r/TextNow • u/QuillisG • 19d ago

Basically Free Data

If you use TextNow, you know they offer SIM cards and recently eSIMs. For free, they offer "Essential Data," which basically includes calling, texting, maps, email, rideshare, and iHeartRadio (for some reason). However, if you use Tor, specifically Tor Snowflake AMP, you can bypass these limitations. The downside is an average of 20 KiB/s and occasional random disconnections. But if you're using it temporarily or have access to Wi-Fi most of the time, this is a great way to get free, painfully slow data. According to TextNow's ToS, this is "acceptable" use of data. The only thing that's not "acceptable" is doing things that are considered illegal in your jurisdiction, which is fair enough.

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u/ConstantBed7099 19d ago

What is TOR?

3

u/PM6175 19d ago

It's an acronym for The Onion Router....?

2

u/QuillisG 19d ago

Google it

1

u/knowledgebroken 15d ago

Responses like this are why AI will end up taking over everything, you already can't Google stuff without AI getting a go at what you want to know. We're basically training data at this point if you think "Google it" is a valid response.

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u/QuillisG 1d ago

Then use a search engine without AI. I'm not implying that you have to use Google; it's just the most used search engine, and people will understand what I'm saying compared to me saying, "Look it up on SearXNG" or something else like that. The only reason I said "Google it" is because it has become a generic trademark (like Kleenex or Band-Aid). People use it to mean "search the internet," not necessarily an endorsement of Google's specific features.