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Not wanting data plan

J

jeffc7186

Lurker
Hello

I have a basic phone and plan with Verizon, no data no text. I do not want the extra expense of the data plans and I do not text, however I want the use of the phone for calls, wifi, gps, and media playback that the smart phones (Droid for example) offer. Can I buy a used smartphone, take the sim out of the one I have put it in the smartphone and use it for my purposes above without upgrading my Verizon plan to data? Any constructive opinions or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank You
 
Get an iPod touch then. No.

A: You can't put a SIM card in a Verizon phone. They don't use SIM cards at Verizon.
B: If you did so with any phone that did use SIM cards, the wireless provider would know and force you to add data.

So, get an iPod touch, or get the data. I got the 200 MB pack for $15 a month from AT&T and that suits me fine.
 
No. Plus without data you wouldn't be able to do anything with the phone... GPS wouldn't work unless you need directions inside your house with WiFi, simple tasks such as viewing emails and Facebook could only be done at home with WiFi... so when you're out it's just a dumb phone.
 
+1 on the iPod Touch. I like mine very much. As far as GPS goes, as has been stated, you need data for that anyway. I would buy a used GPS and keep it in your car. They can be had for not much money.
 
Are there any "dumb" phones with wifi and media play back? I want to stay away from iOS, and I do not want to carry two devices.

btw- I do not mind the up front cost of the device. It is the monthly cost I want to avoid.
 
I'm not sure how it works with Verizon, but I know that with Bell there's a handful of smartphones that they allow you to buy without a data plan. In fact they'll even block the data so that if you tried to turn it on, it wouldn't work. I didn't really pay much attention to which phones these are though.

I used to be like you and not want the monthly data fee, but I've had the fee since I got my android a few months ago, and now I don't know how I ever got along without all the functionality that a data package allows. But, even with the data package, there are limitations. E.g. I wouldn't be able to use mine as a GPS when I travel to the U.S., because it'd cost me $10/megabyte for the data down there, which is nothing short of ridiculous.
 
Samsung and Motorola make a few "dumb phones" that are music players. I do not think any of them are WiFi capable though. And x2 that VZW doesn't use SIM cards.
 
I currently have a Samsung Fascinate on Page Plus (Verizon MVNO). My plan is $29.99 and has 2000min/2000txts/100Mb. I was in the exact same situation you are in. Verizon will not let you activate a smartphone without a data plan and the fact they don't have cheaper options for less data hungry customers is pretty outrageous in my opinion.

Page Plus lets you put pretty much any android/webos/windows phone on without a separate data plan. If you don't mind switching, I think it is a pretty good option. You get all native Verizon coverage without the need for their extra data plan.
 
I had a friend who used his iPhone and N96 on Rogers prepaid (no data) about 2 years ago and he didn't have any problems. Maybe it's different in Canada.
 
jeffc7186 said:
Are there any "dumb" phones with wifi and media play back? I want to stay away from iOS, and I do not want to carry two devices.

btw- I do not mind the up front cost of the device. It is the monthly cost I want to avoid.
Click to expand...

There are quite a few wifi enabled Samsung dumbphones, like the Star WiFi, a few Nokia ones, and LG makes those too. No idea on their availability in your country.
 
It sounds like your dilemma is that you want smart features (video playback, wifi, gps) without paying a hefty price for service. The ideal solution for users like you are prepaid carriers, including MetroPCS and Virgin Mobile, as their plans are super cheap (compared to big carriers, and data is unlimited) and their phone selection include many low end cheap Androids that do all the things you desired, plus make calls.
 
Well to sum up what everyone is saying:

If you don't want to pay for data, you can't use the GPS on ANY device, as it requires a data connection in conjunction with GPS.

Getting a dumb phone (smartphone without data) is pretty much impossible, you can't switch out SIM cards since Verizon doesn't use SIM cards and any other carrier would know.

Then, the options come down to the ipod touch which you said you didn't want, or a super expensive Samsung Galaxy player.
 
I'm in Canada. I have an LG Shine Plus with Telus and my son has an LG Optimus One with Koodo. Both are sim card phones. Both are without data plans. We use wifi. The GPS can work without a data connection; you can get offline maps (MapDroyd) or offline navigation (Navit).

I choose to live without a data plan (and the costs). I cannot google anything or read emails in my car. But I can do it just about anywhere there is wifi (home, office, mall, coffee shops etc)
 
idk how verizon works but for tmobile u can buy a used smartphone and not have a data plan if u dont want to
 
Saltine713 said:
Get an iPod touch then. No.

A: You can't put a SIM card in a Verizon phone. They don't use SIM cards at Verizon.
B: If you did so with any phone that did use SIM cards, the wireless provider would know and force you to add data.

So, get an iPod touch, or get the data. I got the 200 MB pack for $15 a month from AT&T and that suits me fine.
Click to expand...

