Following Verizon’s lead, AT&T has extended the period customers will have to wait before upgrading their phones. The company announced in a blog post that it was raising the threshold for a subsidized replacement from 20 months to 24 months. That new limit applies both to new customers and to anyone whose contract ends in March 2014 or later — meaning most people currently on a contract will get one more 20-month upgrade before the change takes effect. As always, customers can buy unsubsidized phones at full price regardless of date.
AT&T extends wait for phone upgrades from 20 months to two years
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Verizon has already announced that it’s changing from a 20-month to a 24-month upgrade cycle, starting in January of 2014, so two-year periods between subsidies are now standard across the board. In its statement, AT&T says the change is meant to “align” the device upgrade cycle with its two-year contract periods. Sprint, meanwhile, continues to list a 20-month upgrade policy, and T-Mobile has abolished traditional contracts in favor of an installment plan for its phones — though the company has been forced to backtrack from claims that this means fewer obligations for customers.
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