T-Mobile, the lying cheats

[ghostjmf]

Lotsa net articles like that, actually. Mostly from phone plan customers who find their data being double-charged, both as data &, uh-oh, funneled through wifi.


But anyway: One day I'm at 43.whatever MB on their hard-to-to-get-a-reading-from "My T-Mobile" app. Overnight, I'm at 84.whatever. And tablet was not on overnight. That I know of. Unless it turned itself on & then off, something in fact it did a lot when I 1st got it, less now. I have also set all the apps I can find to "update yourself only when attached to wifi". I was instructed to do that by various places, including the T-Mobile store where I bought tablet. But I must have missed something I just can't get into to shut the auto-update off. And I'm loath to un-install all the apps that came "free with tablet".


So now I have a bigger shock; I'm at 84.whatever one day, 184.whatever overnight. Again, I wasn't doing anything on phone. Maybe its like teenagers with their parents' car, sneaking night rides. My siblings used to do that. I never did. But they generally bought gas to cover (couldn't change the mileage meter, though).


There was a newly arrived "beta version" of a "health of device" app running & running (& giving no results, ever) that I couldn't shut off, but they're not supposed to be charging you for anything that T-Mobile itself does directly.


A feed when I log on tells me I'm at 20% of my free 200MB/30-day-period, & "would I like to buy some more data". I don't have great confidence (that C word I don't like for other reasons lately) in a source that thinks 20% of 200 is 184.whatever.


Some time in the next few days, unless I do buy more data, I'm going to be restricted to only (uh oh) wifi. But I get another 200MB of 4G data on the 22nd. The log-on feed tells me I will be throttled to 2G when I run out of the 200MB of 4G, but I know from previous experience that is not true, as I'm one of their pariah pre-paid-plan (aka pay-as-you-go) customers on my other T-Mobile device, the actual phone. So on the tablet, because they do not love me, I don't get throttled. They only do that to those they do love. I get cut off.

[Beebs52]

We have tmobile and haven't had any of these probs. Don't have a tablet, but 2 samsungs. Sorry you always have difficulties.

[Beebs52]

Maybe I'm confused. Do you keep your mobile data on all the time? You have wifi, so shut it off if it's on.

[ghostjmf]

I keep everything I *can* turn off off when tablet is off. I realize though that there are apps that will run in background even when tablet is off. The more scientific thing to do here would be to remove most apps that came installed by android. But I am afraid I wouldn't get them back if I then tried.


With the tablet its either wifi *or* data. You can't officially run both simultaneously. Though of course I don't know what Android's OS is really doing.

[Vandal]

[Beebs52]

I keep everything I *can* turn off off when tablet is off. I realize though that there are apps that will run in background even when tablet is off. The more scientific thing to do here would be to remove most apps that came installed by android. But I am afraid I wouldn't get them back if I then tried.


With the tablet its either wifi *or* data. You can't officially run both simultaneously. Though of course Indon't know what Android's OS is really doing.

What I'm saying is you can, too, have your mobile data on while wifi is on. Shut it off in the data usage management part.

[Beebs52]

By "part" I mean settings.

[ghostjmf]

Beebs, believe me, on this tablet its either/or. I don't know if your Samsung phones (I'm guessing you meant phones; that, or laptops) have OS by Android, but many other Android devices have options under settings that this tab does not have. Believe me, I've followed youtube videos & written instructions that just lead me to dead ends because the option wasn't on this tablet.

It does not appear that I can have wifi & 4G for active internet connectivity (meaning I go to a site & do something there) on simultaneously. What may happen is that wifi goes out momentarily, which would throw me back on 4G. But I've been watching out for that.

Its likely there's some data-drain app that I just haven't turned off.

[Beebs52]

I have the galaxy 3 (I know old now) and Jeff has the 5. I googled way back and disabled location services, which is a drain. Also got rid of apps I could. Other than that I got nuthin.

[ghostjmf]

I made sure all location-related stuff is off. Then I turn them on if I need them. Then off again. Some extra steps here, but I was told early on it would save data. I should really get rid of some apps I have never used. But they give you all kind of dire warnings if you even attempt to disable them. I should just uninstall.

[Beebs52]

Some you can't uninstall.

