I’m still rocking a Mac SE as a dedicated writing machine, a 5.5 gen iPod (used daily), and a B&W G3 running. Each of them have been upgraded, yes, but to extend their usability. Old tech has a place (not for everyone, I know, but it does).
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Original iPhone Loses Its Last Cellular Network as T-Mobile Kills 2G
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I’m still rocking a Mac SE as a dedicated writing machine, a 5.5 gen iPod (used daily), and a B&W G3 running. Each of them have been upgraded, yes, but to extend their usability. Old tech has a place (not for everyone, I know, but it does).
Astuces iOS
macrumors 68030
Ask refund guys, this is programmed obsolescence
Still use my original iPhone as a music player. Decent battery life after all this time as well (in airplane mode at least)
AppleTO
macrumors 68000
The iPhone 5 (and 5s) supports LTE but not VoLTE. So maybe, but not fully. Voice calls wouldn’t work.
The 4s and older wouldn’t work at all.
The 6 supports VoLTE, so it would be the oldest still fully functioning iPhone.
Not possible. The first iPhone that could be used on Verizon was the iPhone 4. The original, 3G, and 3GS were GSM only.
usmaak
macrumors 65816
mectojic
macrumors 65816
obviouslogic
macrumors 6502
The article says NOTHING about people with original iPhones
MacLawyer
macrumors 65816
There is a growing market among collectors for vintage Apple stuff. Take your devices to a local vintage computer fair. One is happening in Schaumburg, IL in September.
iPhone 4 was Verizon first time.
Now I believe they also allowed older iPhones once it came out for iPhone 4.
It was officially AT&T by the time the iPhone went on sale, although there may have been some minor leftover Cingular branding elements still around.
I got a first gen iPod Touch (well, first and a half: they did a mid-cycle refresh with 32 GB of storage and that's the one I got). My first actual iPhone was a 4S as that was the first one available from my provider. It was possible to "hack" a 3G/3GS but from memory iOS updates could break it.
goobot
macrumors 604
technole
macrumors 6502a
TM severely reduced 2G capacity last year because obviously the spectrum is repurposed for 5G bands. Therefore putting it in last legs mode basically for emergency devices as part of a phase out plan. No one was roaming on it, I'm not even sure why the OP even thinks that was still the case. Carriers may have "2G" speeds on their 5G network, but it wasn't connecting to 2G GSM. That's also how TM has always delivered the "free" international roaming as part of their plans, you'd connect to say Vodaphone UK on 5G but you'd get the reduced speed unless you pay for a pass. Nowadays it's just less than 3G for free for the most part.
Justin Cymbal
macrumors 6502a
Yes, that part is of course depressing. But if 2g networks are needed for emergency services or vital government infrastructure than the government i.e. FCC should be the ones keeping it active (via a contract with T-Mobile) similar to Microsoft XP contracts:
https://www.neowin.net/news/irs-adm...ns-to-microsoft-for-extra-windows-xp-support/
Why the Navy Still Pays Millions for Microsoft's Windows XP
Microsoft will ship the Navy custom updates
time.com
It’s not T-Mobile shareholder’s job to keep outdated technology going while footing the bill to do so - if it’s vital to Gov IT infrastructure, than the gov can pay t-mobile for the costs incurred for keeping 2G networks active. Why should shareholders foot that bill? I happen to be a T-Mobile shareholder 😅 lol
I was referring to the premise of people still USING a 2G iPhone in 2026 - as the last time I saw someone still using that 📲 was in 2013 when I was going to school in Western Mass and one of my teachers was still using an original 2G. I was surprised it even worked, then
maxoakland
macrumors 68000
This is what happens when companies are allowed to buy their competitors. It always results in losing something, often jobs. Sometimes it’s things customers use
Hart1583
macrumors regular
Some hobbyists report they're using inexpensive software defined radios (SDRs) to set up micro 2G GSM base stations to support their vintage iPhones and other mobile phones. But whether you can do so legally depends on your country, power output, whether there's unlicensed spectrum that your vintage phone supports, and a few other factors. Please make sure you know what you're doing before you attempt to run your own base station.
Those original iPhones' originally provisioned networks may be gone, but a quick search makes it seem like Telecom Italia still has 2G active, even though they already shut down 3G. Orange in Luxembourg is shutting theirs off by 2030. Multiple providers in Poland still haven't turned it off, either. I could keep checking countries off this list, but if you have an unlocked original iPhone, you can still find some places where you can buy a SIM card to use with its 2G modem.