T-Mobile to Stop Offering 200MB of Free Data for New iPad Owners

When T-Mobile first began offering cellular iPads in the fall of 2013, the company included a plan that provided customers with 200MB of free LTE data each month for the life of the tablet, a promotion that is now coming to an end.

As noted by TmoNews, T-Mobile has updated its Free Data for Life support page to note that the program is no longer available for new activations as of May 7, 2017. Customers who signed up for Free Data for Life on or before May 6, 2017, are able to keep the 200MB data plan with their current iPads so long as they continue to be T-Mobile subscribers.

tmobile logo
T-Mobile's free data plan has always been tied to a specific device rather than an account, so when upgrading to a new iPad, customers who use Free Data for Life will not be able to keep the data plan. Going forward, no new tablets that are released will be eligible for the program.

Important: As of May 7, 2017, Free Data for Life is no longer available for new activations. If you signed up for FDFL on or before May 6, 2017, you can keep it with your current tablet as long as you own and use your tablet with T-Mobile.

Free Data for Life was originally introduced as one of T-Mobile's Un-carrier initiatives, and T-Mobile was the only company to offer a free data plan for iPads.

T-Mobile currently offers just one data plan, T-Mobile One, with unlimited data. T-Mobile One customers can add a tablet to their plans for $20 per month.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

zorinlynx Avatar
104 months ago
200mb was nothing anyway.. Just a way for Legere to brag.
It came in handy sometimes, though.

At one point there was a huge storm that knocked out power and Internet, along with AT&T cellular service.

On a hunch I grabbed my iPad which has that 200MB SIM in it and turned on cellular, and it worked. Was able to tell folks we were okay.

As an emergency communication method, those 200MB free data SIMs are good to have around. They also work in iPhones, though from the sound of it you won't be able to move them between devices anymore. :(
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anthonysjennings Avatar
104 months ago
200mb was nothing anyway.. Just a way for Legere to brag.
Speak for yourself. With T-Mobile's free (200mb of) data every month, coupled with a free data SIM from FreedomPop both installed in a 9.7" iPad Pro (with embedded SIM) gave me just enough free data every month that actually buying iPad data began to seem weird.

And as for the article suggesting there is only one data plan available for cellular iPads, readers please know there are still many monthly and day/weekly passes available from T-Mobile in the iPad, including the high value 5gb/150 days daily plan for $10. Literally who else sells 5 gigs of mobile data and let you use it over the course of five months (or until it runs out, whichever comes first)?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zaft Avatar
104 months ago
200mb was nothing anyway.. Just a way for Legere to brag.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
barkomatic Avatar
104 months ago
200mb was nothing anyway.. Just a way for Legere to brag.
It wasn't a lot, but just enough to locate an iPad using your iPhone.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jrholt Avatar
104 months ago

When T-Mobile first began offering cellular iPads in the fall of 2013, the company included a plan ('https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/22/t-mobile-launches-cellular-ipads-with-free-200-mb-data/') that provided customers with 200MB of free LTE data each month for the life of the tablet, a promotion that is now coming to an end.
It's not like you had to buy the iPad through T-Mobile or otherwise be a T-Mobile customer either. I have an iPad Air 2 with cellular capability that I initially had on a $10/mo Verizon plan. Once I realized I barely used it outside of Wi-Fi, I switched to the Free T-Mobile 200MB data plan and never looked back. It's been awesome. Glad to see I'm being grandfathered in.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmckenica Avatar
104 months ago
This actually helped me locate my stolen iPad 2 a few years back. Someone tried to sell it at a local pawn shop and when they turned it on I got a ping from Find My iPhone and was able to get it back with help from local authorities.
Sad to see this go. Even though it's a small plan, it's very useful.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)