When it comes to wireless carriers in the U.S., T-Mobile has built a reputation for doing things a little differently than its rivals. Often, the plans and promotions pushed by the “un-carrier” have earned praise and admiration from customers and commentators, but a new move by the communications company isn’t being seen in such a positive light. According to a recent report, T-Mobile has updated its privacy policy and will now automatically share customer web and app data with third-party advertisers. If this leaves a sour taste in your mouth, you do have options — for the time being. We’ll show you how to opt out of T-Mobile’s data sharing policy so that your carrier doesn’t monetize your online behavior.
How to keep T-Mobile from sharing your data from the T-Mobile app
Open the T-Mobile app on your Android device.
Tap on the More tab in the bottom right corner.
Tap on Advertising & Analytics.
Tap on one of the phone numbers in your account.
- Note: You will need to opt out separately for each number listed on your account.
Tap to toggle off the setting for Use my data for analytics and reporting.
Tap to toggle off the setting for Use my data to make ads more relevant to me.
How to keep T-Mobile from sharing your data on the web
The steps to opt out on the web are essentially the same as those from within the T-Mobile mobile app.
Log-in to your T-Mobile account from a web browser.
Click on your name or profile in the top right corner.
Click on Privacy & Notifications.
Click on Advertising & Analytics.
Click on one of the phone numbers in your account.
- Note: You will need to opt-out separately for each number listed on your account.
Click to toggle off the setting for Use my data for analytics and reporting.
Click to toggle off the setting for Use my data to make ads more relevant to me.
Don’t think that just because you’re a former Sprint customer that you’re immune to this new policy, for it affects you too. The only folks who are currently exempt are those who access T-Mobile’s network through a Google Fi plan.
While you make this change, it might be a good time to review your T-Mobile account to make sure that you’re on the best possible plan for you. T-Mobile recently updated its Magenta plans, replacing Magenta Plus with Magenta Max, and we have an article that explains everything you need to know about the update.
Of course, if you feel like the time is right for a break with T-Mobile, you can always check our list of the best wireless carriers and best MVNO cariers.’
If you decide to update your account settings, be sure to do so before April 26, 2021. After that point, you may no longer be able to do so (at least, not easily).
