If we and everyone else on the internet and your neighbourhood haven't told you already, Apple is going to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo today. While they might not end up being as ridiculously expensive as the rumors suggested, they will still bite your wallet. T-Mobile has your back, though.
Frictionless upgrades
T-Mobile admits bots can't measure up to human employees. | Image by Srini Gopalan
T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan might not be everyone's favorite, but you can't say he isn't trying. One commendable move is engaging with consumers on social media.
While T-Mobile may not offer a free iPhone 18 Pro this year, and may leave its current users wanting more, it's eager to poach customers from rival carriers.
Gopalan took to X to tout how the carrier has made switching frictionless and that it costs nothing upfront to get a new device from T-Mobile.
One reader wasn't impressed, and Gopalan didn't even argue the point.
How will you get a new iPhone this year?
7 Votes
Admitting shortcomings
X user Se_V11 called out T-Mobile for droppingreal, human-backed round-the-clock support. Gopalan pointed out that the T-Life app offers 24/7 assistance, but admitted a chatbot isn't the same as having a human employee on hand and promised to pass the feedback along.
It's not every day a CEO (a) gets back to you and (b) agrees you have a point. Se_V11 was predictably happy to get a response and doubled down, explaining that they have been with T-Mobile for years and run a late-night business serving airline clients. Getting after-hours help from T-Mobile has become increasingly difficult, making it tough to resolve problems.
They pointed out that they pay a high bill each month for multiple lines, making the unavailability of a live agent unacceptable.
Will T-Mobile fix this?
The company has been doing some soul-searching lately, wondering if it has gone too far with its digital push. This exchange suggests Gopalan's reply might mean more than just a boilerplate brush-off; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered responding at all.
Outrageous prices mean that T-Mobile may not shoulder the full cost of a new iPhone today, though it may make an exception for a lucky few. It will likely still offer generous discounts, but the new financing terms mean that you will be stuck with the carrier for three years instead of two.
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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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