Can you switch from Metro to T-Mobile?
By
HuutiMoney
This blog post will provide you with detailed information about Metro PCS phones on T-Mobile. It covers topics like the eligibility criteria to unlock MetroPCS phones, The procedure of unlocking Metro phones, and the advantages of the T-mobile carrier.
Can you switch from Metro to T-Mobile?
Yes, you can switch from Metro to T-Mobile. Both Metro PCS and T-mobile use the same network and operate at the same frequency. So ideally, you can use Metro PCS phones on T-Mobile without affecting the speed and quality of service.
Is Metro the same as T-mobile?
T-Mobile and Metro are not the same. Both are owned by the same telecom industry and both use the same network. T-Mobile is a postpaid service provider and uses its towers. Metro is a prepaid mobile service provider.
Even the plans, customer care service, phones, promotion, and benefits remain separate for both the companies. Both the companies will send their devices separately as well. But the brand of the metro is owned by T- mobile and it uses T-Mobile’s towers.
A brief history of the T-mobile
T-Mobile is the 3rd-largest wireless network provider in the USA. T-Mobile is a German telecommunication industry and it has some investments in other mobile communication industries in the United States.
T-Mobile USA has a network sharing agreement with Cingular Wireless, an American mobile operator. Due to this, T- mobile has access to some top markets in the USA.
Key features of T-mobile
- Monthly installment plans are offered for T Mobile phones.
- More priority is always given to the T-Mobile subscribers on the network over other subscribers. This is a prime important factor in case of network congestion.
- T mobile offers some better additional options, for example, international talk and data add-ons.
- T mobile network provider has an excellent customer service record.
- Some extra perks are offered only for T-Mobile subscribers.
A brief history of Metro pcs
is simply known as Metro. It is a prepaid mobile service provider. But the brand of the metro is owned by T- mobile.
Earlier it was the 5th largest mobile network in the USA and it was using code-division multiple access (CDMA). In 2015, all customers using the MetroPCS CDMA network were migrated to their LTE network.
At that time T-Mobile had about 32 million subscribers and MetroPCS had around 9 million subscribers. In 2018, T-Mobile relaunched the new brand as Metro by T-Mobile.
When the name was changed T- mobile subscribers had increased to 75 million and Metro’s mobile subscribers to 18 million. Nowadays Metro PCS is simply known as Metro by T-Mobile.
Metro ( formerly MetroPCS) offers almost the same features as that of T- mobile, at lower prices. It makes use of T-Mobile’s network. It is a prepaid service provider. Subscribers can avail a range of plans to match the budgets and the specific needs.
Key features of Metro pcs
- Many plans offered by the metro PCS are cheaper than corresponding T-Mobile plans.
- Availability of a large variety of plans at affordable prices.
- Some data-saving features prevent you from overages.
- Offers a variety of budget phones.
Does MetroPCS use sim cards?
Yes, Metropcs phones use a sim card. The sim card in a phone contains the information which is used to authenticate the subscribers to connect to the network. It is portable and can be used on any compatible device.
Is T-mobile GSM or CDMA?
T-mobiles is a GSM network carrier and not a CDMA network carrier. GSM stands for global system for mobile, and it is second-generation cellular technology. T-mobile uses GSM network carrier for mobile voice and data services.
Is MetroPCS GSM or CDMA?
Metro PCS is owned by T-Mobile. It makes use of T-mobile’s network. Since T-Mobile is a GSM network carrier, Metro is also a GSM network carrier. This is a very important factor because of which one can easily switch from T-Mobile to Metro.
Steps to bring the MetroPCS phones to T-Mobile
Use the following steps to bring your phone from MetroPCS to T-Mobile.
- Unlock your phone.
- Check the compatibility of your phone using the IMEI number.
- Purchase a new T-Mobile SIM card.
- Select a T-Mobile phone plan.
- Insert the SIM card into your phone.
What are the eligibility criteria to unlock MetroPCS phones?
You can unlock MetroPCS Phone devices, provided that the following criteria are satisfied.
● You must have purchased the cell phone from Metro by T-mobile
● The cell phone should not be reported as blocked or lost.
