- T-Mobile confirmed that more than a dozen devices will lose access to its network on January 29th, 2021 due to a network update that won’t work on some older phones.
- Most of the affected devices are at least five years old, but T-Mobile subscribers with those devices will need to upgrade if they want to stay on the network.
- T-Mobile says it has “exciting new offers” available for impacted customers.
Last December, Android Police obtained internal documents from T-Mobile which revealed that over a dozen devices would no longer work on the carrier’s network after January 29th, 2021. T-Mobile had already begun notifying some of its subscribers that their devices would stop working, but the carrier hadn’t made a public announcement. On January 8th, the move was finally confirmed as T-Mobile published a support page on its website.
“T-Mobile is hard at work to build the best possible network for our customers,” the mobile carrier explained on its support site last week. “We frequently make updates to our network to give the best possible wireless experience. In preparation for a network update happening on January 29, 2021, we identified some older devices will be unable to receive the enhancement and as a result will be unable to connect to the network.”
Nothing that T-Mobile says on the support page will come as a surprise to anyone who read the report last month, but it does clarify that select T-Mobile, T-Mobile Prepaid, and Metro by T-Mobile customers will be affected, providing they still use any of the following devices. This is the same list that Android Police shared last month:
- Arlo Security Camera System
- Talking Points: We are currently working with Arlo on a possible solution, so you may not need to replace your device. Stay tuned for more detail.
- AT&T Galaxy Note 4
- T-Mobile branded version is not impacted, but will need to update to latest software version)
- Verizon Galaxy Note 4
- T-Mobile branded version is not impacted, but will need to update to latest software version)
- AT&T Galaxy Note Edge
- HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
- HTC Desire 650
- Google Nexus 9
- Huawei Mate 8
- Huawei P9
- Mikrotikls SIA R11e-LTE6
- OnePlus 1
- Quanta Computer Inc Quanta DragonIR7
- Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos
- Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
- Sony Xperia Z3
- Sony Xperia Z3 Orion
- Sony D6616 Xperia Z3 Orion
- Soyea Mobile Communication Equipment Co Ltd SOYEA M02
- ZTE ZMAX
The good news is that T-Mobile “has some exciting new offers that will be available for some impacted customers.” The carrier doesn’t specify what these offers are on its support page, but a previous report suggests that T-Mobile will offer a selection of several free devices for affected customers to choose from if they decide to upgrade, including the Samsung Galaxy A21, Galaxy A11, Alcatel GO FLIP 3, and T-Mobile REVVL 4. Just be sure to reach out to T-Mobile or visit a T-Mobile retail store before January 29th, or you’ll lose service altogether.
