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Maybe a silly question

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Woody

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Apr 30, 2022, 1:57:05 PM4/30/22
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If I make a video call to my wife through WhatsApp and I am on a data
package but she is on old-fashioned PAYG (i.e. no bundle) who pays for what?

Does my phone use my data allowance and my wife pays for the data her
phone uses
or
Does my phone pay for both
or
Does my phone use data from my bundle and she get hers for free?

Puzzled I am.

Andy Burns

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Apr 30, 2022, 3:01:53 PM4/30/22
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Woody wrote:

> If I make a video call to my wife through WhatsApp and I am on a data package
> but she is on old-fashioned PAYG (i.e. no bundle) who pays for what?
>
> Does my phone use my data allowance and my wife pays for the data her phone uses

Yes.

Wilf

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Apr 30, 2022, 5:56:36 PM4/30/22
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I'm pretty sure that is how it works. Caller and recipient are
responsible each for his or her own data usage.

--
Wilf

Chris

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May 1, 2022, 4:01:10 AM5/1/22
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You both need data to make the call so you both pay.

David Wade

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May 1, 2022, 6:40:33 AM5/1/22
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It is worse than any of the above. You both pay for all the data. So
looking at for example (I am sure other providers count data in the same
way):-

https://www.o2.co.uk/business/support/billing/understanding-mobile-data

It says:-


............. sending or receiving emails with large attachments can use
just as much. ...................


So you both pay for all the data going in both directions. So on a
whatsapp call you pay for Video you received from her AND FOR VIDEO YOU
SEND TO HER.

The same for her, which will make WhatsApp calls expensive for her.

However if you are on WiFi Whatsapp will use the WiFi for its data and
neither will be charged. WhatsApp is just a messaging app. It only uses
the phone network to verify your phone number.

Dave




Andy Burns

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May 1, 2022, 7:06:10 AM5/1/22
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David Wade wrote:

> It is worse than any of the above.

That's not worse than option 1 he mentioned, it *is* option 1.

He pays for his data (that he sends to her and receives from her) and she pays
for her data (that she sends to him and receives from him).

> You both pay for all the data.

Exactly.

Wilf

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May 1, 2022, 7:53:56 AM5/1/22
to
On 01/05/2022 at 11:40, David Wade wrote:

> However if you are on WiFi Whatsapp will use the WiFi for its data and
> neither will be charged. WhatsApp is just a messaging app. It only uses
> the phone network to verify your phone number.

Not quite. Either or both of you could be on a WiFi connection.
Whichever of you is on WiFi will obviously NOT have to pay data charges
for the call. Whichever of you is NOT on WiFi WILL have to pay for
their outbound and inbound data. So one could be on WiFi and the other
not, etc.

--
Wilf

Roger Mills

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May 1, 2022, 10:05:15 AM5/1/22
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That is true except that, if you're not on WiFi, you will only pay
directly for the data used on the call if it is not covered by some sort
of inclusive data package. The OP appears to have such a package, and
won't pay extra unless he has used up all his data. His wife doesn't,
and will pay for the call on a PAYG basis. This is regardless of which
of them initiates the call.
--
Cheers,
Roger

David Wade

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May 1, 2022, 2:35:54 PM5/1/22
to
Who would believe such a simple question could spark so many answers!.
Is it any wonder we find it so difficult getting on the right contract...

Dave

Wilf

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May 1, 2022, 7:50:04 PM5/1/22
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That's true. The main point is that in a whatsapp call (or other
data-based call) each user establishes a connection that they are
responsible for, regardless of what connection conditions the other user
has at their disposal. It might be WiFi, or inclusive data, or
non-inclusive data, but the main point is that each user's connection is
independent of the other's. If there are multiple users mutually
connected on such a call, each will pay, or not, according to their
individual connection type.

--
Wilf

David Wade

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May 2, 2022, 3:57:17 AM5/2/22
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I think that its as important to note is that mobile data is charged
for, or at least counts against you package, regardless of the direction
its travelling in...

Dave

Mark Carver

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May 3, 2022, 4:22:31 AM5/3/22
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That's always been the case. Although I do recall some of the early ADSL
packages had different limits for upstream and downstream data ?

Bob Eager

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May 3, 2022, 6:58:28 AM5/3/22
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On Tue, 03 May 2022 09:22:31 +0100, Mark Carver wrote:

> That's always been the case. Although I do recall some of the early ADSL
> packages had different limits for upstream and downstream data ?

I don't have a limit at all for upstream, and it's quite a recent tariff.

Mark Carver

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May 3, 2022, 7:17:41 AM5/3/22
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I've not had a limit for either up or down for about 10 years !

Bob Eager

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May 3, 2022, 8:47:35 AM5/3/22
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Well, my limit is about 10TB so it doesn't really bother me!
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