Get Free Wi-Fi on Your Next Flight With T-Mobile

Y ou can receive a free hour of Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service via your capable smartphone during all domestic flights within the United States equipped with Gogo — in addition to the free texting during flights which was introduced last year — if you are a customer of T-Mobile who is on a plan branded by T-Mobile.

The texting during flights now includes free messaging during flights using either of the iMessage, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, and Viber software application programs for portable electronic devices.

Get Free Wi-Fi on Your Next Flight With T-Mobile

Before you board the airplane for your flight, ensure that you:

1. Have a valid T-Mobile telephone number.
2. If you do not have Wi-Fi calling available on your telephone, you can still use data; or have available the most recent version of either the iMessage, WhatsApp or Viber software application programs for portable electronic devices.
3. If you have a Wi-Fi Calling capable device, you can send and receive SMS, MMS, and VVM in addition of the other benefits — but you will need to have a T-Mobile branded telephone with Wi-Fi Calling, valid E911 address on file with T-Mobile for your mobile telephone number. To review or add your 911 address, please access your T-Mobile account — either via T-Mobile.com or via MyAccount on your handset.
4. You will need to have placed at least one Wi-Fi call with your current SIM card on your current telephone.

Once you are aboard the airplane:

1. Follow the instructions from members of the flight crew to hear when the Gogo service will be available.
2. Turn on Wi-Fi and ensure that you are connected to the ‘gogoinflight’ Wi-Fi network.
3. Open the browser and select the ‘T-Mobile FREE hour of in-flight Wi-Fi and unlimited texting’ option.
4. Click the “LET’S GO” button and follow the instructions on your screen.
5. Your device should connect to T-Mobile Wi-Fi Calling.
6. It can take a few minutes for your device to register on the ground for T-Mobile In-flight Texting.  If you do not want to wait, just reset — turn off, then on — your Wi-Fi or start messaging using either the iMessage, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp or Viber software application programs for portable electronic devices.
   1. Android users: You should see a WFC icon, in the upper left corner.
   2. iPhone users: Your network indicator should say “T-Mobile Wi-Fi”.
7. Start texting and browsing!

Additional Information

Any device with a valid T-Mobile telephone number is eligible for the in-flight benefits. Here is a complete list of portable electronic devices enabled for Wi-Fi Calling for the full experience of unlimited texting — although some devices may require a software update. To get the software update, your compatible portable electronic device will receive a notification, prompting you to update your software. If your device requires a software update, you can initiate it on the ground yourself at any time when you have an available Wi-Fi connection.

If you have an Android device, you can check for software updates through the menu by selecting Settings, then About Device, and then Software Update; or if you have a device manufactured by Apple, you can learn how to update the software here. if you have a portable electronic devices which is neither Android nor Apple, you can still use the one free hour of data or the iMessage, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp and Viber software application programs at any time for free during the entire flight.

Emergency calls and texts to 911 are not available during a flight. Short codes for account and telephone information — as well as call service short codes — will not work. You can receive Visual Voicemail, which is a software application program that allows you to receive, view, and listen to all of your voicemail messages directly from your telephone — in any order — without the need to call into your voicemail account.

Other details, information, instructions, terms and conditions apply.

Summary

This offer is said to be available for a limited time; but no definitive date reveals exactly when this offer will end.

There is also no indication of whether or not there will be a significant slowdown of free Wi-Fi access if multiple passengers simultaneously use this free service. If so, then that free hour of service basically becomes useless.

Still, this can be a potentially useful offer if you are a customer of T-Mobile who travels frequently by airplane.

Source: T-Mobile.