Does your teen have an iPhone/smartphone?

[ruadisneyfan2]

In the not very distant future you will not have a choice- the only phones they will have for sale soon are smart phones, the dumb phones are being quickly phased out.

This is my dilemma. (OP here.) I've loved my touchscreen dumbphone and I've long been able to upgrade but didn't want to. So we go into AT&T and they have 6 total, 3 are flip phones. Two of the 3 that aren't flips are made by Pantech which dh has and has an awful touchscreen. Even with our 700 minutes for 5 phones, we rollover around 650 per month.

My mom upgraded her phone around 1 yr ago with a 2yr agreement. Our other 4 phones are due for an upgrade. I wonder if that makes us obligated for all 4 phones to stay with AT&T or can we just keep mom's on until we're past contract. It's all making my head spin.
Dh wants to get smartphones for the kids for Christmas but I wonder if we should let them pick theirs out. He thinks it might be slim-pickin if we took them shopping Dec 26.

 

[WVMomof3]

I said Yes, but my DD15 does pay the data plan herself. That was the rule, I pay for the phone because I want to get a hold of her when needed, but I will not pay for a data plan. Though I must say, it has benefited me in that she now ALWAYS has her phone with her. With her old phone, she always forgot to charge it or bring it with her. The IPhone is always with her, no reminders from me needed! Also, the Find Friends app is great in my knowing where she is. This is especially great when she was on bus coming home from track and cross country meets. Before she got the Iphone, I would never know when to get her, sometimes waiting at school for half hour because she didn't know where she was if I called. Now I can just track her and know just when to go get her. Also, if she runs by herself, I feel better knowing I can "find" her. I almost feel guilty for making her pay for the data plan because I love that she has the Iphone!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I said Yes, but my DD15 does pay the data plan herself. That was the rule, I pay for the phone because I want to get a hold of her when needed, but I will not pay for a data plan. Though I must say, it has benefited me in that she now ALWAYS has her phone with her. With her old phone, she always forgot to charge it or bring it with her. The IPhone is always with her, no reminders from me needed! Also, the Find Friends app is great in my knowing where she is. This is especially great when she was on bus coming home from track and cross country meets. Before she got the Iphone, I would never know when to get her, sometimes waiting at school for half hour because she didn't know where she was if I called. Now I can just track her and know just when to go get her. Also, if she runs by herself, I feel better knowing I can "find" her. I almost feel guilty for making her pay for the data plan because I love that she has the Iphone!

Is this a basic feature with an iPhone? or do you pay extra for the tracking?

Can anyone else track her?

 

[delmar411]

DD15 has an iPhone. She got it 2 Christmases ago because I upgraded to keep her grandfathered into the unlimited data. We all have unlimited data and smartphones. We'll get the little kids smart phones once they are teens as well.

 

[sdchickie]

Mine got data when they were willing to pay for it...they could choose to pay a year at a time from their summer job or pay it monthly, due on the first of every month. It is good for them to learn to pay something regularly and while we felt it was a necessity to have a phone, we did not think that data was...so we were not willing to pay for that.

This is the exact same thing we are doing. When my daughter (16 years old) has saved up enough to pay the extra $30 a month for data for the term of the plan then she will be allowed to "inherit" my husbands old iphone. Until then she has her "dumb" phone payed for by us.

 

[WVMomof3]

Is this a basic feature with an iPhone? or do you pay extra for the tracking?

Can anyone else track her?

Find Friends is a free app. You have to request and be accepted to follow someone. So yes, anyone can track her, but she must allow it. On a side note, You must have different Apple IDs for it to work. My friend can not find her daughter because they share Apple IDs and she won't let her get her own. There is also the find Iphone app, which is similar, but I have not used that one, not sure if it is as accurate?

 

[dtnrhi]

My friend can not find her daughter because they share Apple IDs and she won't let her get her own.

My entire family shares the same Apple ID. It makes it so we only pay for an app once and we can all get it as opposed to paying for it multiple times.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Hmm... we already have different Apple ID with our ipods.

I can see the rationale for both ways.

