I have an unlocked latest generation iPad with wi-fi and cellular data. For some time I used cellular data on this iPad with a prepaid T-Mobile plan but don't do this anymore. The iPad has been for a while "wi-fi only."
I now got a FreedomPop data-only SIM card to take advantage of their free 500 MB data plan (on the AT&T network). To do this you have to buy the SIM card together with their free "Premium GSM 1GB Trial" which gives you for one month free access to their "Premium GSM 1 GB" plan which you then have to cancel in order to just keep their free 500 MB plan. A little odd, but apparently working. In effect it means that I am right now a customer with their "Premium GSM 1 GB" plan (and become only later a sucker of their free plan).
I installed the SIM card and also the FreedomPop APN profile. The iPad recognized the SIM card, showed AT&T as carrier in the settings - but cellular data did not work. When I tapped onto "Manage AT&T Account" in the cellular data section of the iPad settings only the error message "SIM is invalid. Please use a different SIM." showed up.
When I called the FreedomPop support and got after about 30 minutes finally a person on the line he told me that the one and only reason for this error message can be that the iPad is carrier locked and not working with AT&T. He insisted that it could not be that something on FreedomPop's end does not work correctly. Well, this is not true. I bought the iPad directly from Apple as a so-called "SIM-free" iPad which means it works with all carriers. It also worked fine with T-Mobile and works fine with my neighbor's SIM card who uses her iPad on the AT&T network. And when checking the MEID of the iPad on the AT&T website it returns the message "Congratulations! Your Apple iPad - 32GB is compatible."
Finally I decided to reset the network settings on the iPad - did not help. After that I reset "All Contents and Settings" and set up the iPad as a new iPad, installed again the FreedomPop APN - and now the cellular data suddenly worked!
So far, so good. But not so good anymore after restoring my iPad from a backup that I had made before resetting it. Cellular data again did not work, just like in the beginning. I again reset "All Contents and Settings" and set up the iPad again as a new iPad, installed again the FreedomPop APN - and again the cellular data worked. That is where I am now.
It seems that restoring the iPad from a backup also restores a setting that then makes it impossible for the FreedomPop SIM card to work even though I install their APN profile. Very weird.
Does anybody have an idea how I can restore everything but the cellular data settings to my iPad so that the iPad can work with the FreedomPop SIM card and still has all my apps and other settings just like before?
I now got a FreedomPop data-only SIM card to take advantage of their free 500 MB data plan (on the AT&T network). To do this you have to buy the SIM card together with their free "Premium GSM 1GB Trial" which gives you for one month free access to their "Premium GSM 1 GB" plan which you then have to cancel in order to just keep their free 500 MB plan. A little odd, but apparently working. In effect it means that I am right now a customer with their "Premium GSM 1 GB" plan (and become only later a sucker of their free plan).
I installed the SIM card and also the FreedomPop APN profile. The iPad recognized the SIM card, showed AT&T as carrier in the settings - but cellular data did not work. When I tapped onto "Manage AT&T Account" in the cellular data section of the iPad settings only the error message "SIM is invalid. Please use a different SIM." showed up.
When I called the FreedomPop support and got after about 30 minutes finally a person on the line he told me that the one and only reason for this error message can be that the iPad is carrier locked and not working with AT&T. He insisted that it could not be that something on FreedomPop's end does not work correctly. Well, this is not true. I bought the iPad directly from Apple as a so-called "SIM-free" iPad which means it works with all carriers. It also worked fine with T-Mobile and works fine with my neighbor's SIM card who uses her iPad on the AT&T network. And when checking the MEID of the iPad on the AT&T website it returns the message "Congratulations! Your Apple iPad - 32GB is compatible."
Finally I decided to reset the network settings on the iPad - did not help. After that I reset "All Contents and Settings" and set up the iPad as a new iPad, installed again the FreedomPop APN - and now the cellular data suddenly worked!
So far, so good. But not so good anymore after restoring my iPad from a backup that I had made before resetting it. Cellular data again did not work, just like in the beginning. I again reset "All Contents and Settings" and set up the iPad again as a new iPad, installed again the FreedomPop APN - and again the cellular data worked. That is where I am now.
It seems that restoring the iPad from a backup also restores a setting that then makes it impossible for the FreedomPop SIM card to work even though I install their APN profile. Very weird.
Does anybody have an idea how I can restore everything but the cellular data settings to my iPad so that the iPad can work with the FreedomPop SIM card and still has all my apps and other settings just like before?
