T-Mobile

What the AT&T and T-Mobile Merger Means for the iPhone

Alex Heath ∙ Updated July 6, 2017

Well, no one saw that coming. Out of nowhere, AT&T has bought T-Mobile and become the largest wireless provider in the U.S.

It was originally thought that Sprint and T-Mobile would merge, but network incompatibilities made that idea look less and less attractive. Instead, AT&T and T-Mobile have shacked up to become the big kid on the block. Combined, AT&T and T-Mobile account for 130 million wireless customers in the United States, blowing by Verizon's 90 million users.

The question on our mind is: What does this all mean for the iPhone? LTE? What if we actually start getting reception in our own homes...

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AT&T Sends Out SMS Message Urging Users to Update to iOS 4.2, Unlockers Beware

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

If you're rocking an unlocked phone, it would behoove you to stick to the tried and true suggestions from the Dev Team to stay away from official updates. AT&T has recently started sending out mass text messages urging customers to update to iOS 4.2.

Why would they do this? Since AT&T is already on the cusp of losing quite a few users to Verizon's iPhone once it is released, the company is in a frenzy trying to convince customers to stick with them...

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T-Mobile Ad Takes a Jab at Verizon and AT&T iPhones

Guest Author ∙ January 13, 2011

We all knew it was bound to happen, but I don’t think we were expecting it this early. T-Mobile’s latest 4G campaign, featuring an Apple vs Mac style, takes a jab at both AT&T and Verizon.

Previously, T-Mobile aired several advertisements outlining the disadvantages of the iPhone on the AT&T network, including the inability to video chat over WiFi on the AT&T iPhone whereas the T-Mobile myTouch 4G can make calls anywhere.

The latest advertisement shows that there’s no fun in having a great handset running on a slow network, referencing AT&T’s unreliable 3G network and Verizon slow CDMA network, when T-Mobile’s network provides 4G speeds... 

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Check Out Nationwide Cellular Coverage Map With ‘Coverage’ for iPhone

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

With the imminent Verizon iPhone announcement, what better way to pass the time than seeing what you would actually be gaining with a Verizon iPhone. People want better cellular coverage, data reliability and overall speed. AT&T hasn't built a very good reputation over its last 3+ years of exclusivity with the iPhone.

The general consensus in the U.S. is that a Verizon iPhone would probably make the revolutionary smartphone a much more dependable cellphone. Less dropped calls and 3G dead-zones would be a warm welcome to those plagued by AT&T sluggishness in heavily populated areas.

Recently, there was a slew of ad campaigns from AT&T and Verizon that were all about "coverage maps." The goal of the ads were to convince the consumer that either Verizon or AT&T had better overall coverage. Thanks to a nifty iPhone app, you can see for yourself...

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T-Mobile Selling iPhone Accessories. Why?

Sébastien Page ∙ November 5, 2010

This one is an interesting find by our Engadget friends. Apparently some T-Mobile stores in the US are selling iPhone charging cables. What can that mean? Are they preparing for the T-Mobile iPhone? We've heard our share of rumors about that in the past.

Or maybe they're just trying to provide accessories for iPhone unlockers who make the move to T-Mobile? Your guess is as good as mine.

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The Likelihood of the iPhone Appearing on T-Mobile Just Decreased With This Video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

With the release of an advertisement dissing the iPhone 4 and AT&T's network, you can pretty much squash any idea of the iPhone appearing on T-Mobile's network anytime soon.

The video clip purposely takes Apple's infamous "Mac versus PC" ads, and flips the script. It features an attractive female claiming to be a MyTouch4G, while a guy struggling to support another guy on piggyback claims to be an iPhone 4. Let the hilarity ensure...

Of course the guy riding piggyback is the AT&T network, which is putting a burden on Mr. iPhone, hence slowing him down. Brilliant! The woman then touts the MyTouch's video-chat-anywhere capabilities -- courtesy of T-Mobile's 4G network -- all the while poking fun at the fact that FaceTime for the iPhone 4 only works while connected to Wi-Fi.

