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AT&T Won't Charge for FaceTime Over Cellular, Will Require New Mobile Share Plan

Friday August 17, 2012 1:28 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
NewImageAT&T will not charge customers for using the FaceTime over Cellular feature in iOS 6, but will require users to be on one of its new Mobile Share data plans. Last month, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson declined to talk about how the company would handle the new FaceTime feature, saying "it's too early to talk about pricing."

AT&T's new Mobile Share data plans will launch August 23rd, allowing users to share their monthly data allotment across multiple devices. The plans are structured with two basic components: a monthly cost for a data allotment and a per-device charge that varies from $10 to $45 depending on the type of device and the data plan selected. All of the plans include unlimited talk and text.

Here's the statement from AT&T:
AT&T will offer FaceTime over Cellular as an added benefit of our new Mobile Share data plans, which were created to meet customers’ growing data needs at a great value. With Mobile Share, the more data you use, the more you save. FaceTime will continue to be available over Wi-Fi for all our customers.
While AT&T is clearly encouraging customers to switch to the new Mobile Share plans, users can keep their existing tiered single-phone or grandfathered unlimited data plans -- though without the FaceTime over Cellular feature.

In the U.S., Sprint has said it will not charge for FaceTime over Cellular. Verizon hasn't specified what it will require of customers to use the feature.

[ 470 comments ]


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Virtualball
88 months ago

Steve Jobs would not have allowed Apple to be bullied by the carriers.


If you remember anything about iOS' history, you would know that you're undeniably wrong. iOS removed PdaNet from the App Store at the request of telecoms. iOS imposes download limits for apps due to telecoms. Steve Jobs has nothing to do with this and you sound like an idiot for bringing him up. Your logic is bad and you should feel bad.
Rating: 87 Votes
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ckelley
88 months ago
Thanks AT&T for making my move to Sprint even easier.
Rating: 63 Votes
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larrylaffer
88 months ago
"The more you use, the more you save".

Oh, my sides!
Rating: 55 Votes
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jwhite878
88 months ago
If it's my data, I can use it however I want. It shouldn't matter if I'm getting emails, streaming music, using Facetime, tethering, or watching a 2 hour porno. If I go over my limit, you charge me anyway. It shouldn't be restricted to new plans, and is a shameless attempt at getting everyone to give up their unlimited data.
Rating: 41 Votes
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newyorksole
88 months ago
Soooo if you don't have a new data plan you can't do FaceTime over cellular? AT&T is ridiculous.
Rating: 40 Votes
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burnside
88 months ago
Thanks, but I'll keep my grandfathered plan. And AT&T, I'm not going to charge you for this FacePalm. :D
Rating: 39 Votes
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redchannel
88 months ago
I can keep my UNLIMITED DATA but if I want to use Facetime™ over 3G I must switch plans. ****ing Goddamn ******** AT&T !!!!!
Rating: 38 Votes
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zman2100
88 months ago
Such bullcrap. I'll just keep jailbreaking to use FaceTime over 3G anyways, but it shouldn't come to that.
Rating: 30 Votes
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bondjw07
88 months ago
This is completely ridiculous.
Rating: 28 Votes
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noah82
88 months ago
I hate you so much ATT. What about business plans that cannot use those plans? Are we out of luck then?
Rating: 25 Votes

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