- AT&T has offered GoPhone plans to iPhone users at various times since the release of the iPhone. GoPhone plans, though, sometimes are available to subscribers who cannot pass the necessary credit check to get a contract. An AT&T representative can confirm whether this workaround is available.
- AT&T subscribers who are about to end their contracts can sometimes get month-to-month contract pricing for their iPhones and in some cases are allowed to switch to GoPhone service even when it is not offered to new subscribers. Such allowances appear to be on a case-by-case basis and depends on the status of the individual account as well as current AT&T policies.
- AT&T offers four phones with MP3 players and GoPhone as of October 2009--the Pantech C630 and Breeze, the Motorola EM330 and the LG Neon. None of these can be called iTunes players, but they can be used in conjunction with iTunes on a desktop computer. Third-party software can sync handheld music with iTunes, or iTunes can manage music files and synchronize them directly with file-synchronization software.
- By late 2009, iPhones were the second-most-popular smart phone in the US market and have the highest rankings for customer satisfaction. Alternative phones with different music software are not likely to be as good for most users, so it is worth considering whether to get an AT&T contract to get an iPhone.
- For those who want iTunes synchronization with a handheld device but cannot get service with an iPhone, an alternative is an iPod nano or iPod shuffle in addition to a cell phone. Both devices are small, allowing them to be carried without much added weight. As an added benefit, using a music player won't eat into battery time on a cell phone.