● An account concerned with the device must be active for at least 90 days before unlocking.
● Depending upon prepaid or postpaid plans, the device should satisfy all necessary unlock requirements.
Things to keep handy before unlocking the device
Before using the unlock steps, you should know the IMEI number of your phone and the PIN unlock key (PUK).
What is International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)?
IMEI is a special identifier associated with Global Mobile Communications System (GSM) phones IMEI is used to identify a device on a cellular network. GSM phones are assigned with 15–17-digit identifiers. It is your device’s social security number. It identifies the device uniquely and the network it is being used on.
What is PUK?
PUK stands for personal unlocking key. suppose you are using the native security feature of the cell phone and accidentally you have locked your SIM card. In such cases make use of PUK to unlock the SIM card.
You need to call all the customer care support to get a PUK code. Once you retrieve it, enter the code to unlock the SIM card.
You will have to enter this code correctly because if you enter it incorrectly many times, then the SIM may be permanently locked.
How can you unlock Metro phones?
There is a unique code word to unlock a Metro mobile phone. Using this codeword, it can unlock the mobile device. Once the phone is unlocked, we can insert a SIM card from other wireless carriers like T-mobile.
The unlocking process depends on whether your device has an unlock app or not.
How to unlock the phone using the unlock app.?
If your Metro device has an inbuilt unlock app. then by using the following steps you can unlock the device
- Open the app list and select device unlock app.
- Then click on “Continue”.
- Select the permanent unlock option.
- Restart the device.
How to unlock the non-app phones?
If your Metro device does not have an inbuilt unlock app, then you need to follow an alternate procedure.
- Gather the details of your account which should include a PIN.
- Make use of an email id that is registered with a network provider.
- Contact customer care support and request unlock code.
- After receiving an unlock code, enter this code to unlock the device.
How to check whether the cell phone is already unlocked?
Some network carriers provide cell phones which are already unlocked. To check whether your cell phone is already unlocked or not there are some simple methods.
- Call your current network carrier and ask for the information, whether your cell phone is locked or unlocked.
- If you have a GSM cell phone then the simplest technique is; to remove the original sim card, insert another SIM card and check whether you can make calls or send a text. if you are in a position to make a call or send a text then your phone is unlocked.
How to use Mobile Unlock Service?
- Outside of carrier service to unlock your phone, there are different paid services to unlock it for you.
- If you do not meet the carrier’s eligibility criteria, you can go for these paid unlock services. Though these services are legal gray areas.
- These services are hassle-free, you just need to provide them with your IMEI number(International mobile equipment identifier).
How to check the compatibility of your phone?
Even if you have an unlocked phone, you need to check the compatibility of your device on the T-Mobile network. Use the IMEI number to check whether your device is compatible with T-Mobile or not.
Can you continue the current phone number and select the T-Mobile phone plan?
Yes, you can keep your old phone number when you transfer to T-Mobile. The next step will be to select a suitable phone plan.
T-Mobile phone plans
Under this category, we will consider the following significant plans
- Unlimited plans
- Family plans
- Prepaid plans
Unlimited plans
It is a plan which gives unlimited text and voice for the entire month. It also includes unlimited data. But after reaching a specific data limit, the data speed is affected, and it is reduced.
Technically, these plans are unlimited, but the fact is that speed gets reduced as you go on using premium data.
What’s an unlimited plan?
It is a plan which gives unlimited text and voice for the entire month. It also includes unlimited data. But after reaching a specific data limit, the data speed is affected, and it is reduced. Comparing unlimited plans of both the network providers, T- mobile has an edge, some unlimited plans from T mobile are cheap, and you get more premium data.
What do you mean by premium data?
It is internet data that runs over 4G LTE and 5G networks. It provides data speed from 30 to 100 Mbps.
T-Mobile provides three unlimited data plans:
- Essential unlimited plan
- magenta unlimited plan
- magenta plus unlimited plan.
| Plan | Price per line | Unlimited text and talk | Premium data | Mobile hotspot data | Unlimited Video streaming | |
| Essential | $60 | Applicable | 50GB | Unlimited at 3GB speed | Sd streaming | |
| Magenta | $70 | Applicable | 100GB | 5GB high-speed data | Sd streaming | |
| Magenta plus | $85 | Applicable | Unlimited | 40GB high-speed data | Up to 4k UHD streaming |
Family plans.
