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

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

by

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.

Tag: T-Mobile

Popular Stories

original iphone 2007

Original iPhone Loses Its Last Cellular Network as T-Mobile Kills 2G

Thursday August 6, 2026 4:19 pm PDT by
T-Mobile retired its 2G GSM network on Monday, August 3, which means all three major carriers in the United States have now ended 2G service. T-Mobile kept its 2G network active because it still had some legacy customers who were using it. Some customers visiting the United States and using international roaming carrier agreements for connectivity also needed 2G for voice calling, but...
Read Full Article • 84 comments
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Sunday August 16, 2026 8:24 pm PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. As usual, the event is expected to take place in the first half of September. Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the...
Read Full Article
iPhone 17 One Year Later Thumb 1

Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?

Friday August 14, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by
For the first time since Apple started selling standard and "Pro" iPhones, we're not going to get an entry-level iPhone model this fall. Apple doesn't plan to release an iPhone 18 in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra. The lower-cost iPhone 18 won't come out until spring 2027. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Read Full Article • 119 comments

Top Rated Comments

zorinlynx Avatar
zorinlynx
121 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
anthonysjennings
121 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
Zaft
121 months ago
200mb was nothing anyway.. Just a way for Legere to brag.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B
barkomatic
121 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)
Plutonius Avatar
Plutonius
121 months ago
I mean, how many people that aren't already on T-Mobile chose the 200mb plan, right?
I did and I'm sure there are plenty of others.
[doublepost=1494274401][/doublepost]
Guess it is time to find a plan B then.
Why ? Reading the article, it sounds like if you were getting the free data before May 7th, you will continue to get it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradbomb Avatar
bradbomb
121 months ago
As the other poster said it doesn't even matter. If you have an iPad with LTE you have some kind of a plan. didn't consider foreigners but this was offered by TM USA to anybody with an iPad bought out outside of the USA?
Like others have said, speak for yourself. The only plan I have on my current two iPads (iPad 4 & iPad Pro 12.9") is the free 200mb plan. I bought my iPads with LTE on the "just in case" idea that if there was a situation that I needed it, it was there. I have not bought a regular plan on any of my iPads. I wouldn't utilize the LTE enough to justify the regular monthly cost.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments