Develop Bugs

Sprint claims they don't throttle??

If you go to Sprint.com, the first promo they have on there is the promotion of their $79 unlimited data plan. If you click on that, it brings you to a page where they are promoting it some more, and on the bottom of the paragraph it says "When you become a new Sprint customer, we'll buy your old phone and you can FORGET ABOUT DATA CAPS, OVERAGES AND THROTTLING while you're on the Sprint Network."
Is this true? Can anyone here, who is perhaps a sprint employee, confirm that Sprint does not throttle? Because I'm a semi-heavy data user (20gb of data usage last month alone) and I can see from the speed differences alone that they throttle. Any insights on this?

As far as everything that has been told to me, the only users we throttle are the heaviest roaming users; this however, is not contrary to their claims, as the "no throttling" claim applies to being on the Sprint network.
Now, I'm sure there are automated tower optimizations that ensure all users on a node have equal access to data, so a disproportionately heavy user may experience varying speeds as part of the "leveling out" action, but i would surmise this isn't intentional "throttling" so much as it is ensuring customers aren't affected greatly by a handful of users.
That, of course, is purely speculation.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

And plus your speed will constantly vary with tower loads and your relative proximity to the closest tower.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Yeah like Squshy has said everything I've read is they will throttle "roaming users" but on network you are fine. And them doing it to roaming users is not out of line either.

hijewpositive said:
If you go to Sprint.com, the first promo they have on there is the promotion of their $79 unlimited data plan. If you click on that, it brings you to a page where they are promoting it some more, and on the bottom of the paragraph it says "When you become a new Sprint customer, we'll buy your old phone and you can FORGET ABOUT DATA CAPS, OVERAGES AND THROTTLING while you're on the Sprint Network."
Is this true? Can anyone here, who is perhaps a sprint employee, confirm that Sprint does not throttle? Because I'm a semi-heavy data user (20gb of data usage last month alone) and I can see from the speed differences alone that they throttle. Any insights on this?
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Click to collapse
What the hell did you use 20GB for? This is why the network is so ****y and slow. People like you abuse data like there is no tomorrow.
Sorry but you should get throttled. Use your Wifi, don't be so cheap. And by the way I click the thanks button, because I really wanna thank users like you for screwing the rest of us out of bandwidth.

I know for a fact I'm being throttled. I used to get between 1.5-2mb down on 3g, until last month when I used 12gb of data. Now I'm lucky to pull 500k. In fact my buddy came over with the same phone and we did the speed test and he pulled between 1.3 -1.7mb. Mine was 300 - 600k. I know 100% I'm being throttled. It sucks hardcore.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

globen said:
I know for a fact I'm being throttled. I used to get between 1.5-2mb down on 3g, until last month when I used 12gb of data. Now I'm lucky to pull 500k. In fact my buddy came over with the same phone and we did the speed test and he pulled between 1.3 -1.7mb. Mine was 300 - 600k. I know 100% I'm being throttled. It sucks hardcore.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds about right.

I have heard from an indirect dealer, that if you have service through an indirect dealer than it will be throttled.
In Boise we have a few Sprint indirect dealers. They either sell the phones for cheaper, or the plans for cheaper, but the service sucks.
---------- Post added at 10:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 AM ----------
I just took all of the trottling services out of the services.jar and I am actually seeing faster speeds consistantly. I would say about 100kbs faster download, uploads are about the same.
EDIT: I used speed test and did a series of 4 tests 30 seconds apart on the same server to get my results. After removing the throttling services it was average of 96kbs faster download speeds.

No way to get around being throttled?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

globen said:
I know for a fact I'm being throttled. I used to get between 1.5-2mb down on 3g, until last month when I used 12gb of data. Now I'm lucky to pull 500k. In fact my buddy came over with the same phone and we did the speed test and he pulled between 1.3 -1.7mb. Mine was 300 - 600k. I know 100% I'm being throttled. It sucks hardcore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on the info you provided, all you know for a fact is you two got different speed test results.
You can be in the vicinity of multiple towers and each tower can have multiple carriers/channels. Each tower and even channel on the same tower can perform differently. Sometimes rebooting or updating PRL can cause you to shift to a different tower or channel.
For each speedtest, you need to verify you are both on the same tower and channel. You can find that information in the ##DEBUG# menus.
If you do that, then run the speedtests at the same time, then that could support your theory.
Otherwise it is like saying your wifi is bad, but your neighbors wifi is good (w/o mentioning yours is on ch6 and theirs is on ch11)

wow, 20 gigs is a lot of data on a phone....
Frankly, I hope users like you do get throttled, or have an up charge for that much usage..

wase4711 said:
wow, 20 gigs is a lot of data on a phone....
Frankly, I hope users like you do get throttled, or have an up charge for that much usage..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a thought.
If a company doesn't want users to use unlimited data DO NOT OFFER UNLIMITED DATA.
Just because YOU can't think of ways to use your phone to its full potential there is no reason others cannot and should not when the SELLING POINT WAS the unlimited data!

