T-Mobile USA Rolling Out Software Update for Existing Unlocked iPhone Customers

[charlituna]

A quick question. Would this work on a Sprint phone that's unlocked to T-mobile? Thanks!

First question is unlocked how?

I ask this because to my knowledge Sprint is not unlocking their iPhones even after contract and even buying full price they are not unlocked.

And if it was unlocked via using a jailbreak then according to t-mobile this update won't work

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Yes it is dishonest. Even if it works, it probably will not (you didn't get it from T-Mobile), why should T-Mobile pay for you to have a new phone? Suck it up, and sell the phone when the 5s comes out.

And it may backfire. The carriers often use refurbs for their insurance replacements which means you'd get a phone produced preswitch.

And Apple may have two service parts for these phones based on the serial and under terms the customer agreed to they wouldn't have to flip you to the newer one because the coverage is for identical hardware to what was purchased.

 

[SCIONTX]

Prepaid - Two Unlimited 4G Plans

I was reviewing my prepaid T-Mobile account online and clicked on "Change your plans and services". Noticed they have two $70/month plans. One offers mobile hotspot (the one I'm currently enrolled in) and the other doesn't.

Interesting. I bet if I change my plan to the $60 and then want to change it again, just the $70 plan without mobile hotspot will be available from the selection. I'm not willing to chance it.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

It never occurred to me that "rolling out" is an entirely ill-fitting way to describe a software release.

Software does not roll.

 

[hexonxonx]

I was reviewing my prepaid T-Mobile account online and clicked on "Change your plans and services". Noticed they have two $70/month plans. One offers mobile hotspot (the one I'm currently enrolled in) and the other doesn't.

Interesting. I bet if I change my plan to the $60 and then want to change it again, just the $70 plan without mobile hotspot will be available from the selection. I'm not willing to chance it.

I think it's the same plan and that they just have it listed there twice.

When I ordered a Nexus 4 from them in February, it included free over night shipping. On checkout, it listed the same shipping option twice. Their website has always had mistakes on it.

 

[Terrin]

It never occurred to me that "rolling out" is an entirely ill-fitting way to describe a software release.

Software does not roll.

Well it refers to a specific type of a software update. One where it isn't updated all at once, but slowly. Usually to test the update. In this case, however, I don't think the update has been released at all yet because I haven't seen one person on any forum claiming to have it.

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And it may backfire. The carriers often use refurbs for their insurance replacements which means you'd get a phone produced preswitch.

And Apple may have two service parts for these phones based on the serial and under terms the customer agreed to they wouldn't have to flip you to the newer one because the coverage is for identical hardware to what was purchased.

That is a excellent point.

 

[BruiserB]

I was reviewing my prepaid T-Mobile account online and clicked on "Change your plans and services". Noticed they have two $70/month plans. One offers mobile hotspot (the one I'm currently enrolled in) and the other doesn't.

Interesting. I bet if I change my plan to the $60 and then want to change it again, just the $70 plan without mobile hotspot will be available from the selection. I'm not willing to chance it.

I have a similar worry. I'm on the $30 5GB 100minute prepaid plan. It's not supposed to have hotspot enabled and there is a place to select a $15 hotspot add-on. I was getting hotspot capability without paying extra until now. But I assume that was due to a lack of an official Tmobile configuration file. Once this rolls out, will I be unable to activate hotspot unless I pay the extra $15? Sure would be nice if Tmobile would be the un-carrier for prepaid plans too and not charge extra for hotspot. I know that if I ever change away from my $30 plan I can't get it back. Fortunately with the hotspot being an add-on, it doesn't require giving up the plan.

 

[mikefla]

So far i'm not impressed at all with tmobile service. I ported over from att with iphone5 last night to test service. Getting either slow as hell edge in some areas or 3G with slow or no internet access. Edge can't even keep up with Pandora streaming while driving, it skips quite a bit. My idea was to cut down costs but if the service is not there it won't work for me. I'm going to wait until next week and see what happens once the carrier update comes out, otherwise i'm going right back to att, screw this. I have no service issue with att, just trying to cut costs, paying too much for what I use.

-Mike

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

So far i'm not impressed at all with tmobile service. I ported over from att with iphone5 last night to test service. Getting either slow as hell edge in some areas or 3G with slow or no internet access. Edge can't even keep up with Pandora streaming while driving, it skips quite a bit. My idea was to cut down costs but if the service is not there it won't work for me. I'm going to wait until next week and see what happens once the carrier update comes out, otherwise i'm going right back to att, screw this. I have no service issue with att, just trying to cut costs, paying too much for what I use.

