Just the other day we reported that a user was charged a ridiculous amount of money for data roaming when his data was turned off, even after being assured that he would be ok. It appears that this has caught T-Mobile’s attention and they have come fourth with an official response.
The option to turn off data should work fine, but that’s not always the case as any third party application can then override this basic phone feature whenever it chooses. This then brings us back to the initial problem of not being able to kill background processes on the T-Mobile G1.
From the horse’s mouth: “Some third-party applications available for download on Android Market require access to the internet and have the ability to turn on data roaming when in use. Customers are informed whether an application will use this feature prior to downloading, but should also be aware when traveling outside the country.”
Official T-Mobile statement:
T-Mobile is committed to delivering the best experience in wireless to our customers. If a T-Mobile customer would like to use their T-Mobile G1 while outside the country, they should contact Customer Care before they leave to ask that the WorldClass feature be added to their service at no additional charge. If they choose, customers can also disable data roaming on the G1. This can be done by going through the following steps: Home Screen > Menu > Settings > Wireless Controls > Mobile Networks > Data Roaming.
Some third party applications available for download on Android Market require access to the Internet and have the ability to turn on data roaming when in use. Customers are informed whether an application will use this feature prior to downloading, but should also be aware when traveling outside the country.
[Via EngadgetMobile]
i call on the who reads the fine print defense.
data icon = data
no data icon = no data
and anyway,.. does anyone actually know of an app on the marketplace that overrides this option?
,Michael Martin
Google And Blog
P.S. I'll bet it was a weather proggy that did this. Weatherbug is constantly working its evil/magic in the background of my G1.
Can data roam in the united states as well? Lets say I am in a rural area of wisconsin that doesn't have T-Mobile, but another carrier wouldn't we incure roaming data charges?
I work on a web app where you previously had to click each group in a list to see what permissions that group's members had, similar to what you do currently in Android. Chaos and confusion and frustration were the results whenever any sort of permission-auditing was needed.
We added an inverted "view-by-permission" screen to complement the "view-by-usergroup" screen... You get a list of permissions, and under each you can find out which groups have that permission.
Clearly Android needs a similar screen... We only have the "app management" screen now. Right next to that there should be a "permission management" screen. Selecting a permission shows you the apps that have it, selecting the app from there takes you to the usual "app details/uninstall" page.
How do I file an official change request with the people who hack on Android? Or is there already an item for this?
I am on T-Mo, have had Smartphones for years and I travel all over the world. None of my phones has ever gone berserk data roaming on its own volition. A couple of auto bookmarks on T-Zones would very occasionally light up, but were expected to do so, without asking. Of course, this would never be a problem for G1 or iPhone in hands of sophisticated users, but my young son got an iPhone, went to Paris with my wife, and came back with a $2000 data roaming bill... and he doesn't even have an email account. So, it's OK for someone to turn on a phone, put it in his pocket and get charged two grand? ATT is probably going to credit us, will know in a few days. If not... well, my lawyers are on retainer. Sophisticated users will know to turn ON data, unsophisticated users, like my young son, shouldn't have to. For most of these kids, these phones are toys.
"WorldClassSM An optional service that allows you to make international calls, both from the United States to other countries and while traveling in other countries. There's no monthly fee, but per-minute rates apply. All phones work in Mexico. Dual or tri-band phone needed to make calls from other countries."
This from their site. I had to "turn on" the ability to make calls while traveling.
Thats not exactly rocket science.
Oh sir thank you for calling T-mobile. How long do you plan on being in England? Ok, we will turn that on while your aboard.