I have owned several iPad mini's with cellular - and have connected them with Consumer Cellular (They use the AT&T towers, and their SIM card is AT&T) Just got the new mini 6 - and a new SIM card - called and gave Consumer Cellular the imei number, etc. but it won't connect with cellular. I've been on the phone 3 times now with CC and one supervisor told me today that Apple changed some settings that does not allow them to connect iPads to their service. She said that previously they could change some settings that tricked the system into thinking the iPad was a phone but they can't do that now. I previously had an iPad mini 5 that worked on their network. I don't know if this is true, but I really want to be able to use the mini with cellular when I need to. Any thoughts on this? Tried all kinds of settings and nothing so far has worked. Going to the Apple store Genius Bar this week but I have my doubts about them getting it to work. I suppose I might need to return it for the non cellular mini but I hate to do that - perhaps I haven't gotten the right technician at Consumer Cellular?
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iPad mini iPad mini 6 w/ cellular won't connect to Consumer Cellular network
- Thread starter Peafreen
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From the sounds of it Consumer Cellular never officially supported it, it just happened to work and now they can’t.
If Consumer Cellular can’t get it to work, it’s an issue on their end not with the iPad. Unfortunately I can’t see Apple being able to fix it, unless you went with another carrier that supports iPad data packages.
If Consumer Cellular can’t get it to work, it’s an issue on their end not with the iPad. Unfortunately I can’t see Apple being able to fix it, unless you went with another carrier that supports iPad data packages.
Thanks for the suggestion I’ll check with T-mobile since I’m paying monthly to have the iPad connected to consumer might wash out the same in the end
You don’t need to check with T-Mo. Just choose cellular data in Settings, Add a new plan, T-Mo should come up. You’ll probably want to look at prepaid and that one should be listed.
I have the $35/month prepaid AT&T unlimited plans on two of my iPads. Unfortunately, where I need cellular service the most, T-Mo doesn’t have service or I’d get that and just renew when I ran out of the 5G of data every couple of months.
It’s cheaper for me to pay $70 for two iPad data plans plus just under $90 to Verizon for two phones and a trail camera (2 G data + 2 G bonus data) than it is to get unlimited data on the Verizon plan and add the tablets. Also, we have better AT&T service at our camp than Verizon.
Been a while since I've used that plan. If data is used up before the 150 days, can you renew it or just buy extra data?
So in essence, it's simply a 5GB for $10 plan with unused data lost at 150 days. T-Mobile has a 5GB/month plan for $20 - why buy that when you can get 10Gb for the same $20 in a month by renewing the 5/10/150 plan?
The $10/5GB/150 day is an iPad-only plan that was supposed to be a limited time promo (circa Air 2?). I'm just thankful T-Mobile has kept it to this day and allows renewal. Iirc, the terms for this specific plan stated you can only sign up for it one time but I've been able to re-up several times now.
The $10 plan has a hard cap of 5GB. The 5GB/$20 monthly plan gives you 5GB high speed data and then unlimited throttled afterwards.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I have Tmobile on iPad Mini 6 but can't get it to show me that $10/5GB/150 day plan. Instead, it will only show me the plan I already have on the screen- no other options at all. I also asked for that one when I signed up and they "couldn't find that plan."
I'd be VERY INTERESTED in that one if there is some way to get it. So far, I've perceived it is a legacy offering vs. something available to truly new iPads. Please someone correct me if that's wrong... and offer any step-by-step if you have it.
I'd be VERY INTERESTED in that one if there is some way to get it. So far, I've perceived it is a legacy offering vs. something available to truly new iPads. Please someone correct me if that's wrong... and offer any step-by-step if you have it.
It is not legacy only. What I found is that if you already have a T-Mobile plan on your iPad that it will not show you other plans to add - it just shows your current plan. When I bought my current T-Mobile plan a few weeks back, the 5/10/150 plan showed as an option, so it is still there - you just can't get to it because of your current T-Mobile plan.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Thanks. So I take that to mean that I would need to cancel my plan to hopefully gain access to that option?
Honestly, I'm not sure if T-Mobile would even let you sign up for this plan when your current plan expires. They seem to check IMEI numbers so if you've already used the IMEI to sign up for a regular plan, the promo plan may no longer show up.
Mind, it is available on new iPads. These screenshots are from my iPad mini 6 (never been signed up for T-Mobile). Note, this is a plan you can only get via Settings - Cellular on the iPad. It's a promo offer and not part of T-Mobile's regular data plans.