I wonder if I was being throttled when I was getting 74k, oh that's right, I use almost no data every month because my 3G connection BARELY WORKS!
I work downtown Chicago, sitting next to a bunch of ATT and Verizon users and watch them actually use their phone!

tt281gt said:
Here's a thought.
If a company doesn't want users to use unlimited data DO NOT OFFER UNLIMITED DATA.
Just because YOU can't think of ways to use your phone to its full potential there is no reason others cannot and should not when the SELLING POINT WAS the unlimited data!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I 100% agree with this post
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

tt281gt said:
Here's a thought.
If a company doesn't want users to use unlimited data DO NOT OFFER UNLIMITED DATA.
Just because YOU can't think of ways to use your phone to its full potential there is no reason others cannot and should not when the SELLING POINT WAS the unlimited data!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a dumb response. Torrenting from your phone is not a good use of data.
I have 2 exchange accounts, 2 gmail acount, facebook, linkedin, twitter, 2 pop3 emails. I use 2 gigs. He should be throttled.
I work as a sys admin and handle the bills for our data. If i saw someone use that i would not just take his phone, I would make sure he gets fired. Actually a user like that i would make it my goal to make sure he gets fired and report him to all the wireless companies that we have a contract with, just to make sure that he doesnt do that again.
So tell me how am i not using my data to it's FULL POTENTIAL? I can understand 5-6 gigs.
I understand you're a cheppo that wants money for that art degree, but please get MetroPCS. I'll pay your 45$ a month just so there is one less of you.

tt281gt said:
Here's a thought.
If a company doesn't want users to use unlimited data DO NOT OFFER UNLIMITED DATA.
Just because YOU can't think of ways to use your phone to its full potential there is no reason others cannot and should not when the SELLING POINT WAS the unlimited data!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope this same mentality doesn't carry over to all you can eat...

Trust me I've now had multiple friends over, all with the same results. Funny part is when I delete the file data/system/throttle it goes up over 1.5mbs. Then drops instantly to sub 500kbs. Just looking for a way to not get throttled. Might have to call sprint ask. My data each month is usually right around 5 to 6gb of data. As soon as I went over 10gb, I got slammed with throttling. It really sucks.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

apatcas said:
That's a dumb response. Torrenting from your phone is not a good use of data.
I have 2 exchange accounts, 2 gmail acount, facebook, linkedin, twitter, 2 pop3 emails. I use 2 gigs. He should be throttled.
I work as a sys admin and handle the bills for our data. If i saw someone use that i would not just take his phone, I would make sure he gets fired. Actually a user like that i would make it my goal to make sure he gets fired and report him to all the wireless companies that we have a contract with, just to make sure that he doesnt do that again.
So tell me how am i not using my data to it's FULL POTENTIAL? I can understand 5-6 gigs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what you feel personally.. But your response doesn't speak for everyone sir... Some people actually use their phone to no extent..or more likely a personal computer.. Weather its watching netflix, streaming media, or tether devices.. Which in take consumes alot of data.. Being that sprint is the only carrier who promotes and campaigns unlimited data.. People come over here with that intent to use their smartphone with that intention.. At the end, you can't blame anyone for using xx amount of gb if the carrier is boasting they provide data with no limitations
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

apatcas said:
That's a dumb response. Torrenting from your phone is not a good use of data.
I have 2 exchange accounts, 2 gmail acount, facebook, linkedin, twitter, 2 pop3 emails. I use 2 gigs. He should be throttled.
I work as a sys admin and handle the bills for our data. If i saw someone use that i would not just take his phone, I would make sure he gets fired. Actually a user like that i would make it my goal to make sure he gets fired and report him to all the wireless companies that we have a contract with, just to make sure that he doesnt do that again.
So tell me how am i not using my data to it's FULL POTENTIAL? I can understand 5-6 gigs.
I understand you're a cheppo that wants money for that art degree, but please get MetroPCS. I'll pay your 45$ a month just so there is one less of you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill take you up on that Metro Offer since you offered
Lets see, I have 4g speeds, a phone that can stream movies and play them on any tv through HDMI, GOOD QUALITY MOVIES range in the 2GB range, stream music, youtube, XDA,. You do the math.
Sounds to me like you're a communist and a pucker butt.
---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:13 AM ----------
Citymusic08 said:
I hope this same mentality doesn't carry over to all you can eat...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course!
No really, apples to oranges here. You took my words out of context. Over eating does not feel good.

I guess you'll never believe that sprint throttles your data until it actually happens to you! I wasn't a believer until now!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Tmobile data cap work around?