Verizon does use SIM cards, my parents just got new phones a few weeks ago (mid-USA) and I helped my dad set his up. I saw the SIM card myself and the phone had a slot with "SIM" engraved above it. His SIM looked just like mine with the contacts in a globe shape and all, just had Verison on the front instead of AT&T. However unless it's unlocked, a phone won't use other carriers SIM cards. For instance if I put my AT&T SIM card in my dad's Verison phone I wouldn't be able to use it as a phone.

On the second point, you're correct. When I upgraded from what used to be a "Smart Phone" to what is now considered a "Smart Phone" (without doing their call in thing, just putting my SIM in it) it still moved me to a Smart Phone data plan (on AT&T).
 
deviantelf said:
Verizon does use SIM cards, my parents just got new phones a few weeks ago (mid-USA) and I helped my dad set his up. I saw the SIM card myself and the phone had a slot with "SIM" engraved above it. His SIM looked just like mine with the contacts in a globe shape and all, just had Verison on the front instead of AT&T. However unless it's unlocked, a phone won't use other carriers SIM cards. For instance if I put my AT&T SIM card in my dad's Verison phone I wouldn't be able to use it as a phone.

On the second point, you're correct. When I upgraded from what used to be a "Smart Phone" to what is now considered a "Smart Phone" (without doing their call in thing, just putting my SIM in it) it still moved me to a Smart Phone data plan (on AT&T).
Click to expand...

Well you are mistaken my friend. You could never put your AT&T SIM in your dad's Verizon phone because the companies use different frequencies and types of signals, so the phone would not work. Unlocking it doesn't get rid of that either. The phone was made for Verizon and only Verizon.
 
The Verizon LTE phones do use sim cards. GPS does work without data if you are using a stand alone navigation app. Try contacting Verizon to see what their policies are for non contract smartphones.
 
Saltine713 said:
Well to sum up what everyone is saying:

If you don't want to pay for data, you can't use the GPS on ANY device, as it requires a data connection in conjunction with GPS.

Getting a dumb phone (smartphone without data) is pretty much impossible, you can't switch out SIM cards since Verizon doesn't use SIM cards and any other carrier would know.

Then, the options come down to the ipod touch which you said you didn't want, or a super expensive Samsung Galaxy player.
Click to expand...

The op has already expressed a desire to avoid carrying two devices. His main purpose is to avoid high monthly costs while carrying one device that can perform smart features such as media playback, web surfing, and navigation.

As mentioned already, if hes near the end of his contract, a prepaid carrier is the ideal solution for his purpose by charging a low monthly rate ($40/mo for Virgin w/unlimited data) and providing one, not two, devices that perform smart features (because its an Android)
 
deviantelf said:
On the second point, you're correct. When I upgraded from what used to be a "Smart Phone" to what is now considered a "Smart Phone" (without doing their call in thing, just putting my SIM in it) it still moved me to a Smart Phone data plan (on AT&T).
Click to expand...

That should be illegal IMO. A carrier should not be able to force you to use a specific plan when you buy an unlocked phone.
 
UssjTrunks said:
That should be illegal IMO. A carrier should not be able to force you to use a specific plan when you buy an unlocked phone.
Click to expand...

Well they can do whatever you want. It's not like it is mandatory to have a smart phone. They do this to save you money. Otherwise if you used data and didnt have a plan, it would be a huge bill. Just like if you dont have a texting plan and you text a good amount, you get a hefty bill.
 
Saltine713 said:
Well they can do whatever you want. It's not like it is mandatory to have a smart phone. They do this to save you money. Otherwise if you used data and didnt have a plan, it would be a huge bill. Just like if you dont have a texting plan and you text a good amount, you get a hefty bill.
Click to expand...

Pure nonsense. They just want to steal your money. Here in Canada you can call your provider and tell them to block data access on your device if you don't want to accidently use it. Someone buying an unlocked phone is probably teck savvy enough to know how to do that on their own anyway.

I'm surprised that manufacturers of smartphones aren't lashing out against this because it hurts their sales. Judging by the number of threads made every day on the topic, it would appear that there are more than a few people who would like to buy a smartphone without a data plan. These carriers are essentially preventing them from doing so.
 
UssjTrunks said:
Pure nonsense. They just want to steal your money. Here in Canada you can call your provider and tell them to block data access on your device if you don't want to accidently use it. Someone buying an unlocked phone is probably teck savvy enough to know how to do that on their own anyway.

I'm surprised that manufacturers of smartphones aren't lashing out against this because it hurts their sales. Judging by the number of threads made every day on the topic, it would appear that there are more than a few people who would like to buy a smartphone without a data plan. These carriers are essentially preventing them from doing so.
Click to expand...

The manufacturers wouldn't lash out against carriers as it really doesn't affect their sales that much, since the carriers buy from the manufacturers. There are plenty of alternatives, such as an iPod touch, Samsung Galaxy player, etc....

Either pay for data, or don't. The carriers make the rules. Like I said, if you didn't pay for data or got a data plan with a smartphone, not only would it be really expensive, but you couldn't use some of the features the OP wants, like a GPS.
 
The ops point is he would like to get a smartphone wiyhout paying for a data package, which is currently not a choice. (And no, not getting a smartphone does not count as a choice, lol!)
 
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