TUNING OFF DATA ON IPHONE 5

We were traveling Phoenix to the North Rim GC, with "Data Roaming" turned off, with AT&T. They have poor/non-existant service from about 15 miles north of Flagstaff (phone and data).

When we got back, we got a text message from AT&T warning us about data roaming and needing to watch the top of the screen every time we used the phone to see if we were roaming, otherwise they would restrict us somehow.

Since we had no phone service and Data Roaming turned off, it never dawned on us that we could be "roaming". I can understand there are charges for international roaming, and there could be charges for domestic roaming, but with Data Roaming "OFF", you'd think you'd never encounter this problem.

After spending about 15 minutes talking to them, and reading the above, it looks like Roaming could happen (against our wishes and against the iPhone setting) if someone sends us a text/SMS message of any kind, and they only way they can suggest to avoid the problem is to go into Airplane Mode (and this is a ridiculous "solution" when you are traveling in much of the Western US).

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to deal with this issue?

Thanks!

tatest wrote:

rk911 wrote:

M GO BLUE wrote:
MIL has an Iphone 5 and she asked if thee was a way to tun off the data part of the phone but still give her the ability to make/receive calls and send/receive texts...is this possible an if so what does she need to do???

SETTINGS
CELLULAR
CELLULAR DATA

be sure the GREEN BUTTON is off for this setting. she will still be able to make/rvc calls and send/rcv texts but data usage will be restricted to wifi only.

I regularly do this, switch data on when I want to use it, switch if off when I don't want spurious traffic, particularly when roaming (although you can also turn off data roaming).

The trick part is text, at least with AT&T. When data is turned off, you have SMS text only. Characters, no pictures, nothing else included in messages. All that is MMS, and on the iPhone for GSM the MMS gets handled as digital data rather than as a distinct MMS service, which is how it might be handled for a "non-smart" phone.

I found the same for iPhone handling of messages to multiple addressees. The phone wants to handle it as data, at least part way, not as the phone repeating distinct SMS packages to each addressee.

So if you shut off data, what is left is voice and SMS, which might be more narrow than what you might have been thinking when you say voice and text.

on Verizon (and very likely at&t, an at&t user will have to chime in on that) text messages between apple devices is treated differently...not as text, not as data and is no cost to the sender or receiver. this assumes that imessage is turned on in settings.

rk911 wrote:

M GO BLUE wrote:
MIL has an Iphone 5 and she asked if thee was a way to tun off the data part of the phone but still give her the ability to make/receive calls and send/receive texts...is this possible an if so what does she need to do???

SETTINGS
CELLULAR
CELLULAR DATA

be sure the GREEN BUTTON is off for this setting. she will still be able to make/rvc calls and send/rcv texts but data usage will be restricted to wifi only.

I regularly do this, switch data on when I want to use it, switch if off when I don't want spurious traffic, particularly when roaming (although you can also turn off data roaming).

The trick part is text, at least with AT&T. When data is turned off, you have SMS text only. Characters, no pictures, nothing else included in messages. All that is MMS, and on the iPhone for GSM the MMS gets handled as digital data rather than as a distinct MMS service, which is how it might be handled for a "non-smart" phone.

I found the same for iPhone handling of messages to multiple addressees. The phone wants to handle it as data, at least part way, not as the phone repeating distinct SMS packages to each addressee.

So if you shut off data, what is left is voice and SMS, which might be more narrow than what you might have been thinking when you say voice and text.

M GO BLUE wrote:
MIL has an Iphone 5 and she asked if thee was a way to tun off the data part of the phone but still give her the ability to make/receive calls and send/receive texts...is this possible an if so what does she need to do???

SETTINGS
CELLULAR
CELLULAR DATA

be sure the GREEN BUTTON is off for this setting. she will still be able to make/rvc calls and send/rcv texts but data usage will be restricted to wifi only.