this post was submitted on 23 May 2025
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Not sure if this fits this comm, but I hate that the act of buying a phone plan and inseting a sim card is now referred to as "activation".
"Activation" is the iPhone forced internet-setup thing, not the fact that you use wifi-only instead of cellular. ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
You understand that SIM cards aren't actually active until they're connected to the network for the first time, right?
Correct. But SIM =/= Phone
You have heard of the concept of using your phone as a Wifi-Only Device, right?
Why are you buying a phone plan if you're not using the mobile network?
I know one person who does this. It's simple: apple discontinued the ipod touch. He had no other choice than to get an iphone without a sim
No, I mean the context is, when you buy a phone from Best Buy, the sales person uses deceptive language to frame it as if your phone will not function unless you purchase a plan by asking "Would you like to activate your phone right now", implying its locked and can't even be used for Google Voice/VOIP calls, and as a multi-function tool (GPS, Camera, Notes, E-Reader, Audio Recorder, etc...).
Deceptive Corporatist language.
Aha, okay, much clearer what you meant now. Yeah, they surely get a kickback for each new subscription.
Activating your SIM card is the best term.
I thought it was activation before the iPhone existed
Activation fees certainly did.
Perhaps it isn't exactly a new term, but I hate that term regardless. A smartphone can do many things without a cellular connection, a cell plan is not an "activation" but a feature upgrade.
You're not even right. You are genuinely activating the SIM card and anyone around you paraphrasing to "activating a phone" is also correct, because nobody cares what other meaning you personally wish to ascribe to the task.