T-Mobile led the way in bundle mobile and entertainment services together, but now competitors like Verizon are doing the same thing to incentivize their subscribers to stay. With that in mind, T-Mobile is trying to sweeten the pot a bit more with the addition of free Apple TV Plus. The new benefit will be available from August 31 for customers of the company’s Magenta Max plan.
Fortunately for T-Mobile customers, getting service from Apple doesn’t mean giving up Netflix. The carrier will continue to offer its long-term “Netflix on Us” contract, which similarly provides free streaming access as long as you’re a T-Mobile customer. Just keep in mind that the benefit of Netflix is limited to basic level of standard definition for most plans, unless you have a multi-line Magenta Max plan. Whereas with Apple TV Plus, you’ll get full 4K streaming even on a single-line Max plan.
T-Mobile had previously been offered one free year of Apple TV Plus on many eligible T-Mobile and Sprint plans. But since access will continue for Max customers, that promotion will be cut in half to six months for other plans like the standard Magenta tier. In addition to Apple TV Plus and Netflix, T-Mobile is also offering a free year of Paramount Plus, plus monthly discounts on YouTube TV and Philo TV, both of which are $10 off for a year.
While it won’t give you Netflix or Apple TV Plus, Verizon’s big counter to T-Mobile is the Disney bundle inclusion — including Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus — on its unlimited 5G Get More and 5G Play More plans. Verizon also offers Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass, and other incentives depending on the plan.
Both T-Mobile and Verizon now provide widespread 5G coverage and fast performance, according to PCMag’s latest tests. AT&T is lagging a bit in urban areas, but that could level off in the next couple of years. With mobile data speeds becoming so similar between them all, these streaming and entertainment bonuses can drive customers to one provider or another. However, AT&T does not seem interested in following the same strategy. Following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, the operator stopped including complimentary HBO Max with your plans.
Last week, T-Mobile and SpaceX revealed their plan to bring satellite connectivity to mobile phones in 2023. The goal of “Coverage Above and Beyond” is to eliminate signal dead zones and provide enough data throughput to send texts and messages in regions where it is currently not possible. T-Mobile has said that “the vast majority of smartphones already on the T-Mobile network will be compatible with the new service.”