 

[WVMomof3]

My entire family shares the same Apple ID. It makes it so we only pay for an app once and we can all get it as opposed to paying for it multiple times.

I know that I can access my daughters songs with us being on separate Apple IDs, I would assume it is the same with Apps. I think as long as they are both on the same computer you can share them. Neither of us have ever paid for an App, so I wouldn't care if we could share or not, though I could see why you wouldn't want to pay again if you are buying them.

 

[caribear]

I finally bought myself a used "smartphone" on Ebay....and have the PagePlus $29/month plan, my DH has a flip-phone and pays $12/month and I gave my DD (11) my old qwerty style phone with the $12/month plan for Christmas. I just can't see spending so much money per month on cellular service. We recently cancelled our contract with Verizon to use PagePlus...and so far everything has been working out fine.

 

[MEM]

My DD17 has had an iPhone for nearly a year. She paid for it herself and pays the monthly insurance on it. I pay the phone bill.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DS17 has an iPhone 4S.

He had a Pantech "texting" phone. It broke about 3 days after the warranty ran out, which I should have expected. The online reviews of that model were AWFUL. I upgraded him to an iPhone 3 because he really can't be without a phone. When he was eligible to upgrade again I let him get the 4S because Best Buy was running a promo.

 

[texasroni75]

My daughters both have Samsung Galaxy smartphones. We have a double-digit rule in our house. At age 10 they get a phone. It's mostly for US to be able to get in touch with them no matter where they are. We have unlimited texting plans since they mostly use that. Rules for the phones are (1) take good care of it or you will be downgraded to a phone that has no texting capability and (2) if you don't answer when we call (outside of school hours when they can't have the ringer on), we will take the phone away, (3) only free apps and music/ringtones, and (4) chargers don't leave the house - so make sure it's charged before you go out with your friends (this rule was added after oldest DD lost THREE chargers in a 6 month period).

So far, nobody's had their phone taken away permanently, but we did give oldest DD an old phone when she broke her brand new one by being careless (it was just a few weeks old!). We have a good deal through TMobile through DH's business account - he has his own small company.

 

[Carrie Ellis]

We just went with republic wireless and I like it so far. There are a few things that are not perfect but it is only $19/mo per phone for unlimited everything.
I have two sets of twins. My older boys will be 17 so I got them each one. My younger set are 12 and I have told them no for now. Everyone seems to have a smart phone now so it is hard for parents to say no. I don't mind denying my kids something that they don't need but I do understand not wanting to look "weird". The 17 yr olds I feel could use it because of jobs, future school and other obligations. So for 3 of us on RW the bill will be about $66/mo. I plan to switch my husband over in the next month too. Oh and it is no contract. YOu do have to buy the phone. I really don't need a smart phone...don't like it. But, $19/mo is good on any level right now.

 

[ceemys]

Yes, but she paid for it. I paid zero. I pay $35 for her monthly plan and she pays the $10 for the data plan.

 

[disney_girl125]

My kids are 14,13, and 9 and they each have iphones. I pay for the plan. I got the phones as gifts for them. My 9 year old got his iphone for his 9th birthday.

 

[mjkacmom]

Ds15 just got one this year. They used to make fun of him in biology, because the teacher would always ask the kids to google things for him, and they would jokingly tell my ds to google - "oh wait, you don't have an iphone ". Dd16 has had one for a couple of years, and dd12 just got one. My 10 year olds don't have phones.

 

[DisneyWorld2015]

I'm a teen of 16!
I have the Samsung Galaxy S2. I love this phone & I highly suggest the galaxy phones over the iPhone - all my peers own iPhones & are now beginning to regret that decision as they see the features, customization & different freedoms available on Android phones. Trust me, the galaxies are slowly beginning to surpass the iPhone, & soon iPhones will not be anything special!

 

[ceemys]

Yes, but she paid for it. I paid zero. I pay $35 for her monthly plan and she pays the $10 for the data plan.

Let me just say....NOT anymore. I just took it and it will be gone for a long time.

 

[Dani C]

My DD has an iPhone and loves it. She has had one for about 5 years, we are on iPhone number 3 for her at this point. She is 18 now and had a regular cell phone from age 7 until 13.