New Phone

Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
244
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Hi,

I am hoping someone might be able to guide me with regards to buying a new phone.My current 'dumb' phone is on it's last legs and I need to buy a new phone.My MP3,being an earlier iRiver model with a disc is nearly kaput as well and I am thinking about killing a number of birds with the one stone.We have an iPad Air and this machine,the mid 2011 iMac desktop and so naturally, the mind is drifting towards an iPhone.However I don't really need a phone for email or gaming etc just text and calls and so it seems like a big expense and apart from not really needing a phone for for email I cannot afford to have a data plan/internet account and the current 'pay as you' go works for me.Being on the pension means being careful.
However never having had a smartphone I am becoming more and more in thrall to all they can do such as FaceTime and have also been told that in fact I could turn off the internet access on it and rely on wi-fi as it's becoming more common out and about and would be an answer to the issue of paying for internet access.However the truth is I haven't a clue !
One of the ways I am looking at it is that whilst an iPhone is expensive to buy,it is a quality product, will link in what we have and if the initial expense was the only one,apart from calls and texts,then it might be bearable.I also hear that instead of texting, if you have wi-fi then you can email and save money? Can anyone take a minute to confirm that info on wi-fi etc and maybe put me on the right path? Thank you
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
One of the ways I am looking at it is that whilst an iPhone is expensive to buy,it is a quality product, will link in what we have and if the initial expense was the only one,apart from calls and texts,then it might be bearable.I also hear that instead of texting, if you have wi-fi then you can email and save money? Can anyone take a minute to confirm that info on wi-fi etc and maybe put me on the right path? Thank you

Not only is it possible to use an iPhone on a WiFi network...it's actually encouraged (when possible)...since data (e-mails, videos, music, web-surfing, etc.) obtained via the cellular service is very expensive...and you can exceed your monthly data plan very easily (if these activities are done frequently and for long durations).

Thus using the iPhone (or any smartphone) via a WiFi network is the way to go when possible.

As far as the phone cost...the iPhone 5c is the lower cost model.

- Nick
 
OP
I
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
244
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Thank you Nick.So am I right in thinking that the internet aspect of the phone can be turned off thereby keeping the service provider bill to just texts and calls like the so called 'dumb' phones? Is there an alert on the phone when one enters a wi-fi zone or do you turn on some aspect of the phone if you are in a wi fi zone so as to access email etc? Or to put it another way, are there many things you lose by turning off the internet,presuming this can be done?
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Thank you Nick.So am I right in thinking that the internet aspect of the phone can be turned off thereby keeping the service provider bill to just texts and calls like the so called 'dumb' phones?

I can really only speak for cell phone plans based here in the U.S. (and they can be so complex sometimes...I'm not going to say I'm an expert).;) But regular phone calls & texting are usually not part of the "data plan". The "data plan" is the part that has to do with the internet, GPS stuff, etc. So if you get a cell phone contract with data plan (say 1-2gigs/month)...you can still do internet stuff...you just need to keep an eye on things. Like you don't want to do a lot of streaming music or streaming videos. E-mails are part of the data plan as well.

But yes...you can minimize the cell phone bill by sticking to phone calls & texting only...but it also depends on what sort of cell phone contract you get.

Is there an alert on the phone when one enters a wi-fi zone or do you turn on some aspect of the phone if you are in a wi fi zone so as to access email etc?

Pretty much like a laptop computer or an iPad. If you think there's a WiFi network nearby (or you need one)...you have to search for it just like using the Airport features/WiFi on your computers. And of course it depends if the WiFi networks are:

- public (free). Like here in the U.S. many McDonald's have free WiFi, other restaurants have free WiFi, coffee shops free WiFi, etc.
- private (password protected)
- pay for access (by the hour or by the day)

HTH,

- Nick
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
You could just get a smartphone without a data plan which would prevent you from using data in the first place. However, if where you live (Ireland?) is anything like Canada, getting an iPhone without a data plan is going to be difficult.

Have you considered non-iPhones? There are a whole host of smartphones that are cheaper that will likely more than meet your needs unless you're locked into Apple services (FaceTime, iCloud, etc.).
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
5,073
Reaction score
758
Points
113
Location
Ohio (USA)
Your Mac's Specs
2023-14" M3max MBPro, 64GB/1TB, iPhone 15 Pro, Watch Ultra
I too can only speak to here in the U.S. I have a technically challenged husband. Over the years I have gotten him a total of 3 phones (he likes to let them die a natural death before replacing.) We have had service with Sprint and Verizon (at different times.) Both companies will turn off the data so you will not have internet service over the phone. You will still have wireless capability. The company will be a bit incredulous when you insist on it but they can do it. Verizon will not let you get out of their additional charge for having a "smartphone" even if you will not have a data plan....bummer.

Lisa
 
OP
I
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
244
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Thanks everybody.I went to my nearest Vodafone shop and they confirmed that I can turn off the internet aspect of the phone and continue paying what we call " pay as you go" which covers me for texts and calls for which I buy €10 worth every so often.The rest can go on wi-fi.The young girl in the shop thought of course that I was quite made turning off the internet but with the charges in Ireland being so steep I'll leave it to the young ! Quite a number of the younger folk no longer have landlines and rely on their mobile phone and lap top for communication and to be honest if it wasn't for some relatives who are even older than we are (!) who still only ring on landlines we'd probably get rid of ours.
So thank you again for all the help.Larry
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top