T-Mobile’s slate of “Un-carrier Amped” initiatives have introduced new family plans, roaming benefits, and a new device payment program, but the latest and last shifts focus to a single ecosystem: Apple’s. In a “two-parter” blog post today, T-Mobile chief John Legere announced that Apple Music is joining Music Freedom and that the carrier will extend a gratis, next-gen iPhone swap to purchasers of iPhone 6.
T-Mobile’s Music Freedom, you may recall, is a per-service agreement that exempts streaming music traffic from your monthly data allotment. Apple Music will supersede iTunes Radio, which Music Freedom previously supported. The addition satisfies a popular appeal, apparently — Legere says Apple Music was “the single most-requested new addition” to Music Freedom — and while it might not make Music Freedom any more amenable to net neutrality supporters who argue Music Freedom discriminates against smaller, less popular subscription services, it likely won’t make the benefit any less popular. Leger says T-Mobile customers now stream 131 million songs every day, up 275 percent from a year ago.
T-Mobile’s also offering a free hardware swap to iPhone buyers. Customers who buy/have bought an iPhone 6 on T-Mobile’s Jump On Demand program before Labor Day can swap it for the newest, as-yet unreleased iPhone if they upgrade “before the end of this year.” And folks on Jump get another goodie: “priority access” to the new iPhone upon its release, which entails expedited order processing and faster shipping. You won’t own the phone — Jump On Demand is essentially a phone leasing program — but if you’re an iPhone enthusiast, it’s definitely cheaper than coughing up off-contract cash.
Both new benefits begin today. If you’re on T-Mobile and were entertaining the notion of picking up an iPhone 6 or streaming your Apple Music heart out, now might be the time.
