cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Data on an older phone

LindyMoon
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I'm using an iPhone 4s (yeah, I know). I tried using my data today, but all I got was a message saying 'Could not activate cellular data network. You are not subscribed to a cellular data service'. Is it just because my phone is so old, or is it something else?

20 REPLIES 20

Siri is always the point of attack when people bypass iPhone "security" systems. Well known on iPhone 4S and every subsequent model including iPhone 12. I would've thought Apple could fix the Siri vulnerablities by now.


@AE_Collector wrote:

@LurganIeUk wrote:

Check your APN settings.  

 

BTW...Best iPhone  ever!


 I see what you did there... you reused the “Best President Ever” phrase for iPhone 4!

That leaves me wondering if the iPhone 4 was all that great or just THOUGHT it was Great.

 

AE_Collector


If I use favourite words of “you know who” I apologize. I do not support “you know who”. 

 

And just to be clear I referred to iPhone 4S. iPhone 4 often has soft home buttons and no Siri. Oh jeepers I forget! 4S had Siri and FaceTime. 


@LurganIeUk wrote:

Check your APN settings.  

 

BTW...Best iPhone  ever!


 I see what you did there... you reused the “Best President Ever” phrase for iPhone 4!

That leaves me wondering if the iPhone 4 was all that great or just THOUGHT it was Great.

 

AE_Collector

A year or so ago there was an iOS update for the 4S. Have you tried for an update?

Also when you see Cellular....is there not a list below of apps to switch on or off for use with data?

mh1983
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@Anonymous wrote:

 @Korth 

iirc 4.2. It was a background, built-in, runtime giving in to the dearth of app development for OS10. The apps came from the Amazon appstore. You could sideload others too.

I guess by then BB saw the end coming fast.


4.3, actually. And yes, it's a runtime, so not fair to compare it to a full fledged Android OS on another phone. Even if an app is compatible w/ 4.3 and earlier, it's not guaranteed to run on BB10's runtime because there are oftentimes other dependencies (Google Play Services, for example) required for the app to function.

Anonymous
Not applicable

 @Korth 

iirc 4.2. It was a background, built-in, runtime giving in to the dearth of app development for OS10. The apps came from the Amazon appstore. You could sideload others too.

I guess by then BB saw the end coming fast.

@Anonymous

 

Android 4.2? I had an LG Eclypse from 2012. A clever middly-/high-end device from just one year after iPhone 4 was released.

 

My phone came with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and updated to Android 2.2.4 (Gingerbread). Or was it Android 2.2.6? I can't recall, exactly, except that I upgraded it from obsolete to obsolete. I eventually found modded firmware to make it "almost" Android 3. What the devs called "Android 3.3". Still didn't work with any apps found online. Even the old embedded "Android Market" app was incompatible with newer "Play Store". More workarounds to workarounds.

 

But even the xda folks and the random East-Euro hacker crowd had fully abandoned this old device and its old operating systems after a few years. By 2018 I'd finally had enough. Even a cheap flip-phone was more useful.

 

This will be the fate of all devices in an ever-changing digital world if you are able to keep them running long enough. Much better to get a newer device, even if it's one already used by someone else.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@mh1983 wrote:


No, I totally agree on all counts. I just hope the OP sees there are some things to try and leaves no stones unturned before retiring the older phone. 🙂 


He did say "yeah, I know". I'm sure he'll give it the old college try.

mh1983
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@Anonymous wrote:

@mh1983 wrote:

If my old BB10 phone can get data, surely the iPhone 4 still can too. Let the OP come back with an update before suggesting to move on. Not everyone can just run out and get a new shiny phone willy nilly!


My old Z10 from 2013 and then the Z30 still work mostly fine. But as Korth mentioned, things become onerous as it ages. Apps aren't compatible (Android 4.2 runtime iirc) let alone no more BBW, the browser chokes on modern websites, wifi security always gets flagged. etc.

Love the BB OS10. But it failed big time in the marketplace. And then aged out.


No, I totally agree on all counts. I just hope the OP sees there are some things to try and leaves no stones unturned before retiring the older phone. 🙂 

Anonymous
Not applicable

@mh1983 wrote:

If my old BB10 phone can get data, surely the iPhone 4 still can too. Let the OP come back with an update before suggesting to move on. Not everyone can just run out and get a new shiny phone willy nilly!


My old Z10 from 2013 and then the Z30 still work mostly fine. But as Korth mentioned, things become onerous as it ages. Apps aren't compatible (Android 4.2 runtime iirc) let alone no more BBW, the browser chokes on modern websites, wifi security always gets flagged. etc.

Love the BB OS10. But it failed big time in the marketplace. And then aged out.

mh1983
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

If my old BB10 phone can get data, surely the iPhone 4 still can too. Let the OP come back with an update before suggesting to move on. Not everyone can just run out and get a new shiny phone willy nilly!

I had to abandon my beloved old phone some years ago. Awesome phone. Loved that phone. (In an affectionate Platonic sense, of course.)

 

Hardware worked fine. Software worked fine ... except the ancient Android OS version was no longer compatible with any apps. While the ancient internet browser built into it was no longer compatible with an ever-increasing number of websites - and itself could not be updated to any newer version (since support for the ancient Android had been discontinued for so long, since newer apps are built on newer OS components).

 

iPhone 4 runs a similarly ancient operating system. Maybe updated to an iOS7 ... which is itself now an ancient operating system. Plus the iOS world has even less tolerance for elderly softwares and hacky fixes than the Android world has.

 

There comes a time when you just gotta let your old phone go. Too many tradeoffs, too many hassles and workarounds to keep it going with too many limitations. It is effectively a communications device which can no longer communicate with the rest of the world - it's basically become incompatible and obsolete. Don't be fooled by the apparent functionality - you'll be lucky if it doesn't just waste your time and frustrate you in the end.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@LindyMoon wrote:

I've had more of a look around my settings and I may have found the issue. In the section called 'use cellular date for:', only passbook and system services are listed. I physically can't select other apps.

Also, data does show up on my profile. It's saying 0.001 of my 250mb has been used. I reset my statistics with my wifi turned off, so it is working, just not with safari.


popping above linked to a thread from our resident iPhone expert. Have a read.

LindyMoon
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I've had more of a look around my settings and I may have found the issue. In the section called 'use cellular date for:', only passbook and system services are listed. I physically can't select other apps.

Also, data does show up on my profile. It's saying 0.001 of my 250mb has been used. I reset my statistics with my wifi turned off, so it is working, just not with safari.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@Triguy wrote:

Check your self serve account under data and add-ons.  If no amount is showing then you have used up your allotment.  You can purchase an add-on for $25 for 1GB which rolls over to the next month until used up.


 @LindyMoon 

The 1GB data add-on is actually $15.

 

Edit: fixed

popping
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@LindyMoon 

If you account status is active and you have plan which include data, read this thread on how to get your iPhone 4s to work.  You need to connect your 4s to iTune running on a PC to update your carrier specific file for PM.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Phones-Hardware/FYI-iOS-and-APNs/m-p/323118

 

 

LurganIeUk
Mayor / Maire

@LindyMoon wrote:

I'm using an iPhone 4s (yeah, I know). I tried using my data today, but all I got was a message saying 'Could not activate cellular data network. You are not subscribed to a cellular data service'. Is it just because my phone is so old, or is it something else?


Check your APN settings.  

 

BTW...Best iPhone  ever!

Triguy
Mayor / Maire

Check your self serve account under data and add-ons.  If no amount is showing then you have used up your allotment.  You can purchase an add-on for $15 for 1GB which rolls over to the next month until used up.

Need Help? Let's chat.