If AT&T sent you an e-mail informing you to upgrade your phone– or else– would you compose it off as a scam? Well, thats just what the business did this week, according to Android Cops.
Under the huge, blue, vibrant, all-caps heading “UPDATE NEEDED,” the provider is telling some consumers that their gadgets are “not compatible with the brand-new network” which they “require to replace it to continue getting service.”
Heres the email:
Image: Android Police
Image: Android Police
As Android Police points out, what AT&T actually seems to be doing here is suggesting upgrades ahead of the shutdown of AT&Ts 3G network. Thats scheduled to take place “by February 2022,” according to an AT&T link that supposedly appears in the e-mail. When the 3G network goes away, AT&T says that phones that do not support HD Voice, which routes calls over 4G LTE, will not be able to make voice calls or use data on AT&T.
If its true that these phones will not quit working up until 2022, sending out an e-mail like this isnt precisely the very best search for AT&T; it could be seen as an attempt to increase sales during a pandemic, and therell no doubt be a wave of more recent and much better phones offered (including more with 5G support) before that deadline passes.
One obvious problem: the company sent this in the middle of an economy-wrecking pandemic, at a time when purchasing a brand-new phone might be the last thing on someones mind. Some clients were so surprised to get the e-mail that they posted on AT&Ts assistance online forums hypothesizing that it may be a scam, though Android Police says the e-mail is genuine.
Another issue: scared clients might not actually need to do anything until February 2022.
Weirdly, consumers with more recent phones, which need to in theory support HD Voice, are getting the e-mail, too. The person who started that thread on AT&Ts support online forum said they use a Galaxy S10 E, a phone that was released in March 2019.
As Android Police explains, what AT&T truly appears to be doing here is recommending upgrades ahead of the shutdown of AT&Ts 3G network. Thats set up to happen “by February 2022,” according to an AT&T link that reportedly appears in the email. When the 3G network goes away, AT&T states that phones that do not support HD Voice, which routes calls over 4G LTE, will not have the ability to make voice calls or utilize data on AT&T.
Its uncertain exactly the number of consumers may have gotten this email, and AT&T hasnt replied to a demand for comment. Ideally AT&T offers clearer communication about why and when clients will really require to update.
