Cellular iPad users: how much do you end up spending on your data plan above and beyond what you pay for your phone plan?
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All iPads Do/did you buy your iPad(s) with Cellular or Wi-Fi Only?
- Thread starter Yebubbleman
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Who's your cellular service provider for the iPad? $10/month unlimited 5G is excellent.
My first few iPads were all cellular-enabled. I stopped doing this when I realized I was paying $30 a month for cellular data which I was barely using. I might reconsider this at some point, but there has to be a real use case where I'd be using my iPad(s) outside of a WiFi zone.
I have a cellular subscription that includes unlimited data devices.
I get following services in one contract:
- up to three voice enabled devices
- 2 SmartPhones ( in my case iPhones )
- 1 Apple Watch
- unlimited number of data devices
- 2 iPads
- 1 Access point in my man cave ( garage )
- 1 mobile accesspoint
- 140 GB / month
- I am using normally less than 30 % of it ( for all devices )
- having 70 GB or 40 GB would not lower the cost significantly
- cost is roughly 50 USD / month - which is really affordable for the provided service IMHO
- Reception and data plan all over the EU
- no roaming in the EU
- no limitation other than the above mentioned
- 2nd best coverage in my country and very good on motorways
- roaming to the US or other countries is rather expensive but I pay a local SIM card whenever I am in countries that are too pricey in my contract - with eSIMs not a big deal
With 5G the iPads have become an indispensable feature set in a small device. Having cellular is a real game changer and in my case no extra cost to the data plan. In fact I would always want backups even of the backup solution. While traveling I can hardly afford to have no data connection.
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I've only had Cellular iPads.
We used to use the iPads as hotspots when travelling, buying physical data-only sims whenever we travelled outside Europe, and keeping our normal sims in our phones keeping our own numbers, but then being able to use data via the iPads.
Now, with the possibility of adding eSims to our phones I'm bit uncertain whether my next iPad will be cellular or wifi-only. I think maybe wifi will do, but there's a fair chance that I'll think "eff it" and add cellular when the time comes, especially if I go for one of the more expensive ones.
Basically, if I was smart I'd get the entry level wifi-only iPad 11 (whenever that comes out), but I'll probably end up with an 11" pro with far too much storage and cellular...
That's more or less a non-issue. I'll just have to pay an extra NOK 29/month (≈ $3/month) for an additional data sim (physical or esim), and I'll just use the same data plan as I have for my phone.
We used to use the iPads as hotspots when travelling, buying physical data-only sims whenever we travelled outside Europe, and keeping our normal sims in our phones keeping our own numbers, but then being able to use data via the iPads.
Now, with the possibility of adding eSims to our phones I'm bit uncertain whether my next iPad will be cellular or wifi-only. I think maybe wifi will do, but there's a fair chance that I'll think "eff it" and add cellular when the time comes, especially if I go for one of the more expensive ones.
Basically, if I was smart I'd get the entry level wifi-only iPad 11 (whenever that comes out), but I'll probably end up with an 11" pro with far too much storage and cellular...
That's more or less a non-issue. I'll just have to pay an extra NOK 29/month (≈ $3/month) for an additional data sim (physical or esim), and I'll just use the same data plan as I have for my phone.
Regularly, nothing. I have a couple of sims with rolling free data allowances on, which is more than enough for my ad-hoc requirements.
When I have been without WiFi for a period of time, I’ve either used a preloaded sim which cost about £25 for 24GB and lasted for 2 years unless it ran out before, or a bundle that might’ve been about £10-£20 depending upon my requirements at the time. I sometimes used PAYG credit to pay for these, as I used the sim in my phone until a better offer came along, so there was credit left on it.
