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Older Phones to Stop Working with T-Mobile in 2021

By Laura Tucker
T Mobile Older Phones Featured

You may be among the T-Mobile customers receiving a text message from the company on December 28, 2020. This message will state that older phones or other devices will no longer be getting T-Mobile service in the new year. The news isn’t all bad, though, as if you own one of these phones, T-Mobile will be providing you with a free phone to replace it.

T-Mobile Announcement

There was a time when most of us had two-year contracts with our cell provider. Along with the two years of service, we’d get a new phone. At the end of the two years, we’d get a replacement phone. But now that we have to mostly pay for our own phones, and they can cost upwards of $1000, many of us hold on to them as long as we can.

A T-Mobile internal document to employees said that 19 older phones or other devices will no longer connect to the network. This change will be taking effect on January 29, 2021.

T Mobile Older Phones Devices

There are 19 older phones and other devices that will stop working with the T-Mobile service in January. You should be concerned if you have a:

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (AT&T)
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Verizon)
  • Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
  • HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
  • HTC Desire 650
  • Google Nexus 9
  • Huawei Mate 8
  • Huawei P9
  • Mikrotikls SIA_R11e-LTE6
  • Netgear Arlo Security System
  • OnePlus 1
  • Quanta Dragon IR7
  • Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos
  • Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
  • Sony Xperia Z3
  • Sony Xperia 23 Orion
  • Sony D6616 Xperia Z3 Orion
  • Soyea M02
  • ZTE ZMax

It should be noted that most of the devices on this list date back to at least 2015, if not earlier. It’s not as great as it may seem to hold out and not cave in to buy a phone with the newest features, as most of these no longer get updates. And no updates means no security patches, meaning your old device could be turning you into a victim.

Also read: Why Are People in the US Buying Fewer Smartphones?

You may not want to rush out and get a new phone to replace your trusty old phone, as T-Mobile will be helping you out. The document to employees told them to “stay tuned for additional offers that will be specifically targeted to impacted customers.” Older phone owners will reportedly be receiving a Samsung Galaxy A21, Galaxy A11, Alcatel GO FLIP 3, or a T-Mobile REVVL 4.

WhatsApp’s Plans for Old Phones

T-Mobile isn’t the only service ending its time on older phones. WhatsApp will soon no longer work on older phones either. It will stop working with older iPhones and Androids. Specifically, phones that haven’t been updated to iOS 9 or later and Android 4.0.3. iPhone 4 and older, the Motorola Droid Razz, and Samsung Galaxy S2 cannot run updated software, so will not work with WhatsApp either.

T Mobile Older Devices Whatsapp

As stated, other than T-Mobile’s and WhatApp’s plans to no longer work with them, there are other reasons to not use older phones. But if you have no choice, read on to learn whether you should use an older Android phone.

Image Credit: “T-Mobile” by JeepersMedia and public domain

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Laura Tucker Avatar
Laura Tucker
Laura has spent more than 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with the majority of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past 35 years. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.

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