T-Mobile network providers give reasonable offers for family plans. If you add lines, then the cost per line will get reduced. For the magenta max family plan, if you add one line, the cost per line will be reduced by $15. If you add more lines, you can bring the cost down to $40 per line. It’s a perfect offer for totally unlimited and high-speed data. Speed up to 30 Mbps or even more can be obtained.
Prepaid plans
T-Mobile offers its prepaid plans. The range of prepaid plans is from $45 to $75 per month. You can avail 4GB of LTE data for $45 and 10GB of data for $50. At the higher end, T-mobile offers unlimited data plans for $75.
How to activate SIM with T-Mobile?
To activate your SIM card, use the following steps.
- Log in to your T-Mobile account.
- Provide the security verification details.
- Select the option either SIM or eSIM.
- Enter the EID number of your phone. It is the serial number of your device.
Advantages of using T-mobile SIM cards in Metro phones
some of the advantages of using T- mobile SIM cards in Metro PCS phones are as follows
- It is a cost-effective solution.
- No additional monthly charges or activation charges.
- The current monthly plan will be unaffected.
- You can continue using your existing phone number.
- You can easily swap between the two network carriers
- you can avail advantage of better perks and offers from T-Mobile.
Disadvantages of using T-mobile SIM cards in Metro phones
- Due to network compatibility issues, some features may not work.
- You might get fewer data.
- Roaming outside the coverage area may create network issues.
Below are other MetroPCS articles you may be interested in:
Conclusion:
This blog post addressed the topic, “Can you switch from Metro to T-Mobile? ”. We understood that Metro PCS phones can be used on T-mobile. This article outlined the advantages of using the T-mobile network carrier. It also outlined the detailed procedure of unlocking Metro PCS phones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Can you switch from Metro to T-Mobile?
Are all cell phones locked?
All cell phones are not locked. The cell phone purchased from a carrier under contract is locked. However, if you purchase a phone directly from the manufacturers, it is unlocked. In this case, you can easily switch from one carrier to another.
What do you mean by a locked phone?
A locked phone is a mobile device tied up with a particular mobile carrier network. If you purchase a new cell phone under some contract, it is locked.
How to unlock the MetroPCS phone using the unlock app.?
If your Metro device has an inbuilt unlock app. then by using the following steps you can unlock the device
- Open the app list and select device unlock app.
- Then click on “Continue”.
- Select the permanent unlock option.
- Restart the device.
Will T- mobile phone work on Metro PCS?
Yes, T- mobile phone works on Metro PCS but the phone should be unlocked. Both Metro PCS and T-mobile use the same carrier.
What are the key features of Metro PCS?
- Many plans offered by the metro PCS are cheaper than corresponding T-Mobile plans.
- Availability of a large variety of plans at affordable prices.
- Some data-saving features prevent you from overages.
- Offers a variety of budget phones
Why do you prefer the T-mobile carrier?
For the 4G network, T mobile covers 62% of the country. T mobile provides a good coverage network in city areas and suburbs.
Metro PCS makes use of the network of T-Mobile. Ultimately you can avail yourself of the same advantage of network coverage as that of T- mobile subscribers. But in case of network congestion, whenever there is heavy traffic, more priority is given to the T-mobile subscribers.
References
Best Metro by T-Mobile phones
By Adam Ismail, Jordan Palmer published October 28, 2021
Will T-Mobile SIM Card Work In Metro PCS Phone?
Last Updated on October 12, 2021, by Dan Leoyee
MetroPCS vs. T-Mobile: Which Is Best for You?
By Philip Michaels
7 Things to Know About Metro by T-Mobile Beth Marcinko | December 5th, 2020
Michael Timmermann | October 4th, 2019
Metro by T-Mobile: Everything you need to know By John Callaham
January 30, 2019
Metro by T-Mobile Cell Phone Review and Plan By Jillian Goltzman
April 28, 2021