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It is hard to beat the traditional flip phone for simple voice calling, even by today’s standards of smart devices everywhere. Most flip phones are easy to use or understand right out of the box, require only minimal setup, and don’t necessarily have a lot of bells and whistles that some users might prefer to avoid.
Precisely because of this simplicity, some people thinking about switching to flip phones wonder if they would need to purchase additional data plans to use them effectively.
We will go over this aspect, talk about whether flip phones can use data if you would like them to, how to get internet access, and other details regarding phone plans for devices of this type in our article below.
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Can a Flip Phone Use Data?
The short answer is yes, a flip phone can use data in various circumstances. What kinds of plans it needs depends on what you want to use the phone for.
Cell phone plans fall into two broad categories: prepaid plans that you can set up to use as you need, and standard plans that you sign up for when you get a new phone or go with a new provider. In the latter cases, you’ll sign a contract for a specific time that is meant to guarantee service on the data plan for the rate you agree to pay.
When you sign a standard plan, data usually comes as part of the package deal, which is true for smartphones and flip versions. Therefore, flip phones have to be able to use data to allow people to get standard plans.
That said, just because a flip phone can use data, it doesn’t mean that all of them do use it. In fact, some flip phones are designed not to use data.
For more specifics, you would have to check with the different manufacturers and see which models they make that support data usage and which do not. Whether you need a flip phone for data is partially dependent on your preferences, but it can also depend on how you might use the phone.
Many people who want to use phones for work while they are out and about may need access to data plans, even if they might not need all of the apps and other features that come with modern smartphones.
Do You Need a Data Plan for a Flip Phone?
We touched on it briefly, but the true answer to this question depends on how you plan to use the phone.
Suffice to say, a basic flip phone can perform necessary functions without the use of a data plan. If you only need calling and texting, you may not need a data plan.
However, remember that standard contracts will often bundle data as part of the services they provide to users. This is because there is a basic assumption that you’ll need to send data over the cell provider’s network at some point.
For prepaid plans, you would just pay as you need for the minutes or data that you might use for calling or texting. Therefore, no plan would need to be in place for these cases. You would purchase the minutes or data that you need for making voice calls or sending texts over the carrier’s network.
Data is still used to send and receive signals, but you don’t need a plan that is part of a contract for it. The same holds true for most smartphones that you might get with prepaid plans instead of standard contracts.
What happens if you have a flip phone that has basic internet and email functions, though? We will get into further details on using the internet on flip phones and connecting them to it in later sections.
For now, you should know that you can use these functions by getting Wi-Fi access from home networks or public ones. If you are content to use programs like these that might need to send data only when you are within range of a Wi-Fi access point, you could still get by with a flip phone that doesn’t have a dedicated data plan attached to it.
However, most people will need access to some of these features over cellular data at some point, so it might make more sense to get a data plan for these things.
Can You Use the Internet on a Flip Phone?
Yes, you can use the internet on a flip phone. However, this depends on which model of flip phone you buy. Older flip phones used a carrier’s cellular data network to make calls and do some texting, but they didn’t have ways to connect to the internet or interfaces to allow people to use it.
Flip phones models that are old enough won’t have the architecture necessary to support internet access. If you’re interested, we have an article here that goes more in-depth on older flip phones.
However, there has been a bit of a revival for the love of flip phones in recent years. Consequently, many of the major manufacturers that most people are familiar with have made some new versions of flip phones that keep the same style but come with extra features. One of those features is the ability to access the internet.
Here, the newer flip phones have antennas to access Wi-Fi networks and get you online. It would be similar to how a smartphone connects to Wi-Fi when it is within range of an appropriate signal.
Because these phones have Wi-Fi access, they will also come with browser support and possibly a few apps that rely on the internet in order to function, unlike older flip models that only sport a few basic programs.
How Do I Connect My Flip Phone to the Internet?
The precise steps to connect your flip phone to the internet can vary based on the specific model that you choose or the carrier you go with. The wording or the categories you might navigate through could be slightly different from the directions we talk about here.
However, you will set up internet access for your flip phone in pretty much the same way, and it doesn’t matter too much which phone you have. You can just look for the settings or headings that most closely resemble the ones mentioned in our article.
On your phone’s home screen, find the icon that represents ‘Settings’ and click on it. For most manufacturers, this will be a cog wheel of some sort.
Look for a heading that says ‘Wireless Networks’ or something quite similar. Click on that.
From here, you should see the option to ‘Scan for networks’ if you don’t see any available already. Select this option.
Allow the phone the time it needs to scan for and pick up all nearby Wi-Fi networks. If you’re planning to connect the device to your home network, you should see that one pop up eventually.
Select the network of your choice. You should be given a prompt to access the network of your choice.
If this is your first time setting up internet access on the flip phone, you will need to enter the SSID and appropriate password for your Wi-Fi network. Once done, the phone should then connect to this network automatically every time it is in range.
After filling out the relevant details, you can ask the phone to ‘Connect’ to the network.
There may be additional steps for you depending on which phone you choose, but most of the models out there should fall under these broad guidelines.
Do You Need a Phone Plan for a Flip Phone?
You need a provider to give you some kind of service if you’re going to use your flip phone effectively. However, this doesn’t need to be a full, standard phone plan that you might be considering.
If you’re happy with just calling as needed, you can opt for prepaid phones that you charge for the number of minutes you think you’ll use. You still need a carrier’s signal, but you don’t need a plan, even though we might call it a prepaid plan in print.
If you’d like to use data for the internet, modern apps, or other things a flip phone might have, you could still choose this option as long as you only need to use the extra features when connected to the Wi-Fi you already have in your home. If you feel like you might need internet access when you’re out of range, however, this is a case where you would be better off getting a plan attached to the flip phone of your choice.
Even with prepaid plans, it is not unusual to purchase a small amount of data in increments of a gigabyte or so at a time.
Bottom Line
In a way, flip phones represent the best of both worlds that current phone technologies can offer to users. They have all the basics that allow people to talk to or connect with one another, are usually inexpensive, and are easy to operate.
On the other hand, you can also get flip phones that can use data, connect to the internet, or even use some modern apps, and these are all good options for anyone who needs a bit of extra functionality while keeping the flip phone aesthetic going.
