It looks like there are a number of old devices that will no longer be compatible with T-Mobile’s network starting next month. This was recently reported by Android Police, who managed to get their hands on a verified internal document from T-Mo.
According to the report, these devices will no longer be able to connect to T-Mobile’s network starting January 29th:
- Google Nexus 9
- HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
- HTC Desire 650
- Huawei Mate 8
- Huawei P9
- Mikrotikls SIA_R11e-LTE6
- Netgear Arlo Security Camera System
- OnePlus One
- Qanta Dragon IR7
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (*AT&T and Verizon model)
- Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
- Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos
- Sony D6616 Xperia Z3 Orion
- Sony Xperia Z3
- Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
- Sony Xperia Z3 Orion
- Soyea M02
- ZTE ZMax
*Even though the list includes the AT&T and Verizon model of the Note 4, the T-Mobile version is not affected. It’s also possible that other devices not included on the list will be affected.
A total of 19 devices ranging from phones, tablets, and cameras were mentioned in the list. Most of these devices are already considered older models that range from 2014-2015.
It’s actually not a huge surprise that these phones will no longer be supported by T-Mobile real soon. As a matter of fact, these devices no longer received official updates for quite some time. And this usually means that these devices no longer received an up-to-date security patch, which puts them at risk for hacks and other threats.
It is for this precise reason why T-Mobile has decided to stop support for these devices. Many speculated that this was part of the mandatory VoLTE support change that will take place upon T-Mobile’s legacy network shutdown. But as reported, T-Mobile assured that this isn’t the case.
T-Mobile will start notifying customers who will be affected by this via SMS on December 28th. But T-Mobile has already started sending out snail mail letters to customers since the 18th. This gives users enough time to find a replacement for their old devices. The publication shared that some business customers were informed of an existing $150-off promotion. Employees of T-Mo were also told to “stay tuned” since they could be releasing offers that would target affected customers.
If you use any of the devices mentioned on the list, it might be time to start looking into upgrading your device. And if your device is not on the list but you’re still worried about it, you can check if your device supports VoLTE.
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