[plasticene]

I keep everything I *can* turn off off when tablet is off. I realize though that there are apps that will run in background even when tablet is off. The more scientific thing to do here would be to remove most apps that came installed by android. But I am afraid I wouldn't get them back if I then tried.


With the tablet its either wifi *or* data. You can't officially run both simultaneously. Though of course I don't know what Android's OS is really doing.

Nothing can run when the tablet is off. Do you mean just when the screen is off? Because all kinds of things can run then.

Have you tried putting the tablet in airplane mode and then manually turning the wifi back on? In that case, if you lose the wifi connection, you just won't be connected at all, which is what you want.

[ghostjmf]

I learned my lesson re sleep vs off the hard way on tab's 1st day. Store person said to always leave it in sleep. That burned up massive amounts of data time in 4 hours.


But there are some background things going on even when off, I do believe. At least from what I read, & from what tab's own diagnostics tell me. Airplane mode (to have only previously downloaded stuff available, no internet connectivity) is a great idea. I will try this.

[ghostjmf]

Found another potential data-suck; mobile-data-roaming, which is where T-Mobile piggy-backs on another network. T-Mobile can charge for this. Presumably in connectivity points. They've lambasted the biggies for the high costs of data-roaming charged back to T-Mobile, & the feds have made statements agreeing w/ T-Mobile & Sprint on this.


T-Mobile tells you when cell-phone is roaming to a shared service. It does not tell you when tablet is. Problem here for me is my big jumps in data usage both happenned on days when I was in Boston area, where T-Mobile's network is strong. Nevertheless, I've shut data-roaming off. We'll see if this affects connectivity point charge use.

[BackInTex]

Perhaps you should have purchased an Apple product.

I can turn off data roaming, like when I was visiting Saucy.
I can turn off data, period, and have only wi-fi.
I can restrict my wi-fi to only 'known' networks so I don't automatically get logged into networks I don't know, want to, or shouldn't.

Of course you can do this too on Android devices as seen here.

Not sure about the auto-connect on wi-fi but I'm sure it could be accomplished if you want to.

[Jeemie]

Perhaps you should have purchased an Apple product.

I can turn off data roaming, like when I was visiting Saucy.
I can turn off data, period, and have only wi-fi.
I can restrict my wi-fi to only 'known' networks so I don't automatically get logged into networks I don't know, want to, or shouldn't.

Of course you can do this too on Android devices as seen here.

Not sure about the auto-connect on wi-fi but I'm sure it could be accomplished if you want to.

There are many things you can do to keep your Andriod device from using too much data or hooking up automatically to wifi. Sometimes it requires manual intervention on your part because data providers want you to remain connected, so of course, they set up the defaults that way, but you can control it. If you are going to buy only limited data packages, I suggest you do do a lot of manual vigilance.

Auto-connect with wifi on Android works the same as Apple. It will notify you when new connections are in range (you can turn this off if you want to, but not sure why you would want to), but will only auto-connect with those to which you have logged in before.

Additionally, you can set the wifi to turn off when the device goes to sleep, you can turn on and off your accessing of mobile data, so if you are real worried about what's going on with your device and data access while it's sleeping, you can turn everything off and then turn it back on- you have to do the mobile data manually, but you can do it.

[ghostjmf]

Bit: That screen you "helpfully" gave me a link to does not appear anywhere on an Alcatel OneTouch pop7.


I didn't purchase an Apple product because, in addition to being very expensive (you get way better quality photos & sound but I can't afford the expense at present) they don't let you log onto to 2 diff e-mail addresses. At least not easily, very possibly not at all. Apple salespeople could not set this up for my sister on her I-pad.


Kindle, proud progenitor of another group of products that don't allow more than one e-mail address, used to tell its customers "so buy a separate Kindle for your kid/spouse/2nd identity". Their bottom-line products are around $100.00, so that "works" for the kid/spouse. Not so much for the 2nd identity. In my case the 2 separate e-mails were originally "work vs music interests". These days, the Kindle Fire line allows 2nd logins, with a lot of work to be done to set them up, though. Ostensibly so kids can use parents' tablets, but with restrictions on the kids' access.