Any way to work around this data cap?
What a freaking scam, makes me rage. 60kbps download speed is a freaking joke
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App

We had a work-around. But it has since been patched by Tmobile.
So the answer is, no.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

The workaround is to pay them more money or use wifi at starbucks or something.

60kbs? You're in luck then because most of us get 6-10kbs
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

I wouldn't consider it a scam as they have several different plans to choose from depending upon your data needs. I myself have the 5GB plan and usually come in just over 2 GB's and that is with constant syncing, surfing and downloading of ROMS (200+ Mb's apiece) and apps while at work and at play. Granted, while at home I am using wifi.
My question is, what is everyone doing to use so much data so quickly? Are you streaming a ton of high def content? Are you using this as your home internet connection?
At the end of the day, T-mobile has to manage their bandwidth consumption and given the option of throttling versus paying for data overage, I choose throttling every time. Plus, if you realize you use too much data you can always upgrade to the next higher plan. If price is an issue, the retention department has always worked wonders for me.

I always run out of my 5gb cap every month by surfing online, constant background sync for emails and Facebook. I also listen to internet radio and YouTube.
www.rkspowerfitness.com
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA

It's not a scam. It's what you agreed to in your contract.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Not true. I remember when they didnt data cap or throttle. It just happened out of no where for me and i never agreed to it in any contract. You dont think its a scam to reduce your speed to 60kbps where you cant even stream pandora or it takes like 3 minutes to load a webpage? /joke

moonstar845 said:
Not true. I remember when they didnt data cap or throttle. It just happened out of no where for me and i never agreed to it in any contract. You dont think its a scam to reduce your speed to 60kbps where you cant even stream pandora or it takes like 3 minutes to load a webpage? /joke
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too remember when they didn't cap or throttle, but I don't believe for a second that you didn't agree to it. First of all, are you under contract? If so, then yes you did as part of the TOS.

moonstar845 said:
Not true. I remember when they didnt data cap or throttle. It just happened out of no where for me and i never agreed to it in any contract. You dont think its a scam to reduce your speed to 60kbps where you cant even stream pandora or it takes like 3 minutes to load a webpage? /joke
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mobile has had a 5GB limit on data since June 2008 before throttling. They just started enforcing
it in the last year or so.
2. Protective Measures
To provide a good experience for the majority of our customers and minimize capacity issues and degradation in network performance, we may take measures including temporarily reducing data throughput for a subset of customers who use a disproportionate amount of bandwidth; if your total usage exceeds 5GB (amount is subject to change; please periodically check T-Mobile.com for updates) during a billing cycle, we may reduce your data speed for the remainder of that billing cycle. We may also suspend, terminate, or restrict your data session, Plan, or service if you use your Data Plan in a manner that interferes with other customers’ service, our ability to allocate network capacity among customers, or that otherwise may degrade service quality for other customers.

I do remember there being a point at which you had 30 days (or some other amount of time) to opt out of your contract if you no longer agreed to the tos. This was pushed to subscribers when the cap came out.
I dont mean to go off on a rant, but im really getting sick and tired of people crying like babies because there data is capped. Honestly, whatever your doing on your phone that is using 5 gb a month you most likely need to find a different way to consume that data. A lot of people have some misguided representation of what there needs are leading to these crazy feelings of entitlement. "They're scamming me, i need to be able to watch my youtube/redtube/netflix" I tried hard to go over my limit last month and i was 800mb shy.
To the OP, your pissing in the wind.

I went through my 5GB of data in a little over two weeks. I use Pandora all day at work (stupid network restrictions) and I also use it for Youtube. I have noticed that my web browsing has slowed a little bit, but where it really effects me is trying to watch videos either on Youtube or ESPN, kinda of reminds me of the dial-up internet days.

Rod3 said:
I wouldn't consider it a scam as they have several different plans to choose from depending upon your data needs. I myself have the 5GB plan and usually come in just over 2 GB's and that is with constant syncing, surfing and downloading of ROMS (200+ Mb's apiece) and apps while at work and at play. Granted, while at home I am using wifi.
My question is, what is everyone doing to use so much data so quickly? Are you streaming a ton of high def content? Are you using this as your home internet connection?
At the end of the day, T-mobile has to manage their bandwidth consumption and given the option of throttling versus paying for data overage, I choose throttling every time. Plus, if you realize you use too much data you can always upgrade to the next higher plan. If price is an issue, the retention department has always worked wonders for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is my sole internet connection for home. im at work almost every day, and with the 5gig plan i can get away without having a deadicated internet line.
Sent from my SGH-T989

I pay the xtra 30 bucks and I get 10 gigs and free hotspot! So worth it. I called and they gave me 10$ off my bill for 24 months bcuz I been with tmobile for more than 8 years. Call and ask for customer loyalty. Tell them your fed up and ready to leave tmobile due to data caps and prices on the plans they will do something to keep u happy. Then put data up. Also could be in my head maybe I'm crazy but I feel it way faster 4g since I upped from 5 to 10 lol.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

Sprint Unlimited Data

I know they say it's unlimited, but is there a point which they will boot you?
I have never approached the 2gb warning before but I just moved and have had my computer tethered and gone over 8 gb in 7 days. (A lot of video streaming)
Will Sprint give the boot if this continues?

