Why not to USB/Hotspot Tether your MetroPCS Android Phone(s)

[Kaiser17]

This is just a guide I decided to write to warn those of you who Tether your MetroPCS phones and I know there are alot of you out there. Your Android phone is yours to begin with. Do whatever you want with it.. such as root it, flash roms on it, whatever to get a better, richer experience on it as Android is open source and you should be allowed to use your phone to its full potential.
MetroPCS cant do anything about you rooting and modifying your phone, the only thing they can do is void your warranty, but all you need to do is just flash the stock rom back on it and your all safe if your in a situation where you need to take the phone back to them.

Now to begin with the main part, DO NOT use Tethering apps that allow you to use your phone's internet connection on other devices because your MetroPCS account can be easily terminated if they find out, and there has been many cases where customers have had their MetroPCS service cancelled due to MetroPCS finding out about them tethering their phones. Look no further, its right in their terms which im sure 99% of you never looked at:

MetroPCS | MetroWEB | Terms of Use

Not only do they cancel your service, your phone's ESN gets blacklisted so it is unable to be used again on the MetroPCS network. So say you try to sell your phone to someone, that person wont be able to activate the phone on MetroPCS and people usually steer clear of phones with bad ESN's unless they knowingly buy it with a bad ESN.

Tethering your phone is really not worth it, just get a cheap Internet connection. If you can afford an Android phone and pay $50+ monthly on your phone plan(s) than im sure you have enough money in your wallet to pay for a cheap Internet Connection. Of course you don't have to listen to anything I have said just remember that this does happen and I made this Article to make you all aware of it. Feel free to share this article but please give me credit and linkback to this thread.

 

[Ray305]

Whoa, I'm never tethering again.

 

[undacova]

Is this a new rule? There are users in this forum that have tethered for long periods of time with no issue. Reppard for example uploaded his first cm7 rom tethered.

 

[Kaiser17]

Is this a new rule? There are users in this forum that have tethered for long periods of time with no issue. Reppard for example uploaded his first cm7 rom tethered.

Its always been there. Yea people have been doing it, some getting caught most not, so this is just to let you guys know that there is a risk to you tethering your phone which most didnt have an idea about.

 

[starstress]

How one would one get caught is what I'm curious about

 

[Kaiser17]

How one would one get caught is what I'm curious about

Your data usage, if your causing too much stress by tethering it will be noticeable to them.

 

[astmd1655]

Your data usage, if your causing too much stress by tethering it will be noticeable to them.

I'm stressing my 1x connection at 50 kbps! Haha! Actually I think it stresses me!

 

[Ray305]

I'm stressing my 1x connection at 50 kbps! Haha! Actually I think it stresses me!

LOL, So true!

 

[undacova]

Your data usage, if your causing too much stress by tethering it will be noticeable to them.

I think the question was how will they know the difference. I could be maxing out the network streaming movies on youtube...

Is there really a way for them to tell what app on your phone is using data?

 

[astmd1655]

BTW I only tether to use my wifi. I have an old laptop with no wireless so I tether my phone to use it as a wireless NIC. Works well. And I prefer 10mbps to 50kbps

 

[TweeksRevenge]

Thank you for sharing that post about the metro terms of use. With the new 3g springing up everywhere the tethering temptation will rise especially when it comes to handhelds like the PSP and N3DS. After reading this post my tethering apps are toast . Thanks again!!!

 

[undacova]

I've been reading about this and it seems Verizon uses something built into the stock ROM to tell if tethering is being used. So at least on Verizon network, using a custom rom not based on stock, tethering is safe. I would not expect metro to used more advanced methods than Verizon...

Maybe they can tell if you are tethering stock. I doubt they can tell the diff between data to youtube on phone and data to youtube on tether.

 

[Frisco]

I'm a little worried about this thread turning into an advocacy for users breaking their user/carrier agreement. We can't even encourage that, let alone advocate it, and of course, we can't give instructions or links as to how to go about it.

As it is, and of course the OP, it is not that sort of thread. But I need to mention this in the hope that the thread does not have to be locked, posts removed, warnings issued, etc.

 

[Kaiser17]

Thank you for sharing that post about the metro terms of use. With the new 3g springing up everywhere the tethering temptation will rise especially when it comes to handhelds like the PSP and N3DS. After reading this post my tethering apps are toast . Thanks again!!!

You're welcome, glad I could help. That's the only reason I made this thread, but others like to take things off topic and poke fun at it and be sarcastic lol. But, im just a guy trying to help out

 

[TweeksRevenge]

Should I change carriers I'll be reading the EULA very closely

 

[undacova]

I'm a little worried about this thread turning into an advocacy for users breaking their user/carrier agreement. We can't even encourage that, let alone advocate it, and of course, we can't give instructions or links as to how to go about it.

As it is, and of course the OP, it is not that sort of thread. But I need to mention this in the hope that the thread does not have to be locked, posts removed, warnings issued, etc.

I have a genuine question regards to this stance...

If a carrier makes flashing a custom rom against their EULA will Android Forums force us to refrain from speaking of that also?

