T-Mobile has made a number of waves in the wireless industry lately, for both the right and the wrong reasons. Binge On was widely criticized both at launch and after for being one of the wrong reasons. Touted as a way to optimize videos to make them friendlier to T-Mobile’s servers, Binge On allows consumers to Netflix out, among other services, without eating into their data plans. Though criticized by Net Neutrality backers, T-Mobile cleared their practices as fair game by stating that any video provider could join if they wanted to, though this didn’t stop issues with getting YouTube on board. Despite those flaws, this is all well and good for Netflix addicts on a budget, but for those who are on unlimited plans, mostly around Wi-Fi or who care about video quality, it was a bust. Put bluntly, it was found by the Electronic Frontier Foundation that T-Mobile’s Binge On was throttling for video services, although T-Mobile phrases things differently. To make matters worse, it was automatically enabled for all customers upon its roll out in November.
If what you read in the above paragraph sounds a bit off and you want to disable Binge On, it can be done through the My T-Mobile website or through the T-Mobile app. For the app, you’ll want to start by clicking on “Account Info”. From there, go to “Plans & Services”, then scroll down to “Add/Change Services”. After that, simply scroll down until you find the plus sign for “Other”. Under that, you’ll find a button labelled “Enable Binge On”. Simply disable it and you’re good to go. You may or may not have to cycle airplane mode on and off or restart your device, but it’s always a good idea when making these kinds of changes. After that, enjoy your crisp, high-speed videos like before Binge On rolled out.
To disable the service via T-Mobile’s website, you’ll want to start by logging into My T-Mobile. Click on “PROFILE” in the top left and you’ll get a menu in the left side of your browser window. In that menu, you should find “Media Settings”. In that window, you’ll find an ON/OFF switch for Binge On. Switch it off and your videos are back to the way they were.