Someone please provide knowledge to this child

Prof. said:
I'm a mobile Objective C developer. The networks are notified via USSD-42 of the charges, they then charge that into your defactored call rate. The networks get a faunal commission on the protocol forwarding rate - differing per network.
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Oh FFS! OP: Prof is about the only one here telling the truth. I do USSD development for OSX platforms and I can confirm the above. The amount of BS and misunderstanding in this topic is stupendous.

ALL smart phones use varying degrees of proprietary intelligence to route their their data and voice operations. Apple has long been catering almost exclusively to a first world market where the cost of data is negligible - next to nothing. Blackberry and Nokia have made their fortunes in third world markets where terms like "convergence" mean nothing to the average user.

Samsung have been picking up apple's stompies (and pïss poor practices) for years. The easiest way to understand this is as follows:

(1) Apple uses their integrated, converged products like iCloud/MobileMe to store almost all of the functionality on your phone.
(2) Samsung et al (the androids) do the same with products like Gmail.
(3) Blackberry and Nokia have smarter in-device storage technologies or better-managed data compression techniques (like BIS).

When you make a call, iPhones and Androids need to interact with the off-site operational databases just to connect the damn things and often use extended USSD data sets to retrieve this data (for instance, when 3G/Edge is unreliable). These extended USSDs are charged at R0.20 per 20 seconds (not per second, remember) just like those *999*xxx# competitions. So a call on an iPhone actually routes the call through USSD structures.

The good news is you can bypass these structures by dialling your number differently. The bad news is this prevents your ID from transmitting. Here's what happens:

iPhone/Samsung: call a friend on 082 345 6789. Calls goes to cloud structures and is tagged as you. Call rings through to friend and your number is shown. An extra 20c/20secs is charged.

Avoiding it: type #31#082 345 6789 and dial. The phone rings on the other side without using the 20c USSD interface but caller ID is withheld. Try it. Dial #31# before a number and you will see.
 
I'm surprised this is only coming out now.

I thought it was public knowledge, and why all Apple owners were told they just bought the phone as a status symbol...

If this is not really public knowledge, it needs to be spread far and wide. Since you brought it out BeatBot, I think the job should fall to you to spread the word to all your friends and family.
 
BeatBot said:
I am still wondering how this can be possible and let to happen. How then is BlackBerry not implementing it? And nokia as well. I mean if Apple and Samsung has done so why not them, BlackBerry could then make some extra bucks coz lets all be honest they kinda need it right now.

I do now understand a bit more into how this could be possible. But if it is, how then can we be told calls cost this much on all devices, yet there is an extra charge. Is that not false advertising? fraud? I mean would BlackBerry then take Apple and Samsung to court and win? I do not know much of this law stuff but I do understand I cannot tell you that bread costs R10 at my shop, then when you give me a R20 I give you back R9.50.
Click to expand...

Have you seen the financial situations BlackBerry and Nokia have faced over the last few years? It's my understanding (and I'm speaking under correction here) that it takes a lot of capital to set a system like this up (especially making it so hard to detect). It's the same thing with lawsuits, BlackBerry can't afford to take Apple or Samsung to court, they're busy trying to get off the ground.

*Disclaimer - I'm not a developer, so I don't know all of the technical do dah that goes into this.
 
GreGorGy said:
Oh FFS! OP: Prof is about the only one here telling the truth. I do USSD development for OSX platforms and I can confirm the above. The amount of BS and misunderstanding in this topic is stupendous.

ALL smart phones use varying degrees of proprietary intelligence to route their their data and voice operations. Apple has long been catering almost exclusively to a first world market where the cost of data is negligible - next to nothing. Blackberry and Nokia have made their fortunes in third world markets where terms like "convergence" mean nothing to the average user.

Samsung have been picking up apple's stompies (and pïss poor practices) for years. The easiest way to understand this is as follows:

(1) Apple uses their integrated, converged products like iCloud/MobileMe to store almost all of the functionality on your phone.
(2) Samsung et al (the androids) do the same with products like Gmail.
(3) Blackberry and Nokia have smarter in-device storage technologies or better-managed data compression techniques (like BIS).

When you make a call, iPhones and Androids need to interact with the off-site operational databases just to connect the damn things and often use extended USSD data sets to retrieve this data (for instance, when 3G/Edge is unreliable). These extended USSDs are charged at R0.20 per 20 seconds (not per second, remember) just like those *999*xxx# competitions. So a call on an iPhone actually routes the call through USSD structures.

The good news is you can bypass these structures by dialling your number differently. The bad news is this prevents your ID from transmitting. Here's what happens:

iPhone/Samsung: call a friend on 082 345 6789. Calls goes to cloud structures and is tagged as you. Call rings through to friend and your number is shown. An extra 20c/20secs is charged.

