Fancy a new iPhone from AT&T but hate the fact that you’ll have to pay for voice service that you just won’t use? Well, whether you’re hard of hearing or just plain averse to talking to other human beings, AT&T has a new text messaging-based for the iPhone. Dubbed the Text Messaging Accessibility Plan for the iPhone (TAP), the new plan allows iPhone hopefuls to do away with the unneeded voice-call portion of their plan in favor of unlimited SMS text messages and unlimited data.
For $40 a month, iPhone users with the TAP plan can expect to text and browse the web to their heart’s content, without having to worry about getting those annoying incoming voice calls. Voice calls can still be made, however, at $0.40 per minute – which means the voice calls will basically be limited to emergency use only. On the up-side, you can vote as many times as you like for your fav American Idol.
To get TAP on your iPhone, you’ll need to fill out an eligibility form that requires you to prove your disability with a Certification of Disability. So, if you just want to use that iPhone as a fancy text messaging and web browsing platform but find your sense of hearing more than acute, you’ll need to find some way to get that certification.