Sep 10, 2007 06:07 AM
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Some morons are whining again about iPhone international roaming data charges, this time adding up to $4,800 between three phones. They are claiming that AT&T charged them while their phones were "off." Black magic? Criminal conspiracy? AT&T colluding with Apple, the NSA, FBI, CIA and the Vatican? No, probably just stupidity.
This time the guy says that his party "turned off" their iPhones while on a trip to the Mediterranean, yet the phone kept secretly grabbing emails from the network and that's why they got charged so much money.
Jay, really, are you telling us that Apple and AT&T have included a special We-Are-Going-To-Screw-You-While-Roaming Off Mode™ in your iPhone that the rest of the iPhones in the planet don't have? Because as far as we know, once your iPhone is off, it is off, period. It won't communicate with the network or anyone else.
And even while the Inquirer erroneously points out that "the iPhone regularly updates email, even while it's off, so that all the messages will be available when the user turns it on," are you aware that "off" means "sleep" and that the automatic mail check feature is not active by default? Yes, Jay, you have to go into Settings and then Mail and then change the Mail updating from "Manual" to whatever in order for the iPhone to check for mails —which incidentally eats battery like a hungry Gremlin after 12 a.m. But then, this doesn't matter because the automatic mail checking doesn't work when the iPhone is really off.
Now Jay, could it be possible that you left the iPhone in sleeping mode and with the automatic mail checking on? And if that's the case, who do you think is to blame? AT&T, Apple and the NSA or FBI or the Vatican or you and your friends? Look, we are not fans of the Death Star, but I think the answer is pretty clear.
So iPhone world travelers, here is a message from the Giz to you: enough with the iPhone roaming stupidity already. If you want to avoid roaming charges, simply get a roaming plan or leave your iPhone at home or turn them off for real and don't activate automatic email checking.
And please, please, stop the whining. [The Inquirer]
Send an email to Jesus Diaz, the author of this post, at jesus@gizmodo.com.
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