Obviously, all of that means nothing to us here at iDB, seeing as a simple jailbreak will allow you to use FaceTime anywhere you receive a cellular signal. Still, the ad is quite amusing, and gives Apple a nice dose of their own medicine.

Slower network or not though, at the end of the day, the MyTouch4G is still, unfortunately, a MyTouch4G.

What did you think about the ad?

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Only 23% of AT&T Customers Would Switch for a Verizon iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ September 21, 2010

A new survey by Credit Suisse shows that only 23% of AT&T customers would be willing to switch to Verizon if the carrier got the iPhone. The good old talk about a Verizon iPhone. Sigh. It seems I am the only believing there won't be a Verizon iPhone next year.

According to this survey, 23% would switch to Verizon, 3% would switch to Sprint, and only 2% would switch to T-Mobile. 9% are not sure what they would do. If you do the math, that leaves 63% of people staying with AT&T, most likely because they are satisfied...

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More T-Mobile iPhone Rumors

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I find it interesting how the rumor mill operates. Last month every report out there had Verizon pegged as the next carrier to offer the iPhone which I still believe to be the frontrunner as well. Lately however the influx of rumors have centered around T-Mobile's aspirations for offering the Apple handheld.

Apple Hot News cites Engadget as saying that an executive vice president of Canada's Quebecor claims that Apple is in the process of building a compatible iPhone for T-Mobile's 3G network...

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Is T-Mobile Getting the iPhone 3GS?

Guest Author ∙ September 7, 2010

The tweet says it all. The update was posted by Chris Anderson, editor of Wired. Perhaps he is baiting us but nevertheless it's the first rumor of its kind so what the heck.

Apparently Chris was told by a T-Mobile manager that the iPhone 3GS would be coming to the carrier. Why the company would be getting the year old model of the iPhone instead of the current device is beyond me. I guess that's why they call it a rumor.

Thoughts?

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Is the iPhone Coming to T-Mobile? I Don’t Think So…

Sébastien Page ∙ July 21, 2010

The rumor of the day is that the iPhone might be coming to T-Mobile, according to a "highly placed source" of Cult of Mac. While this rumor makes more sense to me than a Verizon iPhone, I still don't believe the hype. To be honest with you, I think this was completely made up by Cult of Mac just so they can get other people (like me) to talk about them.

Talks between Apple and T-Mobile are at an advanced stage, our source says, and it’s 80 percent likely that the iPhone will be coming to T-Mobile in Q3.

Apple can't make enough iPhone 4 for themselves but they're going to give it to T-Mobile anyway? Nah!

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know I don't believe in the Verizon iPhone for one main reason. Verizon operates on the dying CDMA network, while pretty much the rest of the world, including AT&T and T-Mobile, operates on the GSM network. So technically, the iPhone could work on T-Mobile... except there are hardware issues...

Historically, the iPhone has never been compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz bands. While the iPhone 4 added the 2100 MHz band, it still lacks the 1700 MHz, which Cult of Mac claims Apple could have kept secret.

Yes, this rumor makes more sense to me than the crazy Verizon rumors but still, I do not think this is real. If anything, I predict the iPhone will come to T-Mobile in 2012, when the Apple/AT&T exclusivity agreement comes to an end. I doubt Apple would want to get into a lawyers fight with AT&T over the iPhone.

What do you think? Real rumor? Fake rumor?

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How to enable MMS on iPhone 3G 3.0 With T-Mobile

Sébastien Page ∙ July 11, 2009

iPhone Download Blog reader Charlie sent me this simple hack to enable free MMS on the iPhone 3G running 3.0 with T-Mobile. Note that this hack only works for T-Mobile on the iPhone 3G.

First, go to Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data Network.

Add the following in MMS field:

APN: wap.voicestream.com Username: leave blank Password: leave blank MMSC: 216.155.174.84/servlets/mms MMS Proxy: 216.155.165.50:8080 MMS Max Message Size: leave blank MMS UA Prof URL: leave blank

Again, this only works if you have T-Mobile. It does not work with other carriers.

Feel free to contact me should you have iPhone tips and tricks you want to share.

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