1. Verizon Wireless said its new PopData service is better than public Wi-Fi. PopData lets customers buy unlimited LTE data for half an hour for $2 or for a full hour for $3. Customers can access PopData through the MyVerizon app, but the carrier said the low-cost data will not always be available in every location. Session availability will be based on the capacity of the Verizon network. The carrier said customers will need to turn on their location-based services because the “network needs to know your location to know if a session is available in that area.”
The carrier said customers need to be signed up for one of its new data plans in order to see the PopData feature within the My Verizon app. Customers who see the PopData option on their phones can start using it right away.
Verizon said that PopData will give its customers a way to use a faster, more secure network instead of public Wi-Fi. The carrier also wants to make sure customers do not accidentally use data from their plan when they think they’re using PopData. The carrier is requiring customers to have their push notifications turned on when using PopData so it can let them know when their session ends. Verizon said that if the network has capacity to offer a second session, users will see the option to buy another session when their first PopData session ends.
PopData is not the only option Verizon offers customers who want to stream LTE data. The carrier also zero rates live National Football League games through its NFL Mobile app.
2. Wi-Fi Assist is a setting that iPhone users can disable to help prevent unexpected data charges. In iOS 10 users can disable the feature by going to Settings and then Cellular. Wi-Fi Assist can keep phones from moving to subpar Wi-Fi when the cell signal is stronger. But when the user wants to move to Wi-Fi to conserve data, the phone may stay on LTE if Wi-Fi Assist is not turned off. Some iPhone users are complaining about unexpected data charges after they downloaded iOS 10 and did not disable Wi-Fi Assist.
3. AT&T Mobility will offer some customers same-day repairs of cracked smartphone screens. The carrier said that in order to be eligible for the service, customers will need to buy smartphone insurance through one of four AT&T plans: Mobile Insurance, Mobile Protection Pack, Mobile Protection Pack for Business or Multi-Device Protection. In addition, people who take advantage of the service will pay an $89 deductible.
Technicians will come to the customer to handle the repair onsite when possible, AT&T said. The service launches Nov. 15 and does not cover the latest-generation smartphones. The carrier published a list of the eligible phones and the cities in which the service will be available.
AT&T Mobility’s offer comes on the heels of a similar offer made last month by Apple. The company said it will repair cracked screens for $29 for customers who purchase its AppleCare insurance. Apple will repair screens on iPhone 6, 6S and iPhone 7 models. Apple said if customers bring a cracked screen into an Apple store, the technicians will try to repair it on the spot so that customers don’t have to be without their phones
4. Samsung is learning just how much people hate to be without their smartphones. Data from Aptelligent shows that as many as 1 million Note 7 devices are still in use despite Samsung’s well-publicized recall. Samsung sold roughly 2.5 million Note 7 devices and recalled 1.9 million of them because the batteries were catching fire.
5. Smartphones are lifelines for the millions of refugees flooding into Europe. Many are arriving with no way to communicate with those they left behind, or to look for work and resources. Refugee Phones is a London-based organization working to get functional, unlocked phones into the hands of refugees by encouraging people to donate their used devices.
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