Just seems like a slippery slope to enforce someone else's rules like that...

 

[Kaiser17]

I'm a little worried about this thread turning into an advocacy for users breaking their user/carrier agreement. We can't even encourage that, let alone advocate it, and of course, we can't give instructions or links as to how to go about it.

As it is, and of course the OP, it is not that sort of thread. But I need to mention this in the hope that the thread does not have to be locked, posts removed, warnings issued, etc.

I have a genuine question regards to this stance...

If a carrier makes flashing a custom rom against their EULA will Android Forums force us to refrain from speaking of that also?

Just seems like a slippery slope to enforce someone else's rules like that...

Yea I was going to post on that, because there really is no difference as rooting/flashing roms is basically hacking your device and is against all cell phone carrier agreements.

And Android Forums encourages that, its the biggest place on the net providing how-to tips & tricks on how to get android phones hacked which break agreements. Thats why it voids your warranty.

 

[undacova]

Yea I was going to post on that, because there really is no difference as rooting/flashing roms is basically hacking your device and is against their agreement.

And AndroidForums supports that, its probably the biggest place on the net providing how-to tips & tricks on how to get android phones hacked.

Yeah I really thought this place condoned breaking my wireless eula.

I'm sure metro would not be happy if they knew I reprogrammed my MEID with QXDM, but we talk about it here all day long...

 

[new optimus]

Yeah I really thought this place condoned breaking my wireless eula.

I'm sure metro would not be happy if they knew I reprogrammed my MEID with QXDM, but we talk about it here all day long...

Part of it is you buy the device you can change roms, you can do the things that are legally your right to do. only esn changes are restricted.
But the tos against tethering is not your device its service which you dont have full legal access too.
However I too agree with you on things. you pay for service what difference does it matter what you use it for.

As to how they can tell, browser user agent.

And how much data is pulled for things, phones typically pull mobile amounts, mbs less then computer browser will.

 

[Kaiser17]

As to how they can tell, browser user agent.

And how much data is pulled for things, phones typically pull mobile amounts, mbs less then computer browser will.

That's pretty much what I said a few posts above but they didn't take me seriously.

Your data usage, if your causing too much stress by tethering it will be noticeable to them.

 

[undacova]

That's pretty much what I said a few posts above but they didn't take me seriously.

They can't just say hey thats a lot of data you're tethering. There are torrent clients for android, maybe I like to download the latest linux distributions obsessively, It's my unlimited data so what if I want to use it?

And as for user agent, isn't there enough user agent switching going on in android to void that as a possibility? I don't know alot about that stuff... How can they tell if I'm using a non stock browser with a PC user agent to view full sites.

I'm not trying to argue, and definitely not trying to take away anyone seriousness, I just honestly want to know if anyone knows a way they could really tell without a doubt, besides some sneaky shit in the stock rom...

I honestly think this a man behind the curtain type thing and have absolutely no power to stop it and they only count on their pseudo-authority try and keep the "honest" people "honest"

In my opinion unlimited data should be unlimited and someone that sells unlimited data that is limited is a dishonest sleaze ball. Android Forums stance backing the dishonest sleaze balls bothers me.

 

[bucketbass]

Same thing different phone. I have read that the LG Esteem includes tethering. As I have not gotten it yet I do not know how true this is.

 

[CyberTails]

Does that count if you use Tethering with the Home Wi-FI Connection on and Airplane Mode on so that it doesn't switch on Metro's Data Mode?

 

[Frisco]

I have a genuine question regards to this stance...

If a carrier makes flashing a custom rom against their EULA will Android Forums force us to refrain from speaking of that also?

Just seems like a slippery slope to enforce someone else's rules like that...

I admit that we're struggling with this a bit in Moderator Central. Our venerable Admin, Phases, wants us to look at individual posts/threads carefully, with an eye toward obvious violation such as a link to instructions with something like, "how to bypass Verizon's data fee," etc.

Most of these tethering threads are a tough call, and I also admit to mulling over these posts and allowing a lot more than when this stuff first came up.

I'd not worry about it.. again, the main thing is the obvious. If we slip, allowing something that should not be allowed, we'll talk about it. I keep posting these warnings mostly as a way to have members stay away from a sort of freewheeling "let's figure out how to screw Verizon (Sprint, etc)" spiel.

 

[Kaiser17]

I admit that we're struggling with this a bit in Moderator Central. Our venerable Admin, Phases, wants us to look at individual posts/threads carefully, with an eye toward obvious violation such as a link to instructions with something like, "how to bypass Verizon's data fee," etc.

Most of these tethering threads are a tough call, and I also admit to mulling over these posts and allowing a lot more than when this stuff first came up.

I'd not worry about it.. again, the main thing is the obvious. If we slip, allowing something that should not be allowed, we'll talk about it. I keep posting these warnings mostly as a way to have members stay away from a sort of freewheeling "let's figure out how to screw Verizon (Sprint, etc)" spiel.

In the first post I linked to the Terms, I and posted a screenshot to backup my claims. The whole purpose was to let them know they were breaking the rules and could have their service cancelled. I don't see anything wrong with it.