-Mike

Lol nothing will happen next week when the carrier update comes out, youre probably in a place that hasnt been re-farmed completely, so either wait til its refarmed 100%, or buy the tmobile version of the phone if you are in there HSPA+ zone.

 

[mikefla]

Lol nothing will happen next week when the carrier update comes out, youre probably in a place that hasnt been re-farmed completely, so either wait til its refarmed 100%, or buy the tmobile version of the phone if you are in there HSPA+ zone.

I was thinking that once the carrier update is in place I would then be connecting to a 4G or LTE tower instead of getting 3G or Edge service. Don't they already have 4G/LTE service in the NJ/NY area? For example i'm at a location today where tmobile is supposed to have good 4G coverage according to the map on their web site, i'm connecting at 3G with crapy data connection/unreliable indoors. The signal itself is ok 3 bars. See this article:

http://blog.t-mobile.com/2012/12/20...-by-enhancing-coverage-in-14-new-metro-areas/

I am in one of the listed cities right now.

-Mike

 

[adeedew]

So far i'm not impressed at all with tmobile service. I ported over from att with iphone5 last night to test service. Getting either slow as hell edge in some areas or 3G with slow or no internet access. Edge can't even keep up with Pandora streaming while driving, it skips quite a bit. My idea was to cut down costs but if the service is not there it won't work for me. I'm going to wait until next week and see what happens once the carrier update comes out, otherwise i'm going right back to att, screw this. I have no service issue with att, just trying to cut costs, paying too much for what I use.

-Mike

Why would you do that without testing the service first?! You have 14 days. Just buy a $10 SIM card from tmo, get a temp # and try it out, then decide. You may not be in the 1900 reframed area etc. Internet search is your friend

 

[mikefla]

Why would you do that without testing the service first?! You have 14 days. Just buy a $10 SIM card from tmo, get a temp # and try it out, then decide. You may not be in the 1900 reframed area etc. Internet search is your friend

That is what i'm doing, testing the service for 14 days. If it doesn't work out I return to AT&T and no damage done. I think eventually tmobile will have a great network but it might not be there just yet.

-Mike

 

[Terrin]

They should pay for it because he payed for the insurance... You're acting like he's just going to them and asking for a new phone.

Right, insurance is for accidents and not the intentional kind.

 

[adeedew]

That is what i'm doing, testing the service for 14 days. If it doesn't work out I return to AT&T and no damage done. I think eventually tmobile will have a great network but it might not be there just yet.

-Mike

was referring to "I ported over from att with iphone5 last night to test service."
i wouldn't port until you are happy to leave att. Pretty easy to just swap sims or use another phone to test out

 

[NayborAxi]

Not sure how its dishonest, I didn't lie about anything and they provided insurance coverage base on the truth (they have no problem taking my money). The accident part a week later was meant as a joke but regardless if your paying for a service your entitled to the coverage. It's not like I'm filing a fake claim and selling the old one. Also T-mobile doesn't pay for it I'm paying for it with a deductible and monthly payments. I've paid monthly insurance with all of my phones for the last 8 years and had only one claim. At an average of $10.00 (service ranges from $8 to $15 a month) I've paid over $1000 with deductible. The phone they replaced ended up being a cheap refurb maybe worth $200 at most. Trust me the insurance company doesn't loose.

Also you mentioned that I shouldn't be entitled to this benefit because I didn't buy the phone from tmobile. Apparently they encourage the "Bring your own phone" motto and have no problems providing insurance for your phone provided you add within 14 days of activation.

As for the "people like me" comment, your entitled to your opinion and I don't really care what you have to say about me.

I always tend to upgrade when a new iPhone comes out and end up spending more money than the normal person finishing their contract. I paid $550 as the early upgrade price and don't remember you being there to help me pay for it or causing the price of your phone to go up.

Well said. I hate people that judge others based on their high moral grounds.

 

[yehudah72]

I don't think you guys understand what is going on here. The T-Mobile version and the old iPhone 5 AT&T versions are the SAME hardware.

The only difference between the two models is that they have a different firmware builds. A firmware update can update the baseband which is what controls the radios and what frequencies can be offered.

When you hear about a new version breaking the unlocks that jailbreakers use, it is because Apple updated the baseband portion of the firmware. It is similar to an SMC firmware update on a mac. When Apple updates the baseband, it will often result in a longer upgrade process as the phone has to reboot several times. If a baseband update is not part of the update, jailbreakers can often get their unlock back.

It is possible that Apple will provide older iPhone 5 models with a baseband that can use AWS HSPA+ sometime in the future. Apple has already told the FCC that the hardware is the same. The only difference is the baseband firmware which can be updated and has been updated multiple times by previous updates to iOS.

