Skip to main content

Last Call: The End of iPhone Cellular Voice Call Support

Lots of tech things have come to an end, but some things still live on even though they feel like they should have come to an end.

Our classic analog broadcast TV system here in the US ended about 10 years ago after a 70 year run, although many US cable TV companies embarrassingly still use it to transfer video to millions of customers despite its poor quality and inefficiency.  After all, US cable TV companies don't want to replace their profitable-but-obsolete systems.

FAX machines seem dead, but due to the poor security of software services, coupled with a lack of legal privacy protections, FAX machines are still a staple within the medical and legal businesses.

But mobile phone tech?  Yeah, that's dying on a schedule, as cell phone tech in the US is centrally controlled by the telecom oligarchy of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.  So given industry clout, some old and not-so-old iPhones are going to be unusable on US phone networks.

The Retiring iPhones

Apple made a bunch of cellular-capable models that aren't all necessarily clear.  Here is the list of devices at short-term risk:

iPhone (Original) 2007 - 2008.  Last call: 31-December-2020 on T-Mobile.

The original iPhone uses what is known as 2G technology, and came to market just as 3G technology was emerging.  The original iPhone is a GSM-only phone, so in the US it is only compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile.

2G phones will work on T-Mobile until the end of 2020.  AT&T stopped supporting them in early 2017. 

Middle Aged iPhones: 2008 - 2016.  Last call: 31-December-2022 on Sprint.

iPhone 3G (AT&T, Feb 2022)
iPhone 3GS (AT&T, Feb 2022)
iPhone 4 (GSM) (AT&T, Feb 2022)
iPhone 4 (CDMA) (Sprint, 31-Dec-2022)
iPhone 4S (Sprint, 31-Dec-2022)
iPhone 5 (Sprint, 31-Dec-2022)
iPhone 5C (Sprint, 31-Dec-2022)
iPhone 5S (Sprint, 31-Dec-2022)

Yep, lots of phones in there all in one big block.  All of these phones support 3G voice phone call technology, and 3G tech is very close to sunset.

Verizon ended their 3G service on 31-Dec-2019.  T-Mobile ends 3G on 31-Dec-2020.  AT&T ends in Feb-2022, and finally, T-Mobile subsidiary Sprint ends on 31-Dec-2022.

What about the LTE of iPhone 5/5C/5S?  They're LTE!

These three iPhones do support LTE, which is 4G tech, but these phones were released well before there was a standard for using 4G for making voice phone calls.  So these phones can use 4G for data, but revert to 3G for making voice phone calls.

Therefore, these phones are effectively 3G in the voice phone call sense.

No End In Sight: Modern iPhones (2014 to now)

Anything from the iPhone 6 and beyond supports voice calling over 4G/LTE technology, so these will be able to be used for years more.  That includes the iPhone SE, 6, 6S, 7, 8, X, XS, and 11 series.  Since all these devices support 4G VoLTE, we can see them all making their last call on the same day.

Considering that 5G has very little deployment, we can expect 4G to remain around for at least another 10 years, unless, of course, something unexpectedly crazy happens first.


Popular posts from this blog

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, part 1: Disassembly Guide

I've had my SodaStream Jet for years, and once in a while something has gone wrong. Disassembly is the first step to repair.  Start with this article to see how to disassemble the SodaStream, and then once you have that down, scroll through my other articles to see how I repaired specfic SodaStream problems. SodaStream Jet Disassembly Guide Tools Required Flat head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver 1. Remove the Carbonator.  Duh. 2. Remove the black panel lever The front big black tilt lever needs to be removed first. Removing this panel is tricky, but it isn't impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the black panel, there are two tabs, one on the left and one on the right. These tabs fully secure the panel in place. The trick is to use a flat-head screwdriver under the plastic to gently lever the tabs out of the way.  Note in the pictures how I approach these tabs with my screwdriver.  I usually release the left side first, and then I release ...
Read more

Porsche Key Remote Battery Repair Video How-To

We now live in the age where part of your life is spending time and money maintaining and repairing things like your car keys . My Porsche's remote key was getting weaker and weaker, until one day it stopped operating altogether. Keyless remote without the remoteness. Not so good. I was a bit fearful spending a sizable chunk of my time and money at the dealership to have such a small problem addressed, and so I decided that I would try to replace the battery myself. Items required A clear work surface A small flat blade screw driver. A quality lithium CR-2032 Battery, available here. Procedure The following video shows how I successfully opened up the key without breaking it, and replaced the alarm remote battery. In short, from the vantage point of the key's steel part facing away and the buttons facing up: I take a small screwdriver and press on the little plastic tab on the left side.  At the same time I use my fingers to start to pull the two halves apart.  From th...
Read more

Macintosh: Upgrading an eMac

It's been a long time since I wrote this article, but the fact remains: The good old eMac can still be useful if you take the simple steps to keep it as good as it can be.  All can run Tiger, and most can run Leopard - great operating systems for their day with a bit of useful life.  This article describes the procedure I used to upgrade my old eMac, including: Replacing the internal hard disk with a large capacity drive. Increasing the memory for performance Upgrading the operating system Here I'm upgrading a 700 MHz eMac, but the procedure and tasks for upgrading other eMac models should be almost identical. Upgrading versus Replacing My sister's eMac is of the 700 mhz variety, with 256 MB of memory. The machine seemed to be getting "slower", and the original 40 GB disk was becoming jammed packed with photos and iTunes, and within a few months she'd be out of disk space. There were two options to address the problems: upgrade the eMac, or go o...
Read more

Robust Installation of an HDHomeRun Networked TV Tuner. 64 OTA channels!

I added an HDHomerun (HDHR) over-the-air (OTA) streaming box to my home network, bringing over-the-air broadcast TV to my computers, phones and tablets.  The HDHR is a big upgrade from my previous setup: using a simple "window mount" antenna directly connected to my TV. A TV-attached antenna is good for watching some TV for free, but the HDHR offers so much more flexibility. Figure 0: HDHomeRun on my basement wall   My original OTA TV setup was haphazard at best. It was finicky, ugly, and hard for other people at home to use. I would actually tape my antenna to a window whenever I wanted to watch OTA TV. Plus, it only worked on my TV and not with my other devices. I wanted a cleaner and more modern OTA setup. After looking at possibilities, I developed two goals: (1) bring my OTA TV into the modern Internet-connected era, and (2) set it up in a reliable and pretty way so that other family members wouldn't have to fool around with the antenna or anything else.  With that,...
Read more

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, Repair #2 - Broken Fill Button

My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully). First, a look at the button The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."] Cracked levering point of the button The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin The Fix It was pretty easy for me to replace the button: Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes qu...
Read more

Adding a Water Flood Sensor to my Vista-20p alarm system

My Honeywell Vista 20p alarm system is fairly comprehensive, but I want one more feature: an alarm that lets me know when my sump pump isn't working properly. Here is how I added one for about $8 in special parts.   I'm afraid of a flood in my finished basement. I'm fortunate - my basement sump pump system is already redundant, with two independent pumps and two outflow pipes. The primary pump kicks in when the water level reaches 6 inches, and if that doesn't work, then the backup pump kicks in when the water level reaches 7 inches.  The backup pump should never kick in unless the primary pump is having a problem pumping.   But there is a problem with this setup: I might never know if my primary pump has failed, leaving me with no redundancy.  I want to be informed when I have one (or god forbid, two) pump failures. My goal is to have my Vista 20p alert me when the sump's water level is ever beyond the point where my primary pump should have kicked in, alertin...
Read more

Other Posts

Show more