I only know of them booting people who are using Verizon PRLs and roaming over like 50gb a day. And I've been watching for years.
via xda premium on my AOKP'd Evo LTE

ideseth said:
I know they say it's unlimited, but is there a point which they will boot you?
I have never approached the 2gb warning before but I just moved and have had my computer tethered and gone over 8 gb in 7 days. (A lot of video streaming)
Will Sprint give the boot if this continues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Sprint determines that you are tethering without a tethering plan, there is a chance you might get the boot.
There a morons that have posted here that they tethered their Xboxes and played games over the network and used dozens of gigs of data (without even paying for the 5GB tethering plan), and then were offended when Sprint called them on it.
Although you are probably safe as long as you aren't roaming or downloading torrents.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

Roam a lot on verizon PRLs and or tether to consoles and streaming HD quality videos. Usually happens when u get > 10 gigs of tethering using obvious tools (aforementioned).

You could easily use 8gb in 7 days on just your phone streaming music and watching videos for part of each day. If you start using 8gb a day for extended time periods then you might be suspect.

Ok, so from what you have said, I could be ok.
I am tethering without a tethering plan however...and 5gb of tethering isn't going to work, because most of the data goes to Netflix...
I'm not trying to get the boot, I have no problem with Sprint or their service.
Do they give a warning or just tell me I have no service anymore?

My buddy who works for Time Warner told me that ISP/carriers cant monitor individual data legally so they don't know where it is going just that a the amount being used. At this point I wouldn't worry about it. Sometimes they call or send a warning letter but that would be months down the road. The call would be along the lines of Mr. ideseth I see you have been using a lot of data lately. And your reply would be yes I am really enjoying this unlimited package thanks for checking in with me.

Although tethering without a sprint package IS against the terms of use as long as you are not roaming you shouldnt have anything to worry about. Sprint knows customers use their phone to use netflix, there is an android application, its the same amount of data usage either way, thats expected usage. ENJOY YOUR TRULY UNLIMITED DATA WITH SPRINT!
p.s. I am switching from sprint to t-mobile due to poor service LOL :silly:

They my not know what the hell you're doing but they sure as hell know what ports are being used. Phones do not connect to the ports that consoles / high def streaming services connect to. Using the info on where you're connecting to; they can make a very accurate educated guess on what you're doing and give you the "warning letter" before they boot you.

ideseth said:
I know they say it's unlimited, but is there a point which they will boot you?
I have never approached the 2gb warning before but I just moved and have had my computer tethered and gone over 8 gb in 7 days. (A lot of video streaming)
Will Sprint give the boot if this continues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 2gb warning that you see on your phone i believe is just a stock warning for data usage regardless of your carrier.

your good I've gotten up to about 15gb in one month, although i wasn't tethering just using a lot of data. But i don't think they'll watch you that much because I've had several months upwards of 10gbs. never any warnings or letters..

ideseth said:
I know they say it's unlimited, but is there a point which they will boot you?
I have never approached the 2gb warning before but I just moved and have had my computer tethered and gone over 8 gb in 7 days. (A lot of video streaming)
Will Sprint give the boot if this continues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be fine I tether for work everyday, andbhave been for over 2 years. The only choices for internet at my house are dial-up, satellite or 3g, we don't have cable or fios out here in the sticks and dial-up and satellite are both too slow, and satellite is unreliable during storms, and in Florida we get alot of storms in the summer months. Between my 4 lines on my account we use anywhere between 150-250gbs of data a month. The line I tether from averages 80+GB a month and I make maybe 2 calls and a handful of texts from it occasionally, its line is almost entirely data use and I've never gotten a call or letter, but I very rarely use any roaming unless a tower is down. I've been with sprint for almost 15 years or so and have been eating their data for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as all my snacks in between for as long as I can remember. As the phones have gotten better my data use has increased. Right now on my personal line I'm at ~73gb and just a little past halfway thru my billing cycle this month. My wife's line is at ~41gb, my work line which is the one I tether my whole house from is at ~97gb and the 4th line which my dad uses is around 60gb so far this month. Sprint only really cares about roaming data cuz they pay a pretty penny to whoever's tower you're roaming on vs. their own network which costs them a few tenths of a cent per GB for you to use. They make a few thousand percent profit on in network data. If you used 10 GB of data a month their cost to profit ratio would be a $1.50 cost to $8.50 profit just from your premium data charge, plus the over and above profit they make off of your actual plan. Its surprisingly cheap for them to provide in network data, but roaming data they pay whoever the tower is leased from around 15¢ per GB versus about .15 of a cent per gb of in network data
We are legion, for we are many.
Sent from the DarkSide of the GalaXy with a MEK device

Damn, that's a ****not o' data.

