Remember when AT&T informed customers their phones would stop working and motivated them to purchase brand-new ones during a pandemic? T-Mobile is reportedly going to be sending out some messages like that too, but it appears like the business might be setting about it a little differently (and ideally less aggressively) than AT&T, according to an apparent internal file from T-Mobile shared by Android Authorities.
T-Mobile will supposedly require phones on its network to support voice over LTE (VoLTE) starting in January 2021. That implies if your phone does not presently support VoLTE, youll need to update if you wish to have the ability to keep making calls with that phone on T-Mobile. And T-Mobile is obviously so bent on phasing out older technologies that itll supposedly stop activating new gadgets that do not support VoLTE on August 4th, which is just a couple weeks away.
Heres the file Android Police shared, if you d like to try to find yourself:
Image: Android Police
When we asked, T-Mobile didnt validate the timeline laid out in the file, but did share some information that line up:
That means if your phone doesnt currently support VoLTE, youll require to upgrade if you desire to be able to keep making calls with that phone on T-Mobile. In preparation for that and to offer clients the finest experience, those activating new lines at T-Mobile will require a VoLTE capable device, which is all weve offered for years now and represents the overwhelming majority of gadgets on the network.
Basically, what T-Mobile seems to be saying is that unless you have not updated your phone for a long time, you probably wont run into issues as soon as VoLTE is required.
Ideally the business discovers from AT&Ts mistakes when it comes time for T-Mobile to tell some customers that they require to upgrade. The other day, AT&T frightened some consumers by sending them an email with the huge, blue, bold, all-caps heading “UPDATE NEEDED,” notifying them that their phone is “not suitable with the new network,” and that theyll require to replace it to keep getting service. (Some customers felt the e-mail was so egregious that they thought it was a fraud.).
Verizon is also in the procedure of closing down its 3G network, and said in 2015 it would be delaying that shutdown to the end of 2020. Since 2018, it no longer triggers phones that do not support LTE.
[…] we will be phasing out some older technologies in time to release up even more capacity for LTE and 5G. In preparation for that and to give customers the best experience, those triggering brand-new lines at T-Mobile will need a VoLTE capable gadget, which is all weve offered for many years now and represents the frustrating bulk of gadgets on the network.
When it comes time for T-Mobile to tell some consumers that they require to update, ideally the company discovers from AT&Ts mistakes.
What AT&T disregarded to make clear, though, is that those clients wont really require to upgrade their phone up until early 2022– thats when AT&T plans to shut down its 3G network and when some gadgets will in fact stop working. Lets hope T-Mobile is clearer about what consumers need to do and when they need to do it.
