Submitted by Bob Bhatnagar on
Ever wondered if you could swap out the micro-SIM card in your iPhone 4 to get free data from AT&T on the iPad 3G? Well stop wondering. Turns out a simple change to APN settings on the iPad makes it possible to use the iPhone 4 data plan on Apple's tablet. No jailbreaking or SIM card modifications required.
As the helpful folks over at TUAW explain, the procedure is quite simple but does involve many small parts. Carefully use a SIM removal tool or paper clip to open the SIM trays on your iPhone 4 and iPad 3G. Don't mix up the trays and keep track of which card came from which device! When the iPhone 4 micro-SIM is safely inside the iPad 3G, all you need to do is make a change to the APN settings on the iPad.
Under Settings -> Cellular Data -> APN Settings enter the following information:
APN: wap.cingular
Username: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
Password: CINGULAR1
Although using the iPhone 4 data plan on the iPad 3G is a simple procedure, AT&T does not condone the practice and you may get into trouble with the terms of your data contract. Swapping SIM cards between devices is not something AT&T or Apple want to encourage.
Newest iPhone FAQs
Data plans on the iPad and iPhone 4 for new subscribers run $25 per month for 2 GB or $15 per month for 200 MB of usage. Users of older iPhones have a different sized SIM card inside their devices, so this procedure will not work if you want to swap an iPhone 3GS or older card into the iPad.
Comments
Jerry replied on Permalink
I received a message from AT&T after I tried using my iPhone 4's sim in my new 3G iPad.
MESSAGE
We hope you are enjoying your Apple® iPadTM Wi-Fi + 3G!
We value your business and want to ensure you're set up with the right data plan for iPad. If you have recently swapped a SIM card from your wireless handset into iPad, your data service may not work properly on either device. Please call us within the next 30 days at 1-800-331-0500 (or 611 from your wireless phone) and our team can help you establish service with an AT&T 3G Data Plan for iPad.
AT&T offers two thirty-day data plan options for your iPad: 250 MB for $14.99 or 2 GB for $25.00. Both plans are available for advance purchase and auto-renew every 30 days to provide a seamless, on-the-go iPad experience on the nation's fastest 3G network.
If you select the 250 MB or 2 GB plan, iPad will notify you at 20%, and 10% remaining, and when there's no more data available so you can decide if you want to add more data prior to the monthly automatic renewal or upgrade to the 2 GB plan. You can also change your data plan or cancel the automatic renewal at any time, without penalty.
Our team is ready to help you activate data service with the right plan. We look forward to your call. You can also visit www.att.com/ipad to learn more.
Thank you for being an AT&T customer.
Sincerely,
AT&T
Then a follow up email with a Customer Service Summary that may include higher charges. These guys were trying to scare me.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I tried using iPhone 4 SIM card on my iPad and it worked fine but then when I put the SIM card back on iPhone 4, the data plan is gone! I contacted Apple and they had no idea why it didn't work. I went to AT&T store and they had no idea either and suggested me to call 611. Then 611 told me that my data have been blocked because the SIM card has been put on an iPad! I just told the nice lady that I don't even have an iPad so it must be a mistake, she nicely removed the block. So I won't do that anymore, instead I converted my old iPhone 3G into a wifi hotspot and put the SIM card there and then my iPad will connect to the phone via wifi. Problem solved. They can't force me into buying another data plan, I already have unlimited plan.