I've used 30gb non roaming regularly nothing here
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iphones are the creation of people with nowhere left to turn

Notice from At&T -Tethering

Recently got a text and Letter from AT&T stating that I've been caught tethering on my unlimited (grandfathered in) data plan. I called and the said this was my last warning before they turn my unlimited plan off for good and switch me to the 5GB plan.
Has anyone else had this happen to them? Should I be worried - concerned if I still want to tether?
I currently use the most up to date version of AOKP JB - and have been since i got the SGS 3.
Thoughts?

axel4401 said:
Recently got a text and Letter from AT&T stating that I've been caught tethering on my unlimited (grandfathered in) data plan. I called and the said this was my last warning before they turn my unlimited plan off for good and switch me to the 5GB plan.
Has anyone else had this happen to them? Should I be worried - concerned if I still want to tether?
I currently use the most up to date version of AOKP JB - and have been since i got the SGS 3.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you tethering a laptop, desktop? I haven't seen a message yet (knocks on wood!) but I only tether my tablet.

I would suggest you stop or they will switch you off unlimited. I tethered once for about 50mb worth of data and I got a letter in the mail from them.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

With tmobile we can switch our apn settings to get around them knowing about tethering. Not sure if there's anything like that for ATT, but figured I'd mention it.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

Considering you can never get that plan back if they switch it, you should decide how much that's worth to you. If you'll never go over with just the phone, then it won't be that big a loss. If it were me, I'd stop tethering, and keep the unlimited data since the data costs keep bumping up in $5 or $10 increments.

If it were me, I'd call and talk only to a supervisor. Ask them how they can prove you're thethering. If they give you crap about having xx # of gigs used of data, be like, yeah, i stream movies every night; i didn't think that would be a problem, since i have "unlimited data"!!!!!! How would i be tethering without a tether plan anyway!?!?!? Etc, etc. Make sure to get their name, extension, etc.
Also, tell them if they change your plan, the terms of your contract no longer apply, and you will be dropping said plan in favor of a new carrier, and will not be paying early termination fees.
Sent from my SGS III

Swiftks said:
If it were me, I'd call and talk only to a supervisor. Ask them how they can prove you're thethering. If they give you crap about having xx # of gigs used of data, be like, yeah, i stream movies every night; i didn't think that would be a problem, since i have "unlimited data"!!!!!! How would i be tethering without a tether plan anyway!?!?!? Etc, etc. Make sure to get their name, extension, etc.
Also, tell them if they change your plan, the terms of your contract no longer apply, and you will be dropping said plan in favor of a new carrier, and will not be paying early termination fees.
Sent from my SGS III
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed with Swiftks !!!! Pretty much they are changing the TOC. So now you can do whatever you want and walk without paying an early termination fee. Hence , if things got even more complicated where they took the stance and remove your grandfather and not let you go.... BBB.ORG is your friend. Trust me. I did it for something else and I walk with a brand new iPhone 4.

Yea.... i'm pretty sure there'd be a flaw to that way of thinking.
A) You are aware of the data package you purchased, that you have unlimited data but are not permitted to tether on that plan, and they still send out a letter/text notifying you as such
B) You might NOT be aware of your inability to tether on the unlimited plan, and since this is not a part of the plan you've selected under contract, a letter and text message is sent out notifying you of this, and warning you that further use would result in your plan being changed to a plan that supports tethering.
C) They switch your plan after your continued tethering use, after providing fair warning about the changes to be made.
Them breaching your contract by changing something around without your knowing beforehand (can't even really think of an example... sorry), i could see the idea of claiming a breach of the terms of your contract being valid and allowing you to terminate the contract fee-free. However, i'm fairly certain the advanced notification of such action being a result of something you are doing would be less breach of contract by the carrier and more misuse of contracted services by the user.... so you'd probably be SoL from a legal standpoint.
And the BBB? HA! They don't do jack sh*t. I tried that to get a company to follow through on the contract that i signed for a wheel & tire warranty, and they kept circling through the same few excuses that they used when i was simply e-mailing them to try to get them to comply. I had documented proof basically disproving every reason they gave for denying my claim, they were denying my claim based on stuff they said was in the contract that i signed that WASN'T in the contract i signed, and the BBB can't do a damn thing either way. So i'm f*cked out of two rims costing like $625 a piece. They even hired an independent appraiser to inspect my rims to see if they were indeed no longer able to hold a seal with the tire (which would warrant replacement if not able to be repaired), and the guy "wasn't able to find any evidence pointing to this". A little air pressure and a splash of water and you could hear air leaking out from 20 feet away.