Some defects Android products have that I didn't know about in advance is that they don't handle midi files (a kind of sound file I frequently get sent to) or, even worse, Adobe Flash. There is supposedly an app for midi files; it isn't supported by Google Play Store, I downloaded it anyway & it not only doesn't work, it invites all kinds bad stuff onto your tablet. I uninstalled it quickly. There are work-arounds for Adobe Flash, which at least is a non-buggy, legit product, but I haven't gotten around to following the many steps to install. And some of the steps may require screens the Alcatel doesn't provide (other Android devices do).


I can, in fact, turn off data-roaming, & have. That's what my post was about. I find I can turn off "data period" in one place only but am afraid I won't get it back.


I cannot restrict my wifi, not on the Alcatel. I'd recommend you don't recommend things you haven't personally tried out on the product in question.


I can keep turning off wifi, but its a whack-a-mole activity. With the emphasis on "keep turning off".


Why are you so sure things can be done on a product & system you don't own & haven't used?

[ghostjmf]

Jeemie:


You can manually tell the pop7 to forget a wifi connection, but it pop(7s?) right back up again. Believe me, there are those I'd like to permanently remove, like the xfinity link in my neighborhood which as far as I can tell is just there to sell me xfinity, not to allow browsing anything. Or the wifi's of various buildings I go into which only let you on the network if you are some level of guest that I am not. The Alcatel's "makes it easy" wifi locator can't tell the difference between some actual free wifis & some screen-that-asks-for-password wifis. There are some requires-password services it thinks are free, & some it knows are not free, & I don't know why it lumps some into the free basket that it should not. And there are of course some that appear with a lock icon & say "requires password" that it doesn't try to connect you to.

I haven't found the screen to disconnect from auto-connect.


I never set the device to "sleep"; I always turn it completely off after every use. When I first bought it, it was turning itself on a lot. Lately, not so much, but still does it sometimes.

[earendel]

I didn't purchase an Apple product because, in addition to being very expensive (you get way better quality photos & sound but I can't afford the expense at present) they don't let you log onto to 2 diff e-mail addresses. At least not easily, very possibly not at all. Apple salespeople could not set this up for my sister on her I-pad.

That's funny - my iPhone and iPad can get email from my 3 different accounts with no difficulties at all.

[ghostjmf]

earendel:


From what I've read it can be possibly be done but is convoluted. By her choice, the I-pad is not tied to a phone #. Her non-gmail mail is with Buckeye Cablevision, don't know what protocol it uses, but do know its not the same as gmail.


When I tried to get to my gmail acct via her tablet, it told me, essentially, "you're not her".

I was set up in both my gmail accts by T-Mobile store person, but I can get to set up place for mail on the Alcatel easily.

Can't find easy multiple acct or guest acct setup place on I-pad.


Did you set yourself up? If so, where is it? I admit I haven't researched it.

[BackInTex]

Um...I get three emails on my Iphone. I could connect 33 if I wanted. Just click "Add new mail account" and set it up. Not really convoluted. But if it is too complex, one of the things you get with the 'expensive' Apple products is the Genius Bar at the local Apple store, if one is near you. They treat you like your their tech-illiterate favorite Uncle. They do just about anything to get you going.

[ghostjmf]

Apparently the Geniuses in NYC aren't so Genius. Want to show the path to what you click? Although unless your I-pad works differently than others, you touch it, not click anything.

[ghostjmf]

Looked it up myself; according to dummies.com, its only easy if you have gmail, AOL, Yahoo. Buckeye Cablevision is none of the above. If you have an iMAP or pop3 account, you need a server name from your provider. Getting this is not always as easy as dummies.com has it sound. I believe sister may have tried. You also may need outgoing server name.

[BackInTex]

Looked it up myself; according to dummies.com, its only easy if you have gmail, AOL, Yahoo. Buckeye Cablevision is none of the above. If you have an iMAP or pop3 account, you need a server name from your provider. Getting this is not always as easy as dummies.com has it sound. I believe sister may have tried. You also may need outgoing servcer name.

Yeah, that was pretty tough.

[ghostjmf]

Oh, you contacted Buckeye Cablevision, the same company that a few years ago trashed valued accounts on their own cable connection, & got the relevant servername for my sister? How generous of you. Could you cough it up please?