Kid Tricks Apple Into Approving Tethering App

[V-Man339]

Wonder how many replies it'll be until the Apple Defence Force shows up.

If you want tether your iPhone to your computer to share its 3G connection, you have to pony up $20 a month to AT&T for the privilege. Unless you're 15-year-old Nick Lee, who snuck an app that could do it for free into the App Store under the guise of a simple flashlight app.

Handy Light, which has since been removed from the store, was a $0.99 app that looked just like a slew of other garbage flashlight apps cluttering up the App Store. It's main functionality appeared to just be changing the screen to different colors.

But underneath? It gave you the ability to easily turn your iPhone into a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing your laptop or iPad to share the 3G connection without having to pay AT&T a ransom to do so. Awesome.

Unfortunately, Apple was clued into the trick once people started talking about the app online. But for those lucky enough to snag it before then can keep enjoying the free hotspot ability as long as they want.

 

[63]

Tethering is free (included with your data plan) in Canada.

What's wrong with Apple removing this app? Stealing from ATT is ok?

 

[V-Man339]

You consider paying $20 for the ability to steal okay? I suppose if anything I'm mocking Apple's store approval procedure (which is another issue), but the real joke here is that you poor souls are forced to work with AT&T.

 

[No Limit]

Tethering is free (included with your data plan) in Canada.

What's wrong with Apple removing this app? Stealing is ok?

So using the data feature on a phone you pay for is stealing? Certainly not in the case of Android. Still waiting for a hotspot app for my Evo but I can tether using the USB cable free of charge and I get speeds comparable to DSL.

 

[Stigmata]

Stealing is ok?

Are you asking us, or AT&T?

 

[63]

Are you asking us, or AT&T?

I'm asking you.

Downloading that app lets you not pay ATT the money they ask for to use the tethering feature. That's stealing from ATT.

I'm not debating whether or not tethering should be included with whatever you're already paying. I'm saying that if you're using a feature that you're not paying for, that is stealing.

 

[Druckles]

Nope. That's making the most of your situation.

 

[No Limit]

I'm asking you.

Downloading that app lets you not pay ATT the money they ask for to use the tethering feature. That's stealing from ATT.

I'm not debating whether or not tethering should be included with whatever you're already paying. I'm saying that if you're using a feature that you're not paying for, that is stealing.

You are absolutely right. The fact you have to steal to use what you pay for makes apple whack.

 

[63]

You are absolutely right. The fact you have to steal to use what you pay for makes apple whack.

...you mean ATT?

 

[Stigmata]

Apple is complicit. They didn't have to give exclusivity to AT&T.

 

[No Limit]

Nor did they have to deny app makers the ability to add tethering apps to their store.

 

[comradesean]

Tethering is free (included with your data plan) in Canada.

What's wrong with Apple removing this app? Stealing from ATT is ok?

You're Serious? Yeah, stealing is okay. If it's stealing to use hardware that I have bought and paid for on connections I am also already paying for then yes.

This is nothing short of extortion and the fact that so many people are letting Apple and AT&T get away with this is just absolutely retarded. The fact that you're defending them is even more retarded.

 

[Dynasty]

LOUD NOISES!!!















Actually I dont care about this. If the tech is capable of doing it, go ahead. I dont know about 3G, how much you pay in the US etc. All Ive heard is that in the UK its pretty crap. So I pay £5 a month ontop of my Vodafone bill to have internet access everywhere when Im not in range of a wi-fi. If I dont use it, it doesnt take up the limit.

Looks like it doesnt matter as you're still paying AT&T $20 or whatever a month. Hell, you can get broadband here in the UK for that money, and have as many bits of tech using it as you please. Whats the problem?

 

[kazsymonds]

Yeah, tethering is pretty overpriced IMO.

To be honest, I think they just don't want you sharing the 3g with like a bunch of your friends, when they could be paying for a data plan too.