Wifi only. Cellular ones have GPS which screws up some sites when traveling. Also I have hotspot on my two iPhones and a mobile wifi hot spot which I use as I do not use public wifi. Only Wifi service outside home I use is in hotel rooms with a vpn.
have always bought cellular iPads. It costs me $10+tax+fees extra a month but well worth it since I travel a lot. I will say that during COVID I did cancel the iPad plan since I was never traveling and always using iPad at home. The hotspot to phone is a totally viable solution so I get why those who don't find themselves traveling a lot would opt for that.
It was quite useful back in the day when iPhone battery didn’t last long enough or had slower speeds. I don’t get cellular iPads anymore, my 13 PM battery and 5G makes it redundant. I would tether from my iPad or iPhone back to my MBP, now iPhone is good enough.
It's great to get feedback on the various reasons others opt for or against getting cellular iPads to help one's own decision making. It's rather pointless to judge other people's justifications though since in the end the main difference is price which while quantifiable is completely subjective in terms of value when we each have our own unique financial situations.
For me, I'll always get cellular iPads and Apple Watches because I want them to be completely independent from my iPhone when it comes to connectivity away from my home WiFi network or away from each other in general. I'm on an "unlimited" plan with throttling after 30gb per line and paying $150 for 5 lines including tablets, and an additional $10 for each Apple Watch. Perfectly acceptable for me for the convenience, though I'm sure there are other alternatives out there at lower or higher prices. We are each different in what we are willing to pay and what we find value in.
For me, I'll always get cellular iPads and Apple Watches because I want them to be completely independent from my iPhone when it comes to connectivity away from my home WiFi network or away from each other in general. I'm on an "unlimited" plan with throttling after 30gb per line and paying $150 for 5 lines including tablets, and an additional $10 for each Apple Watch. Perfectly acceptable for me for the convenience, though I'm sure there are other alternatives out there at lower or higher prices. We are each different in what we are willing to pay and what we find value in.
Not intentionally but it’s happened to me a few times (forgot my iPhone charging on the night stand). I have SMS forwarding and WiFi calling on other devices enabled so I could still get regular calls and SMS on the iPad.
Personally, I like having a backup/redundancy.
I made a mistake and got a wi-fi only ipad last time. The problem is that it then doesn't have GPS in it, and that breaks a lot of use cases. So now I'll buy the combo, but may not actually activate the cellular service.
My first iPad is the 3rd gen, bought used. It has a cellular, but I went SIM-free as the battery drained faster when I was on cellular.
After that, all of my iPads are exclusively WiFi only. Tethering feature in my country is available widely across all operators, and the mobile data packages are dirt cheap.
After that, all of my iPads are exclusively WiFi only. Tethering feature in my country is available widely across all operators, and the mobile data packages are dirt cheap.
I haven't activated a cellular iPad in years. Can someone please tell me what the plans are for a tablet only plan? Can you still sign up from the iPad directly?
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well said, as some one who used both, I absolutely loved and needed a cellular iPad back in time. Now iPhone carries some of the burden, and I get by with WiFi iPad Pro. But I know few folks who absolutely need cellular connection/gps on the field. I may buy cellular in future if my needs or tastes change. Buy what you like/need.
In the US, I think the only plan worth getting direct via iPad settings is T-Mobile PAYG $10/5GB/150 days.
If you already have a postpaid phone plan, unlimited data for tablet is usually just a $10-20/mo add-on to an existing plan.
When we were in the Philippines, I got local SIMs for our cellular iPads. The plan I got cost ~$2/9GB/7 days with rollover which can be shared on up to 4 devices. Spent ~$10 total for 45GB.
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I bought my iPad 2 with cellular through Verizon. I think I used it one time when I spent 4-5 days with my Grandmother. She didn't have WIFI. I don't think I ever used it after that. the two iPads I've bought since then were WIFI only.
You can sign up through a dedicated iPad Settings pane which offers standalone plans from the big carriers (at least here in the US), with your cell carrier directly, or with any provider that will send an eSIM. My personal go-to is T-mobile’s 5 GB/150 day $10 package directly from the iPad—really good price for always-on tracking/background data fetch/etc. and occasional full usage.
