Remember when AT&T told consumers their phones would stop working and motivated them to purchase brand-new ones during a pandemic? T-Mobile is apparently going to be sending out some messages like that too, however it appears like the company could be going about it a little differently (and ideally less strongly) than AT&T, according to an evident internal document from T-Mobile shared by Android Authorities.
T-Mobile will apparently require phones on its network to support voice over LTE (VoLTE) starting in January 2021. That implies if your phone doesnt presently support VoLTE, youll need to update if you want to be able to keep making calls with that phone on T-Mobile. And T-Mobile is obviously so intention on phasing out older technologies that itll apparently stop activating brand-new gadgets that dont support VoLTE on August 4th, which is simply a couple weeks away.
Heres the file Android Police shared, if you d like to look for yourself:
Image: Android Police
When we asked, T-Mobile didnt verify the timeline set out in the document, but did share some information that line up:
Generally, what T-Mobile appears to be stating is that unless you havent upgraded your phone for a really long time, you most likely wont face concerns when VoLTE is needed.
Verizon is also in the process of shutting down its 3G network, and stated last year it would be delaying that shutdown to the end of 2020. Since 2018, it no longer activates phones that dont support LTE.
Ideally the business finds out from AT&Ts errors when it comes time for T-Mobile to inform some consumers that they need to update. Yesterday, AT&T frightened some clients by sending them an email with the big, blue, vibrant, all-caps heading “UPDATE NEEDED,” informing them that their phone is “not compatible with the new network,” and that theyll need to replace it to keep getting service. (Some consumers felt the e-mail was so outright that they believed it was a scam.).
When it comes time for T-Mobile to tell some clients that they require to upgrade, ideally the company learns from AT&Ts errors.
What AT&T overlooked to make clear, though, is that those clients will not actually need to update their phone up until early 2022– thats when AT&T prepares to shut down its 3G network and when some gadgets will really stop working. When they require to do it, lets hope T-Mobile is clearer about what consumers need to do and.
That suggests if your phone doesnt presently support VoLTE, youll need to upgrade if you want to be able to keep making calls with that phone on T-Mobile. In preparation for that and to provide consumers the finest experience, those triggering new lines at T-Mobile will need a VoLTE capable gadget, which is all weve used for years now and represents the frustrating bulk of devices on the network.
In preparation for that and to offer clients the finest experience, those triggering brand-new lines at T-Mobile will need a VoLTE capable device, which is all weve used for years now and represents the frustrating majority of devices on the network.
