Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

T-Mobile partners to promote Google apps for messaging, cloud storage, and TV

By

T-Mobile is going all-in on Google apps and services. The two companies have announced a massive partnership that will see T-Mobile officially support Android Messages (with RCS, or Rich Communication Services) on all of its Android phones, and promote a range of Google’s apps and services in place of its own.

A few different Google apps and services will get pushed by T-Mobile as part of the deal. For example, Google One will be pushed as T-Mobile’s “preferred phone backup and cloud solution,” and YouTube TV will be promoted as T-Mobile’s premium live TV solution.

“We’re building on our decade-long relationship with Google to give customers an even better experience with the world’s very best products and services offered by Android, Pixel, and YouTube,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “The world’s most popular smartphone platform with Android, a broad range of premium Pixel devices, an upgraded [and] modern messaging experience on Android, and a robust entertainment offering with YouTube TV — it’s the best of Google, combined with the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network on T-Mobile.”

Related

The partnership also means that T-Mobile will carry and promote Google’s Pixel line of phones — which is a major win for Google. Previously, Verizon was the only carrier really promoting Pixel phones, even though they still worked on other carriers.

The promotion of YouTube TV is a particularly big part of this new deal. That’s because T-Mobile has its own TV services, including Live, Live Plus, and Live Zone. As part of the deal, T-Mobile will stop offering its own TV services in favor of YouTube TV — and T-Mobile customers will be able to get $10 off a YouTube TV subscription.

The partnership also means that T-Mobile will carry and promote Google’s Pixel line of phones — which is a major win for Google.

The move is also a pretty big win for RCS. Google has been pushing RCS as the next-generation replacement to Short Message Service (SMS), but the rollout of the service has been a little convoluted. Samsung phones still ship with Samsung Messages as the default messaging platform, however the deal between Google and T-Mobile will mean that Samsung phones on T-Mobile will use Android Messages as the default in the future, with the switch happening before the end of the year.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
T-Mobile partners with SpaceX to ‘end mobile dead zones’
t mobile revvl news

T-Mobile is linking up with SpaceX to use its Starlink satellites to dramatically boost the carrier's cell phone coverage to pretty much all parts of the U.S., bringing connectivity to isolated areas that up to now have been out of reach of providers.

The service will launch next year, starting with texts, MMS, and select messaging apps. Current mobile phones will be able to use T-Mobile’s new service; in other words, no new technology will be required to make it work.

Read more
Google is killing off its lightweight YouTube Go app
Three phone screens showing the new Android 12 Go Edition.

Google is killing off its lightweight YouTube Go app, an app designed for phones with low storage and limited access to robust LTE and 5G networks. The company cites improvements to the mainstream YouTube app that rendered this service redundant. The app will remain available for download in the Play Store until August. The app boiled down YouTube to its essentials and stripped away things that weren't necessary like commenting, posting, or creating videos.

"When we launched YouTube Go in 2016, it was designed for viewers in locations where connectivity, data prices, and low-end devices prevented us from delivering the best experience in the main YouTube app. Since then, YouTube has invested in improvements to the main YouTube app that make it perform better in these environments, while also delivering a better user experience which is inclusive of our entire community," the YouTube team said.

Read more
Miss unlimited Google Photos storage? T-Mobile has a deal for you
T-Mobile smartphone.

Data storage has become something of a major issue as people begin filling up internal and external storage drives with photos, documents, and videos. Now, T-Mobile's latest partnership with Google aims to fix the problem with a single deal. The mobile company is introducing a new tier of storage plan that gives customers the 2TB of storage included with its previous tiers, as well as unlimited space for photos and videos in Google Photos.

The deal isn't live just yet but will be available on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, to all T-Mobile customers. It will be the most expensive storage plan priced at $15 per month, but includes everything and more from the cheaper plans such as full-resolution photo storage, photo-editing tools, VPN services, and extended trials for multiple Google services like YouTube Premium and Google Stadia.

Read more