones. Customers under contracts that still have time on them are not eligible for discounted phones, but are not obligated to pay the ETF when upgrading their phones. They are required to extend their contract again for 2 years beyond the new purchase date.

I also heard that there were different pricing tiers depending on what state you were in when you purchased a new iPhone. If you are a new customer, prices are x and y. If you're an existing iPhone customer, prices are a and b. I haven't bothered to check today to see what the pricing actually is.

[tokenuser]

He won't be subject to the ETF.Yes he will. The cost of the subsidy for (old) phone is amortised over the life of the contract. You break the contract, you pay ETF to recoup the cost fo the original handset.

[kristen_]

unsubsidized and new at&t 2 year contract
http://gizmodo.com/5016912/ineligible-att-customers-need-to-pay-full-price-for-iphone-3g

[aerodash84]

BTW: anyone having troubles trying to update their iPhone? I have an original and did the 2.0 update. Now it won't connect with the store, can't use it, and really disappointed in Apple now. I should wait for day 2 of major updates.

[siraim]

BTW: anyone having troubles trying to update their iPhone? I have an original and did the 2.0 update. Now it won't connect with the store, can't use it, and really disappointed in Apple now. I should wait for day 2 of major updates.

it's not your phone.. it's apple's servers being overloaded. It happened in spurts yesterday.

2.0 works great and I'm glad I can use mobileme today.

[aerodash84]

it's not your phone.. it's apple's servers being overloaded. It happened in spurts yesterday.

2.0 works great and I'm glad I can use mobileme today.

I'm glad the update works, just wish their servers would work. Feels weird not having a working cell phone. Thanks for the heads up. Did you lose anything when you updated? Should have backed up my stuff anyways, but slipped my mind cause I just wanted it done.

[spades]

It's even worse for us ipod touch users. Getting nowhere fast regarding update, me thinks Apple servers are getting hammered.

[aerodash84]

It's even worse for us ipod touch users. Getting nowhere fast regarding update, me thinks Apple servers are getting hammered.

It sounds like devices are being bricked by this problem. People are having problems activating their phones. I kind of wish they had released the update days ago officially. Yesterday even with the start of the application store.

[blooper]

Beginning hour 2 of my attempt to activate my phone.

[aerodash84]

Beginning hour 2 of my attempt to activate my phone.

Good luck man, it's been about 3 hours that mine has been out of service since updating.

[blooper]

Good luck man, it's been about 3 hours that mine has been out of service since updating.

So you're telling me there's a chance!

[siraim]

I'm glad the update works, just wish their servers would work. Feels weird not having a working cell phone. Thanks for the heads up. Did you lose anything when you updated? Should have backed up my stuff anyways, but slipped my mind cause I just wanted it done.

The only weirdness I had when I updated yesterday was that if I allowed the update/restore process to finish successfully, Mail wouldn't open. If I restored the phone and opened the Mail application before restoring my user data, all was well. All of my data came back without issue. Call histories, sms text logs.. the whole nine.

The apple servers weren't overloaded from an activation standpoint yesterday, so activating was easy. Connecting to the App Store and mobileme on the other hand was a huge pain in the ass.