elementaldragon said:
Yea.... i'm pretty sure there'd be a flaw to that way of thinking.
A) You are aware of the data package you purchased, that you have unlimited data but are not permitted to tether on that plan, and they still send out a letter/text notifying you as such
B) You might NOT be aware of your inability to tether on the unlimited plan, and since this is not a part of the plan you've selected under contract, a letter and text message is sent out notifying you of this, and warning you that further use would result in your plan being changed to a plan that supports tethering.
C) They switch your plan after your continued tethering use, after providing fair warning about the changes to be made.
Them breaching your contract by changing something around without your knowing beforehand (can't even really think of an example... sorry), i could see the idea of claiming a breach of the terms of your contract being valid and allowing you to terminate the contract fee-free. However, i'm fairly certain the advanced notification of such action being a result of something you are doing would be less breach of contract by the carrier and more misuse of contracted services by the user.... so you'd probably be SoL from a legal standpoint.
And the BBB? HA! They don't do jack sh*t. I tried that to get a company to follow through on the contract that i signed for a wheel & tire warranty, and they kept circling through the same few excuses that they used when i was simply e-mailing them to try to get them to comply. I had documented proof basically disproving every reason they gave for denying my claim, they were denying my claim based on stuff they said was in the contract that i signed that WASN'T in the contract i signed, and the BBB can't do a damn thing either way. So i'm f*cked out of two rims costing like $625 a piece. They even hired an independent appraiser to inspect my rims to see if they were indeed no longer able to hold a seal with the tire (which would warrant replacement if not able to be repaired), and the guy "wasn't able to find any evidence pointing to this". A little air pressure and a splash of water and you could hear air leaking out from 20 feet away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but the burden of proof is on them... How can they prove you are tethering? Simply stating that you are in the top 5% or whatever is not sufficient IMO.
Sent from my SGS III

I got that notice from AT&T.... I tethered for months, my laptop, my tablet, my ipod, ****, i think i even tethered my roku to it once. Took them a few months for them to noticed, then i got the email, the text, and the letter in the mail.
So I called, and they told me what was going on, so i made up abull**** story about how my nephew plays with my phone and maybe he was enabling the internet. I asked her to if she could put a block on tethering on my account and she said sure, because i didn't want it to occur again, she assured me that my phone will not be able to tether with the block and i said thats awesome, i also asked her to make note on my account of what she was assuring me and she did.
i kept on tethering and i still do to this day. no problems so far.

Swiftks said:
Yeah, but the burden of proof is on them... How can they prove you are tethering? Simply stating that you are in the top 5% or whatever is not sufficient IMO.
Sent from my SGS III
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As many have said in other threads relating to tethering and getting caught, it can probably quite easily be tracked in the packet data transmitted through the network. There's more than likely something different about the way the data is handled that basically throws up a red flag that the data is not intended for the network device.

Voicebox said:
Considering you can never get that plan back if they switch it, you should decide how much that's worth to you. If you'll never go over with just the phone, then it won't be that big a loss. If it were me, I'd stop tethering, and keep the unlimited data since the data costs keep bumping up in $5 or $10 increments.
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I think I'm just going to go with this one. This kind of sucks though.
I don't even think the word tethering was in the original contract. Oh well, thanks for all the input.

elementaldragon said:
As many have said in other threads relating to tethering and getting caught, it can probably quite easily be tracked in the packet data transmitted through the network. There's more than likely something different about the way the data is handled that basically throws up a red flag that the data is not intended for the network device.
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Click to collapse
Every packet is sent with something like a TTL (I don't think this is exactly right, I'm having a brain fart and google searches are fruitless for me right now). Basically they have a number of acceptable hops. On a cell phone, this number is typically pretty low, on a desktop it's often extremely high. This is why people tethering other mobile devices likely don't get noticed. You can also set that value on a desktop/laptop to one higher than the default on your mobile device and the traffic will appear to have originated from your device.

I'm just wondering, how much data did you use in the month(s) before they sent the message?

I am on AT&T and rarely tether but I was wondering if there are apps or a hack to mask this and make the data packets look as if a smartphone device is actually using the data. I have heard of this but I am not sure of what and which carriers it works with. Does anyone know?

annulation said:
I'm just wondering, how much data did you use in the month(s) before they sent the message?
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Apparently between 2-4 GB. But this whole month, I've been under 1GB - which is funny since this is the month they "caught" me.

