AT&T tells customers to change their phones or they won't work anymore
Amid an economy-crushing pandemic, AT&T has decided that now is the best time to send a scaremongering email to some customers, telling them that their device "is not compatible with the new network and you need to replace it to continue receiving service." The email conveniently doesn't even explicitly mention that this will only affect customers as late as February 2022, only linking to that information.
The email's formatting suggests that the easiest path forward is just getting a new phone via the carrier straight away: It advertises that AT&T makes "getting a new device online easy," detailing various free and fast shipping options. Someone who just skims over the mail without clicking the red "Learn More" button might conclude they need a new phone right now.
The notice is poorly worded enough to make an AT&T subscriber wonder if it's a scam in AT&T's forum, since they own a relatively recent Galaxy S10e. Other customers even agreed that it's likely not a genuine email until someone could shine some light into the issue, pointing to the support page that AT&T linked to in the email. It details that in February 2022, the carrier will turn off its 3G network, which will make some phones lose voice calls.
You might think that this isn't a widespread issue since most modern phones support 4G data and calling (or HDVoice, as AT&T calls it). However, AT&T only whitelists a small number of handsets it directly sells to customers for 4G voice calling, and it looks like identical non-carrier phones don't necessarily work with the carrier's HDVoice service, like the aforementioned Galaxy S10e. Depending on how many handsets are incompatible, this email might have gone out to a significant amount of subscribers.
AT&T needs to clarify this — many people already have enough problems in these times of economic uncertainty, and a new phone might not be among the things they want to worry about right now. AT&T could easily whitelist modern non-carrier devices like the S10e and the Nokia 6.1 (and why not even older ones like the OnePlus 5) so they could continue working on the network in 2022. The company should follow up with an email explicitly making clear that genuinely unsupported devices will only stop working in a year and a half, not tomorrow. Let's hope no one ends up feeling pressured into getting a new phone right now involuntarily.
So there you have it: If you've received this email, you have more than a year and a half to upgrade your current phone. And in a best-case scenario, AT&T might even consider whitelisting more devices, which could allow you to keep your handset even longer without switching to another carrier.
UPDATE: 2020/07/22 1:19PM PDT BY RYNE HAGER
AT&T statement
AT&T has provided us with the following statement:
“This email was one of many planned to keep customers informed about the shutdown of our 3G network in early 2022. It should have included the date that certain devices would no longer be supported. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and will be more clear in future updates.”
When asked to clarify why the message was sent to some subscribers with phones that appear to support HD Voice, the carrier only reiterated that users who "have a device that does not support HD Voice on our network or that requires 3G" should have received the notice." If you're still confused about your handset's fate, AT&T advises subscribers to contact customer care.
Amid an economy-crushing pandemic, AT&T has decided that now is the best time to send a scaremongering email to some customers, telling them that their device "is not compatible with the new network and you need to replace it to continue receiving service." The email conveniently doesn't even explicitly mention that this will only affect customers as late as February 2022, only linking to that information.
The email's formatting suggests that the easiest path forward is just getting a new phone via the carrier straight away: It advertises that AT&T makes "getting a new device online easy," detailing various free and fast shipping options. Someone who just skims over the mail without clicking the red "Learn More" button might conclude they need a new phone right now.
The notice is poorly worded enough to make an AT&T subscriber wonder if it's a scam in AT&T's forum, since they own a relatively recent Galaxy S10e. Other customers even agreed that it's likely not a genuine email until someone could shine some light into the issue, pointing to the support page that AT&T linked to in the email. It details that in February 2022, the carrier will turn off its 3G network, which will make some phones lose voice calls.
You might think that this isn't a widespread issue since most modern phones support 4G data and calling (or HDVoice, as AT&T calls it). However, AT&T only whitelists a small number of handsets it directly sells to customers for 4G voice calling, and it looks like identical non-carrier phones don't necessarily work with the carrier's HDVoice service, like the aforementioned Galaxy S10e. Depending on how many handsets are incompatible, this email might have gone out to a significant amount of subscribers.
AT&T needs to clarify this — many people already have enough problems in these times of economic uncertainty, and a new phone might not be among the things they want to worry about right now. AT&T could easily whitelist modern non-carrier devices like the S10e and the Nokia 6.1 (and why not even older ones like the OnePlus 5) so they could continue working on the network in 2022. The company should follow up with an email explicitly making clear that genuinely unsupported devices will only stop working in a year and a half, not tomorrow. Let's hope no one ends up feeling pressured into getting a new phone right now involuntarily.
So there you have it: If you've received this email, you have more than a year and a half to upgrade your current phone. And in a best-case scenario, AT&T might even consider whitelisting more devices, which could allow you to keep your handset even longer without switching to another carrier.
UPDATE: 2020/07/22 1:19PM PDT BY RYNE HAGER
AT&T statement
AT&T has provided us with the following statement:
“This email was one of many planned to keep customers informed about the shutdown of our 3G network in early 2022. It should have included the date that certain devices would no longer be supported. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and will be more clear in future updates.”
When asked to clarify why the message was sent to some subscribers with phones that appear to support HD Voice, the carrier only reiterated that users who "have a device that does not support HD Voice on our network or that requires 3G" should have received the notice." If you're still confused about your handset's fate, AT&T advises subscribers to contact customer care.