Good info - in the past, I had only used that plan but this time around I went a different route. Sounds like it will never be an option on this iPad again, then.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Just tried it, canceled relatively new service (the most basic data one for $5/month signed up about 3X days ago) and then went through the steps to try to set up a new one. It DID present me with the option, so I chose it and had to fill out the personal details.
It then gave me a "can't set up" type message "try again later."
So I let it sit in this state for about 5 minutes and got a notification saying my service had been upgraded. Sure enough. I got it! "5GB left for 152 days"
THANK YOU SO MUCH for being around to exchange such information. That is seemingly the best possible plan available for iPads. Glad I visited this thread today!!!
It then gave me a "can't set up" type message "try again later."
So I let it sit in this state for about 5 minutes and got a notification saying my service had been upgraded. Sure enough. I got it! "5GB left for 152 days"
THANK YOU SO MUCH for being around to exchange such information. That is seemingly the best possible plan available for iPads. Glad I visited this thread today!!!
I have the $10 plan on my unlocked iPad 5th gen (Apple SIM) and was trying to sign up my brother's Sprint-branded iPad 6th gen for the same plan (with a brand new Apple SIM). Couldn't sign up for any non-Sprint plans on the 6th gen so transferred the new Apple SIM over to my 5th gen and the $10 plan wasn't showing up. Could just be a 1 promo plan per IMEI limit.
That's good to know. Great that it worked!
Excellent. I was considering not re-upping on my current plan and returning to this one.
I canceled my unlimited iPad data plan (about 2.5 months ago) with T-Mobile after I had signed up with the 5GB / 150 day plan. You should be able to see the latter plan in cellular options even if you already have a T-Mobile data plan.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
No obvious service tradeoffs. I was wondering if maybe 5G wouldn't work but it seems like it is exactly the same, except with much more data and time for a much lower price. WOW! So great!
365 days/150 days = 2.43 renewals each year at $10 each = about $25/yr on average for total cell bill. 🎉
365 days/150 days = 2.43 renewals each year at $10 each = about $25/yr on average for total cell bill. 🎉
Thanks so much for this info - if I can't get things to work on Consumer I"ll definitely give the T-mobile a try - I'll drop the data plan on the iPad, I pay $10 a month which I hate to give up - they are going to check into this one more time I think they are tired of hearing from me. 🙂
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Maybe instead of presenting this as a tech support problem, present it as a retention problem: that you are TERMINATING your service with them if they don't get you re-connected. I would guess they all have tech support tasks to the moon but retention seems to yield priority in ALL of these companies. They don't want to let existing money walk and that seems paramount in terms of getting desired actions.
So communicate your plan if they don't succeed and I would guess they will. But if they fail, you do have some good options. I'm still thrilled to be helped to my new plan by this group yesterday. Next bill of only $10 is scheduled for MARCH 2022. 🎉
So communicate your plan if they don't succeed and I would guess they will. But if they fail, you do have some good options. I'm still thrilled to be helped to my new plan by this group yesterday. Next bill of only $10 is scheduled for MARCH 2022. 🎉
I’m in the UK but this has me curious. So far with my Mini 6 I have only used the network operator Three, but also have sims from EE and giffgaff (who run off of O2’s towers in the same way that Consumer Cellular run off of AT&T’s.) I’m now wondering whether the Mini 6 doesn’t work with Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO’s) for some reason, which is the technical term for a network such as Consumer Cellular who don’t own their own towers. Has anybody had success in using their Mini 6 with an MVNO in their country?
I only activate a cellular plan with giffgaff when I need larger amounts of data in a short period of time, otherwise I’d test the theory myself. Both my iPad 3 and Mini 5 worked fine with MVNO service.
I only activate a cellular plan with giffgaff when I need larger amounts of data in a short period of time, otherwise I’d test the theory myself. Both my iPad 3 and Mini 5 worked fine with MVNO service.
It's not so much that it won't work with MVNOs but rather whether the MVNO is set up to support it.
Via Settings - Cellular on the iPad, I have the following carrier options:
AT&T
T-Mobile
Verizon
GigSky
RedteaGO
Truephone
The last four are all technically MVNOs and for US coverage, I believe they piggyback off T-Mobile.
I've tried RedPocket and Tracfone (both prepaid phone service MVNOs) on my iPad and getting the SIMs activated was a pain. They won't activate directly on data-only devices. I had to activate using iPhone/Android first and then transferred the activated SIM to the iPad. Then I had to trawl through the internet to find settings in order to actually get data working on the iPad.