Bringing home a new iPhone is supposed to be a happy event for Apple lovers. As long as the device is usable.
One T-Mobile customer says she was so excited to purchase her “beautiful” new iPhone 16. However, she was disappointed by the device’s inability to connect to service.
Content creator Jodi (@palletprincess0 on TikTok) primarily creates content about her business of buying palettes of merchandise to resell. In her TikTok which has over 381,000 views, she says her new phone was not connecting to service.
What happened?
“Got my new iPhone 16, right, beautiful,” she says in the video. Jodi says how she went to T-Mobile to get the new phone and they suggested she take it home to transfer the data. However, she says she has “learned” that it’s better to do it at the store in case something goes wrong.
“Anyway, so I walk out of that store with a brand new iPhone 16, zero service on it,” she says. “Zero service.”
Store employees who helped her set up her phone suggested that it might connect to service on its own overnight, she says.
“So I have a new iPhone 16, T-Mobile told me, ‘you know, good luck,'” Jodi says. She states that the employers were “so nice” and they really tried to help her.
“I got out of work at four, and I was in there at 8 o’clock at night, and look, I’ll show you. I’ll try to call somebody,” she says. “Ready, this is what happens.”
She then demonstrates that when she dials a number to call someone, her phone simply plays a “welcome to T-Mobile” message. This, she says, means that her phone does not work.
“So if anyone knows anything or if it has anything to with the SIM card, EIM card, help a girl out, because this thing’s beautiful and I can’t text or call,” she says. “And, if you’re trying to get ahold of me, don’t try, send it on Facebook.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jodi via Facebook Messenger. We have also reached out to T-Mobile via email regarding the video.
Why wouldn’t a new phone have service?
Per T-Mobile, there can be a variety of reasons why a newly purchased phone would not have service. From chipped SIM cards to a line that has not been completely registered, or simply being in a low or no-coverage area, a lot can go wrong in connecting a phone to service.
In a follow-up video, Jodi says she is not sure what the staff at her T-Mobile store ultimately ended up doing, but they did fix the issue.
Viewers weigh in
In the comments section of her original video, several viewers tried to help Jodi suss out what the issue might be.
“Call customer service they need to register the IMEI,” one commenter wrote. “They was Not supposed to let you walk out the store without your phone working.”
“They didn’t activate your eSIM that’s why,” another said.
“It probably has the esim so no actual card,” one echoed. “Try settings…cellular and make sure the esim option is on. That’s about the most I can tell you about the eSIM. Good luck.”
@palletprincess0 Someone tell me why my new iphone16 will not work! Because even tmobile has no clue! #iphone #iphone16 ##tmobile #newphone @T-Mobile help a girl out! I need to communicate with people! #apple #helpme #noservice @Apple Vacations ♬ original sound – Jodi Lytle
Others shared that they had experienced a similar delay in getting a new phone line up and running.
“Whenever I transferred phone there is usually a delay in getting the new one the service,” one commenter wrote. “I recommend powering off both devices for a few mins and then only turning on the new one. Hope that helps!”
“Yep esim husband had to have another one issued in store hour after we left as customer service couldn’t do it because he couldn’t get texts due to us switching tmobile had block on porting,” another commented.
“I had the same thing happen to me I had to go back when I realized ok the way home it just said SOS,” one user said. “I’m in Canada but it was a SIM card thing. I went back and they fixed it.”
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The post ‘I used to work for att in the cellular settings on the phone does it show the T-Mobile network?’: Woman buys iPhone 16. Then she gets home appeared first on The Daily Dot.