This is the key, only tether when you have to. That's the only time I do. When I'm away from my home network and no other possible connection around. The people getting caught are ones who are tethering constantly. Of course they going to see a huge spike in data usage. Spread it out. Especially now with 4g tethering speeds, they will be keeping a close eye. I've found out that I can successfully tether my 4g speeds to my note 10.1 tablet using Foxfi. Neither my SG3 or note 10.1 is rooted or anything. No mods needed to get it to work. I ran speedtests on tethered tablet to sg3 and saw I was getting 4g speeds. Will definitely come in handy when I need it. My data usage normally high anyways with my phone since I have unlimited. So a spike every now and then is nothing..I constantly surf web and sync stuff on my mobile phone. So my data usage is up there on a regular basis.
I think now with faster 4g speeds, more people will get caught because alot more data is flowing. Only tether when you have to. If you tethering on a daily basis as your only means of internet connection(use to be me before I got high speed wireless), they will eventually notice

I got the notice last week - and I haven't tethered since I first got the phone in the beginning of July. It wasn't anything serious, just about 10 minutes of tethering to check emails.
There was about a 2 week period where I didn't have Internet at home since the last tropical storm blew through, so I used my unlimited data to stream Netflix all day and night(on the phone) . I've been under 5gb every month so far, except in July where I used 11gb.
Just know that if they touch my unlimited data I'm taking all 5 of my lines elsewhere...

They look at browser headers (User Agent) to determine if you are tethering (probably among other things). I was NOT tethering and not using over 2gb, but I had my Dolphin browser User Agent set to make my browser look like Windows Firefox to force websites to give me desktop, not mobile versions.
I got nasty threats from ATT to stop tethering. I suspected it was the browser and I made several phone calls to explain. I got nowhere. I stopped using Dolphin and haven't been accused since.

I am always at 5gbs a month then they slow me down once in a while I tether for surf with chrome but its rare , I am supposedly top 5% my ass , before I was on 3rd party employee line using 7-10gbs month.
PS. Solved slow down problem once u hit 5gbs but its pain in the ass to do
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

T-mobile Prioritization?

Rant incoming..... tl;dr .... 20GB in 8 days, "data guzzler list" getting 0.1mbit now during peak hours and 5mbit on off-time....
So was happily watching youtube videos when got hit with that buffering. Noticed I was getting poor internet connection, saw full bars. Ran speed test, a whopping .10 mbps... Called them, they said I'm on the prioritization list because in 8 days, racked up 20GB which means I'm in the 95~ percentile in data usage on my unlimited data plan... Went through the phone, sure enough... 2-4GB per day by youtube... Still, not even a nice warning, and they treat me like it's my fault I was actually using my unlimited service... Even during the call, they were like, "just tell him he's on the list and nothing can be done. He used too much data...."
Well first thing I did was turn off high quality streaming because that's a gas guzzler for sure.... But I would have loved a warning text that I'm using too much data, but not even that... Anyone else noticed this? Funny thing, went through 2 customer reps both never saw that before, and tech support said they are doing something new.... Fun times.... They are not "throttling, they are making your data less of a priority", but 0.1 mbps consistent throughput for a minute... that's not prioritizing, that's throttling...
Oh, and best yet... they thanked me for my 11 years being a customer with them... Yea... >_>

mcs117 said:
Rant incoming..... tl;dr .... 20GB in 8 days, "data guzzler list" getting 0.1mbit now during peak hours and 5mbit on off-time....
So was happily watching youtube videos when got hit with that buffering. Noticed I was getting poor internet connection, saw full bars. Ran speed test, a whopping .10 mbps... Called them, they said I'm on the prioritization list because in 8 days, racked up 20GB which means I'm in the 95~ percentile in data usage on my unlimited data plan... Went through the phone, sure enough... 2-4GB per day by youtube... Still, not even a nice warning, and they treat me like it's my fault I was actually using my unlimited service... Even during the call, they were like, "just tell him he's on the list and nothing can be done. He used too much data...."
Well first thing I did was turn off high quality streaming because that's a gas guzzler for sure.... But I would have loved a warning text that I'm using too much data, but not even that... Anyone else noticed this? Funny thing, went through 2 customer reps both never saw that before, and tech support said they are doing something new.... Fun times.... They are not "throttling, they are making your data less of a priority", but 0.1 mbps consistent throughput for a minute... that's not prioritizing, that's throttling...
Oh, and best yet... they thanked me for my 11 years being a customer with them... Yea... >_>
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Yeah thats BS. As long as you are not doing P2P sharing they should not throttle you . If you have a true unlimited plan that should be exactly what it is. I understand that they are not home internet providers but if they provide you a service that is unlimited then throttle you then there must be a fair use policy . I know people using 5 to 10 times the data u are and not getting throttled. 2 to 4 GB a day is high but in reality its only about one and a half full length HD movies . Im surprised they did not restore you speeds and let you off with a fair warning . I miss the good old days where they throttled at the phone and and not at the server. On my GS2 you could delete the throttle folder and make a few other tweaks and never get throttled even on a 1 GB Plan . What area do you live in . are you in the USA?

the carriers need to make it clearer about what "unlimited" really means, but, on the other hand, I dont think anyone should be using their cell phones as their primary means of accessing the internet, unless the carriers come out and say that they are ok with that.
cant you use your home internet/wifi for all this heavy duty data consumption?
yeah, a warning would have been nice, but c'mon dude, thats a pace of over 80 gigs of data per month, and that is just crazy...
and yeah, there are worse offenders than you, but even so..