Makes business sense, I'm sure AT&T aren't a charity. O2 don't let you do it either.

 

[V-Man339]

Nope. That's making the most of your situation.

This.
Honestly, when it's this easy to slip a tether app past the Apple store (not to mention how much easier it would be on a jail-broken iPhone) can you blame anyone for avoiding the ridiculous fees? Really, it just wreaks of the incompetent security that AT&T itself has shown itself capable of within the last year.

 

[Cancer]

AT&T's network is already crap, by charging people for tethering they are unloading all the stress of their pos network.

Also, this is a USA-based company we are talking about. USA, where we are still being charged for txt. Being charged for txt messages, in the 2010, where you would think all this availability of DSL and wireless internet...that maybe something that barely uses a kilobyte actually is being priced a hefty price.

$20 for tethering is the least of our problems...lol

 

[Orcone101]

Is there a similar applications for Blackberry's?

 

[Cancer]

Is there a similar applications for Blackberry's?

This?

 

[Sir Phoenixx]

That sucks. I have ATT and the standard data plan and my old Nokia E71 came standard with a Nokia app to connect to my PC to access the internet with it for no additional cost.

 

[Raziaar]

Wait... you have to pay $20 a month to use your $50 a month internet service from your phone?

 

[CyberPitz]

*Looks at my free Tethering App on my Droid*

Haha.

 

[No Limit]

Is there a similar applications for Blackberry's?

Yup. Built right in to Blackberry desktop manager. Keep in mind I was paying the month to month on T-Mobile for my blackberry service and it was slow as hell. Hopefully they didn't change anything on there to charge you up the ass for that feature.

Wait... you have to pay $20 a month to use your $50 a month internet service from your phone?

Only if you're an apple fanboy.

 

[15357]

You're Serious? Yeah, stealing is okay. If it's stealing to use hardware that I have bought and paid for on connections I am also already paying for then yes.

This is nothing short of extortion and the fact that so many people are letting Apple and AT&T get away with this is just absolutely retarded. The fact that you're defending them is even more retarded.

Lol.

Yes, I agree. This is extortion. Delicious corporate extortion. The problem is, though, is that there is nothing wrong with it. YOU bought a shitty phone, YOU subscribed to the shitty data plan, and YOU get to be their slave, or resource pool, or piggy bank, whatever.

Let them get away with it? What else are you going to do? Boycott Apple (which, to me, is also another delicious idea)? But you've already bought a phone from them! You already signed the contract with AT&T! What are you going to do? Bomb Apple (if so, please do so)?

Why do you feel that you're entitled to something? You aren't entitled to ANYTHING! You have no "right" whatsoever to demand something from anyone. You bought the phone. You get the phone. You subscribed to the data plan. You get the data plan. Nothing more, nothing less. How is that so hard to understand? Consumer rights my ass. The only rights consumers have is to demand that their ordered products come to them ASAP, not "I want this function for free!"


That said, I hate Apple.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Just jailbreak your phone and tether for free. ATT cant do anything about that, and it addresses the issues 15357 raised.

 

[Bad^Hat]

So this gets approved, and yet a library app is banned for inappropriate content because it happens to contain the Kama Sutra?

Awesome.

 

[63]

To this gets approved, and yet a library app is banned for inappropriate content because it happens to contain the Kama Sutra?

Awesome.

It was disguised as a flashlight app, they didn't intentionally approve the tethering functions.

 

[V-Man339]

It was disguised as a flashlight app, they didn't intentionally approve the tethering functions.

The fact that an app approval store exists at all is just another part of the controlling mindset that allows things such as tethering fees to exist in the first place. We don't have a .exe approval process, and whatever is in place for the droid is nowhere near as strict as to remove anything seemingly innocuous as an aforementioned library (which is highly suspect to result in competition with AT&T apps for the same purpose).

 

[JUL3]

LOUD NOISES!!!















Actually I dont care about this.

This.

 

[Stigmata]

This.

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