When you officially unlock, Apple sends an update file that modifies the baseband slightly causing it to shift from a carrier locked baseband to a "factory unlocked" one. That unlock will remain in place even after future firmware updates.

You guys are under the mistaken impression that the cellular radio firmware is stored on a READ ONLY chip.

I ordered six T-Mo iPhone 5, but I'm also bringing over four Factory Unlocked AT&T iPhone 4S... Do you know:
1. Will this update also be available for iPhone 4S?

2. Will iPhone 4S also work on T-Mo's 4G???
** from my understanding, T-Mo refarmed their 4G from Band 4 to Band 2 in order for (all) iPhone users to take advantage of T-Mo's 3G/4G frequencies

 

[zhenlek]

Officially unlocked AT&T iPhone 5?

I'm just curious, when they say "officially unlocked AT&T iPhone 5", does it include the unlocked iPhone 5 that I've purchased in the Apple Online Store?

Coz I'm seriously considering tmo and using its full service...HD Voice yea...

 

[milan03]

I ordered six T-Mo iPhone 5, but I'm also bringing over four Factory Unlocked AT&T iPhone 4S... Do you know:
1. Will this update also be available for iPhone 4S?

2. Will iPhone 4S also work on T-Mo's 4G???
** from my understanding, T-Mo refarmed their 4G from Band 4 to Band 2 in order for (all) iPhone users to take advantage of T-Mo's 3G/4G frequencies

1. The Carrier Bundle will enable Visual Voicemail, APN, Tethering settings, etc on iPhone 4/4S. Clearly, no LTE since those phones didn't support it.

2. 4S will connect to T-Mobile Band 2 (PCS) HSPA+21 network where available. iPhone 4S is HSPA+14 capable only. It also won't have access to T-Mobile's HSPA+42 network in the AWS (Band 4).

 

[yehudah72]

Wow that's actually pretty cheap, when I was on AT&T it was a $200 deductible for the 16gig. I have the 32gig but if 64gig is $175 I'm sure mine is cheaper.

Thanks for the info!

AT&T's deductible is set by an agreement between AT&T and Asurion... and the $200 is for xxGB (no matter size of memory). Asurion is also they insurance provider for T-Mo, and likewise, deductible is based in agreement between them

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So far i'm not impressed at all with tmobile service. I ported over from att with iphone5 last night to test service. Getting either slow as hell edge in some areas or 3G with slow or no internet access. Edge can't even keep up with Pandora streaming while driving, it skips quite a bit. My idea was to cut down costs but if the service is not there it won't work for me. I'm going to wait until next week and see what happens once the carrier update comes out, otherwise i'm going right back to att, screw this. I have no service issue with att, just trying to cut costs, paying too much for what I use.

-Mike

When people are putting their local experience with network... CAN YOU PLEASE MENTION WHERE YOU ARE???

 

[yehudah72]

1. The Carrier Bundle will enable Visual Voicemail, APN, Tethering settings, etc on iPhone 4/4S. Clearly, no LTE since those phones didn't support it.

2. 4S will connect to T-Mobile Band 2 (PCS) HSPA+21 network where available. iPhone 4S is HSPA+14 capable only. It also won't have access to T-Mobile's HSPA+42 network in the AWS (Band 4).

Thanx for quick reply... That's what I thought.

I'm 99.999% of time between San Diego and Los Angeles, CA. Any idea if these areas have been refarmed???
(The other 0.001% of time, I'm @ Big Bear & Snow Summit, but only during snowboarding season)

 

[yehudah72]

Got my own answer!!!

List of cities with HSPA and HSPA+ refarmed to the 1900 MHz:
http://androidandme.com/2012/12/carriers/t-mobile-upgrades-14-new-metro-areas-to-4g-hspa-on-1900-mhz-band/

This list confirms San Diego to be refarmed 1900 MHz HSPA+:
http://androidandme.com/2012/12/carriers/t-mobile-now-offers-4g-speeds-for-att-and-unlocked-phones-in-23-metro-areas/


Which should mean that HSPA+ is also available for unlocked AT&T iPhones, not just HSPA.

HERE'S a small part of article:
"...T-Mobile has been moving pretty fast and today they announced that 23 metro areas, reaching over 100 million people, now have the enhanced network. This means that unlocked AT&T phones and some global phones can now experience 4G HSPA+ 42 Mbps speeds on T-Mobile’s network..."

CONTINUES TO PART WE CARE ABOUT:
"...Internal T-Mobile tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G HSPA+ on their 1900 MHz network recorded on average 70% faster download speeds than iPhone 4S devices on AT&T’s network."

 

[avanpelt]

So far i'm not impressed at all with tmobile service. I ported over from att with iphone5 last night to test service.

