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

ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...

Top Rated Comments

zorinlynx Avatar
110 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
110 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
110 months ago
200mb was nothing anyway.. Just a way for Legere to brag.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
barkomatic Avatar
110 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
110 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
110 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)