20 GB is pretty unreasonable, so I don't disagree with them.

Yea, I know 20GB in 8 days was high, which is why I'm going to restrict youtube's HQ streaming... but still... Even with FCC latest decision and then Tmobile is doubling down on throttling to control both legit and illegal data... that's ridiculous....
Also, no warning... I had to find out from calling in.... I usually call them because I got dropped out of the LTE and they need to "register" me back onto the tower... And I check my monthly usage.... 50GB a month.... Recently, with this new phone... HQ streaming really is HQ streaming.... Because I was on a M8 before and had no issues... I might as well live on the 4g only band.... because apparently only LTE is being metered....

I waste that much data in like a month and i think is a lot lol

gdmlaz said:
I waste that much data in like a month and i think is a lot lol
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Yea, I know. But at the same time, you got people hitting 100+ GB, but for me, never near that, got placed with those people.... And It's all because of stupid youtube, I really wish they have an audio only/screen off mode where I just listen to debates/talk shows on there and apparently the video portion is 1080p... >_>

If Google Fi is a hit, it's only going to get worse!

I have the same issue. Called them up, they told me prioritization and for me to use less data. Sigh.
Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk

It was all fun and games for a few years until they reached their goal of users, now is back to boring company like the rest.

i saw an "unlimited data" ad by sprint one time, and while reading the fine print (because thats what i do when im eating breakfast) i saw that it said "Unlimited does not mean Unreasonable" so Tmobile isnt the only one doing this. Now i want to go above 20gb because i have unlimted 4g with tmo as well

I have done 70+ gb and never had any issues. I think this issue is more how much of a impact you create with avaliable bandwidth for other tmobile user and the length of the impact. I'm sure it's all automated so even the tmo reps may not know why or how it was triggered.

I'm one of those Data Juicers... Lol

I'm on my first week with TMO and have 42gb so far. Hope I don't run into any "prioritization" schemes.

No room for complaints about prioritization. How much would have getting past even the 5gb mark cost on Verizon or att? Why should you and people like you use up all the bandwidth with YouTube and I get slower speeds for normal web surfing? Just stop being a habitual data over user and they will ignore the couple times a year you use way to much data. My wife uses 40gb a month give or take (still to much use if you ask me) and has never been pushed to the back of the line.
*edit*
I should make my self a little clearer. Using YouTube a lot isn't a bad thing, using it for listening to music all day is just stupidity. I don't care how bad you guys are going to flame me on this because you know deep down its true. Get Spotify pay the 8 bucks a month and boom your data usage will drop dramatically. I understand its unlimited data but you should use it responsibly because your not the only one using the bandwidth.

shoresteve626 said:
I'm on my first week with TMO and have 42gb so far. Hope I don't run into any "prioritization" schemes.
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what could you possibly be doing on a cell phone that uses 42 gigs in one week???

I would have to tether to use that much data. I usually end up around 10 to 20 gigs a month which is plenty for me. My only gripe over this is not specific to Tmo, IMO they and everyone else should not be able to use the word unlimited unless it is actually unlimited and it should be right out there in front, not in the fine print.The word unlimited cannot be qualified, unlimited means there are no limits, if there is a limit it is not unlimited. In other words tmo (and all the rest) should say "Up to 60 gigs full speed and throttled but unlimited throttled data after". They should only be able to use the word unlimited if the data is actually unlimited. Tmo 4g data is not unlimited but they are using that wording and that should change.
BTW, not trying to tell others what they should use or say how much data is enough or how much it should cost, just that the actual data and speeds you are going to get for the money you agree to pay should be clearly worded in the big print.

agreed; their sales and marketing people are afraid to give any competitor an advantage over them, by actually stating in their TOS how much data is actually "unlimited", so instead, they punish the consumers with arbitrary slowdowns and throttling when they feel they are being abused..
and, even though I think that anyone using 42 gigs a week of data is definitely violating the vaguely worded TOS that t mobile and Sprint employ, this wont stop until some legal action is taken against the carriers or the data hogs who are abusing their networks..

I'm picking up a s6 tomorrow and I'll ask them to print out the agreement in full and point out the data usage part. When I get time I'll scan and upload it so everyone can look at it. I'm sure in the tos that you agreed to it will state almost word for word what you think it would say. If it didn't you know a ambulance chasing lawyer would have a class action lawsuit right now.

thanks, I havent looked at mine in a long time, probably because I stay on wifi almost all the time, and my data useage is never more than a gig or 2..
read this
http://bgr.com/2015/04/30/t-mobile-unlimited-data-plan-slow-speeds/