If you really did port your number over from AT&T to T-Mobile and you were still under a contract with AT&T, be prepared for AT&T to try to nail you with an ETF. Not sure how much begging it will take to get them to waive it if you come back within 14 days. They're probably not required to; but they might do it as a gesture of good will if you come back to them.

As soon as you walk into a new carrier and ask them to port your number over from your current carrier while you're still under contract, your current carrier has every right to nail you with an ETF. That process is set in motion as soon as your new carrier submits the request to port your number over.

Now, if your AT&T iPhone 5 is unlocked and you just got a T-Mobile SIM card with a different number assigned to it, that's a different story. But you said you "ported over" from AT&T so that makes me think you asked T-Mobile to port over your number from AT&T.

 

[andyx3x]

If you really did port your number over from AT&T to T-Mobile and you were still under a contract with AT&T, be prepared for AT&T to try to nail you with an ETF.

They won't do that. I've done that once or twice in the past 2-3 years trying an Android phone on Verizon and they are just glad to get you back. They never tried to charge me an ETF.

 

[C DM]

Possibly because the FCC is requiring Verizon to sell their phones gsm unlocked. And thus the ability to switch to t-mobile systems needs to be in there. But the phone will currently have a Verizon SIM card for 99.9% users and thus they won't get this t-mobile update. Therefore Verizon has to provide it to them in order to stay in compliance with this rule about the phones working on all official gsm carriers for the iPhone in the US

Not sure what that's about since Verizon phones haven't gotten the T-Mobile update and are not likely to get it--not to mention the comment wasn't really about that anyway.

 

[esechico]

First question is unlocked how?

I ask this because to my knowledge Sprint is not unlocking their iPhones even after contract and even buying full price they are not unlocked.

And if it was unlocked via using a jailbreak then according to t-mobile this update won't work

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And it may backfire. The carriers often use refurbs for their insurance replacements which means you'd get a phone produced preswitch.

And Apple may have two service parts for these phones based on the serial and under terms the customer agreed to they wouldn't have to flip you to the newer one because the coverage is for identical hardware to what was purchased.

Good point, but I can tell you that when my speaker broke on my iP5 a month ago, I took it to apple and they replaced it (through the warranty) and I was really worried about getting a refurb as the replacement and the apple rep assured me that they don't do refurb's for the iP5 yet and I was getting a new one. Could he have been lying to me? Sure but I don't think he was.

As for the insurance claim after the 12th T-mobile will officially support the iP5. If you make an insurance claim under tmobile after that date they should be giving you the tmobile version of the phone as its carrier specific. The processing center cant say "Oh well this imei was originally an AT&T version so thats what hes going to get" instead they will verify that you are a tmobile customer with handset protection, and make you pay the deductible and give you the tmobile iP5.
The only thing of doing this is that you will no longer have an unlocked phone, it will now be locked for tmobile. (Although thats also a good question since they did say it will be unlocked once you pay it off, so if your not making payments on it they might go ahead and unlock it for you since there is no contract or under any type of monthly installments plan.)

Your right, in the fact that they could if they wanted to give me an older version but since I'm hearing the older ones wont be available anymore after the 12th I doubt it. Also I don't see Assurion stoking up on the older version for tmobile replacements based on that fact. But I could be wrong, no one will know what they are going to do until they do it.

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Got my own answer!!!

List of cities with HSPA and HSPA+ refarmed to the 1900 MHz:
http://androidandme.com/2012/12/car...-new-metro-areas-to-4g-hspa-on-1900-mhz-band/

This list confirms San Diego to be refarmed 1900 MHz HSPA+:
http://androidandme.com/2012/12/car...or-att-and-unlocked-phones-in-23-metro-areas/


Which should mean that HSPA+ is also available for unlocked AT&T iPhones, not just HSPA.

HERE'S a small part of article:
"...T-Mobile has been moving pretty fast and today they announced that 23 metro areas, reaching over 100 million people, now have the enhanced network. This means that unlocked AT&T phones and some global phones can now experience 4G HSPA+ 42 Mbps speeds on T-Mobile’s network..."

CONTINUES TO PART WE CARE ABOUT:
"...Internal T-Mobile tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G HSPA+ on their 1900 MHz network recorded on average 70% faster download speeds than iPhone 4S devices on AT&T’s network."

Thanks, been looking for this info!

 

[jwdawso]

Well said. I hate people that judge others based on their high moral grounds.

LOL - the irony - you just judged based on your high moral grounds!

Regardless, if the details of the insurance define "accident" as "accident", then it is fraud to claim accident when it is on purpose. This is just the legal system.