Avoiding it: type #31#082 345 6789 and dial. The phone rings on the other side without using the 20c USSD interface but caller ID is withheld. Try it. Dial #31# before a number and you will see.
Click to expand...

This is the type of information I was initially looking for. Now armed with this I can do more research and know what the hell I am talking about.

It makes a lot of sense now to a certain degree. However there are still some dark spots, and I am sure there will be more after I visit google just now.

Don't go far... I shall be back.
 
and people think that Apple have got so much money because of their hardware sales...
 
Has anyone tried the Skype app on an iPhone as apposed to a Samsung android phone when using Skype credit, I suspect your Skype credit will deplete at a quicker rate on the iPhone as well when one calls land lines and cell phones.
 
Bernie said:
Has anyone tried the Skype app on an iPhone as apposed to a Samsung android phone when using Skype credit, I suspect your Skype credit will deplete at a quicker rate on the iPhone as well when one calls land lines and cell phones.
Click to expand...

Really dude... Really now!
 
Different packages on the same network would have different costs.

So if the Blackberry package has cheaper calls than the one the iPhone is on then obviously it will be more expensive...but it's still got nothing to do with the phone.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Different packages on the same network would have different costs.

So if the Blackberry package has cheaper calls than the one the iPhone is on then obviously it will be more expensive...but it's still got nothing to do with the phone.
Click to expand...

Here come the sheeple :rolleyes:
 
SauRoNZA said:
Different packages on the same network would have different costs.

So if the Blackberry package has cheaper calls than the one the iPhone is on then obviously it will be more expensive...but it's still got nothing to do with the phone.
Click to expand...

Clearly bro you have no idea what the costs are cause you get free minutes

use prepaid and notice the difference
 
It's clearly a government ploy. Poor people with no taste have Blackberry while rich successful middle and upper class e-toll level candidate choose iPhone. They deserve to pay more for their calls. See... it just works! :whistle:
 
Hi guys

If you have an old Nokia, try *#746025625#. You will get a message stating "Sim Clock Stop Allowed". Its a code that was given to the SAP way back when Nokia where trying to make inroads into the country. It allows 10min of free calls, and all SAP members knew about this to be able to make free official phone calls. If an officer did not have their own phone, or airtime, they could use a member of the publics phone and they would not have the airtime deducted. It gave you free data too, but your phone needed to be WAP enabled.
 
mrudling said:
Hi guys

If you have an old Nokia, try *#746025625#. You will get a message stating "Sim Clock Stop Allowed". Its a code that was given to the SAP way back when Nokia where trying to make inroads into the country. It allows 10min of free calls, and all SAP members knew about this to be able to make free official phone calls. If an officer did not have their own phone, or airtime, they could use a member of the publics phone and they would not have the airtime deducted. It gave you free data too, but your phone needed to be WAP enabled.
Click to expand...

That's so awesome, I have a few old Nokia's lying around at home! Going to try it tonight!
 
@GreGorGy

Upon my quick googling I do not find any evidence that USSD can be called during a phone call. It is just for communication with the providers computers for things like airtime and the lot. So how has Apple managed to hide this from the world for so long?

Kinda stopped making sense after I hit I'm feeling lucky on google.

I am very open to more knowledge people. Lets talk this topic clean.
 
Bernie said:
Has anyone tried the Skype app on an iPhone as apposed to a Samsung android phone when using Skype credit, I suspect your Skype credit will deplete at a quicker rate on the iPhone as well when one calls land lines and cell phones.
Click to expand...

No, unless your data rate is affected by the Apple GSMidrouter chip's flux resistance across bus-links. That would affect the afore-mentioned converged product GreGorGy mentioned - it could happen, but it's unusual because of most networks' APN settings.

I'm writing under correction, the frequencies would need to be in a specific range for interference to be applicable.
 
BeatBot said:
@GreGorGy

Upon my quick googling I do not find any evidence that USSD can be called during a phone call. It is just for communication with the providers computers for things like airtime and the lot. So how has Apple managed to hide this from the world for so long?

Kinda stopped making sense after I hit I'm feeling lucky on google.

I am very open to more knowledge people. Lets talk this topic clean.
Click to expand...

This is exactly the reason why companies like Apple get away with their bad practices, because people think if it's not on google it's not true. Did you even try the #31# ? :confused:
 
gnomez said:
This is exactly the reason why companies like Apple get away with their bad practices, because people think if it's not on google it's not true. Did you even try the #31# ? :confused:
Click to expand...

Bud did you this the part when I mentioned that: "I am very open to more knowledge people. Lets talk this topic clean."

That was me saying I would appreciate more information incase my "quick googling" did not do the trick.

As I mentioned before I only have one cell phone unfortunately. However someone on the thread tried the call, hopefully they can try #31# now.

I am just saying.
 
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