iPad Owners With Original Unlimited Data Plan Get Unlimited, Unthrottled 4G - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPad Owners With Original Unlimited Data Plan Get Unlimited, Unthrottled 4G

by

attlogo375wide1The original 3G iPad came with an unlimited data plan from AT&T -- it was only available for a couple of months, before AT&T implemented its current capped data plans.

We're told that the handful of customers who still have unlimited iPad data plans from the first iPad will get to keep those plans if they get a new iPad with 4G. Additionally, their data won't be throttled for the time being -- AT&T's throttling policies only apply to smartphones, not tablets.

That said, AT&T's contracts -- including those for iPad data plans -- do allow for the throttling of unlimited plans, but we're told that AT&T has no current plans to do so.

Top Rated Comments

DiamondMac Avatar
189 months ago
Enjoy it now. I am sure in 2-3 months AT&T will claim that their networks just can not handle anymore people with unlimited plans going above 2gb....but if they want to pay a bit more....then their networks will magically be able to handle it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hellhammer Avatar
189 months ago
They say that it's unthrottled now so people won't make a big fuss out of it. Wait a few months and heavy users suddenly get lower bandwidth.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
189 months ago
"for the time being" = until March 16th when the thing actually ships.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
189 months ago
As someone who felt squeezed by AT&T's bait-and-switch on this, one month after I bought in, and has begrudgingly maintained iPad 3G service for two years now just to keep this unlimited plan, I am HAPPY to read this!

I hope it's true. And stays that way for awhile. This will sway me back in AT&T's direction, I was about to get a Verizon iPad 3 as an upgrade instead.

So how does one transfer the grandfathered unlimited account to the new iPad? Is it sufficient just to swap the sim cards?
I don't think that'd work as apparently LTE uses a new MicroSIM?

https://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/10/att-rolling-out-lte-micro-sim-cards-sparking-speculation-on-ipad-3-link/


Last year I had to login to the AT&T iPad account and change the IMEI. (AT&T servers were down so I had to do it myself)
How did you do this? There's nowhere on the iPad UI as far as I know. Is this via a phone call, visit to AT&T's website, what?

Thanks for any info.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
189 months ago
I called CS and they said that all I need to do is go to att.com/ipadlanding choose "edit user and payment info" and then "update device information". There one can edit the IMEI and ICCID info for the iPad. Once the changes have been made, power cycle the new iPad and viola. Your unlimited service has just been transferred from one iPad to another. Oh yeah, and you do get unlimited 4G as well as 3G. They also told me that currently there is no deadline for when one would have to do this. In my situation, I cannot afford a new iPad for like 4 months, they said that is fine, as long as I keep paying.

$30 for unlimited 4G? Yes preeze.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Biff... Avatar
189 months ago
I just upgraded to an LTE phone from my iphone 4s. My unlimted data stayed in place, plus I was given the option to add 200 msg for an extra $5.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Sunday August 16, 2026 8:24 pm PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. As usual, the event is expected to take place in the first half of September. Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the...
apple camera airpods

Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action

Monday August 17, 2026 6:21 pm PDT by
Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that appear to be nearly ready to launch, based on a video MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate. In a short demo, a man holds a book up so the camera in the AirPods can see the title. "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text. Here ...
iPhone 18 Pro Dark Cherry Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: New Details Leak as Apple Event Nears

Monday August 17, 2026 11:09 am PDT by
"iPhone Ultra" supply will be very limited when the foldable device is first released later this year, according to Fixed Focus Digital, a known leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account also claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro's A20 Pro chip will be up to 18% faster and up to 30% more power efficient compared to the iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro chip. The A20 Pro chip will be the...