You Can Now Test T-Mobile's Network Using an App and eSIM

T-Mobile has made it easier than ever for iPhone owners contemplating a carrier switch to test out its network, adding eSIM support to its existing Test Drive Program.


As noted by Light Reading (via The Verge), those who have an ‌iPhone‌ that supports eSIM can download the T-Mobile Network Test Drive app to try out the T-Mobile network, a feature that T-Mobile rolled out last week.

T-Mobile says that the T-Mobile Network Test Drive gives customers up to 30 days or 30GB of high-speed data along with unlimited talk and text for free, while maintaining their current phone number and carrier.

To facilitate this, T-Mobile provides a temporary number that can be used for calls and texts if so desired, though by default, a customer's primary number with an existing network provider will be used for calls and texts.

The Network Test Drive app works with the ‌iPhone‌ XS and newer, as eSIM capabilities are required to use it. The ‌iPhone‌ used for the test must be unlocked, it must be on iOS 14.5 or higher, and an eSIM cannot be in use for a customer's existing provider.

Those who want to sign up can download the T-Mobile Network Test Drive app from the App Store, following the installation and activation instructions from there.

T-Mobile has long offered a Test Drive service to allow customers to try its data network before committing, but prior to the introduction of the eSIM (and for those without eSIM functionality), T-Mobile mailed out hotspot devices.

Popular Stories

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 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...
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...
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...
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 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. ...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Epic Games Wins Major Victory as Apple is Ordered to Comply With App Store Anti-Steering Injunction [Updated]

Wednesday April 30, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
In a victory for Epic Games, Apple was today found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that required it to allow developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been handling the Apple vs. Epic Games dispute for the last five years, said that Apple is in "willful violation" of the injunction she issued to ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 18 to Use High Performance Six-Channel Memory, Claims Leaker

Tuesday April 29, 2025 7:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 lineup will introduce a major leap in memory performance, according to new information shared today by Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. Apple is reportedly planning to equip the 2026 models with a high-capacity six-channel LPDDR5X memory configuration, significantly upping the memory bandwidth for future AI features and multitasking. Expanding the memory bandwidth...

Top Rated Comments

sirozha Avatar
50 months ago

Clearly you didn't bother to read the post. This uses eSIM, so there is no need to get a SIM card. You can literally download the app and do it all from home.
I think you should brush up on your humor skills.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
davidjschloss Avatar
50 months ago

Clearly you didn't bother to read the post. This uses eSIM, so there is no need to get a SIM card. You can literally download the app and do it all from home.
Clearly you didn't bother to read the post you're replying to. That's precisely what his joke was—because of the trial and eSim you don't have to go get a burner phone with a burner sim.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
50 months ago
i'm already a t-mobile customer, i wonder if i can get better service this way...
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nikhsub1 Avatar
50 months ago

I have AT&T but have poor reception inside my home.
There is this new invention called wifi calling, you should check it out.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KaliYoni Avatar
50 months ago
This is great! Now I don't have to go to a 24-hour convenience store in a distant suburb to get a burner phone. Talk about convenience and COVID safety!!!
:p
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
davidjschloss Avatar
50 months ago

There is this new invention called wifi calling, you should check it out.
Everyone is so judgmental. It's not unreasonable for a person to want their cell phone to function as a cell phone in their home. Yes, you can do wifi calling, but not everyone has good internet service or a good wifi router. I use WiFi calling here in my house on Verizon and the call quality is noticeably worse than a cell connection.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)