According to T-Mobile’s internal documents obtained and verified by Android Police, the company plans to withdraw support for the mobile network for 19 devices on January 29, 2021. Affected devices include smartphones from Google, Samsung, Sony and more, as well as home security cameras and older wireless routers.
Here is the full summary, according to T-Mobile’s internal list:
Phones:
- Google Nexus 9
- Huawei Mate 8
- Huawei P9
- HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
- HTC Desire 650
- OnePlus 1
- How much Dragon IR7
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (both AT&T and Verizon models; T-Mobile version of Note 4 not affected)
- Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
- Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos
- Sony Xperia Z3
- Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
- Sony Xperia Z3 Orion
- Sony D6616 Xperia Z3 Orion
- Soyea m02
- ZTE ZMax
Other devices:
- SIA_R11e-LTE6 MiniPCIe Microtikls Modem
- Arlo Netgear security camera system
The change affects T-Mobile, MetroPCS, and Sprint, but the impact will depend on the network of vendors that originally used the device. T-Mobile and MetroPCS devices will lose all network compatibility starting Jan. 29, while Sprint devices will lose T-Mobile’s roaming connectivity, but they can still use Sprint’s legacy 3G network as long as it stays closed in 2023.
There may be more unsupported devices, but T-Mobile has not yet made a public announcement at the time of writing, so we can only turn off Android Police information. That said, reports say, T-Mobile will be alerting customers via text message from December 28, which will give those who still use these old products only a few weeks to update them.
The short notice is awkward, but we recommend users make an update from any of the smartphones listed above, even if T-Mobile didn’t stop attending. New phones are not only faster and contain better features and cameras, but they also receive regular security patches than older phones do not.
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If price is an issue, look for mid-range devices like the Pixel 4a and 5a or Samsung’s Galaxy A51. As long as the manufacturer supports the phone, it will be a big leap in performance and security and you will be able to buy one for much less than a new flagship phone.