T-Mobile announced today that DIGITS will be available to all of their customers next week, on May 31st. DIGITS is T-Mobile’s way of allowing users to use one number on multiple devices, eliminating the need (for many) to use Google Voice. It has been in beta for a few months, and now the company is opening it up to everyone on their network. T-Mobile notes in its press release that DIGITS is a “revolutionary new technology that breaks down the limitation of one number per phone and one phone per number”. As you’ll be able to use that phone number on multiple devices, and you can even use it on another carrier like Verizon, Sprint or AT&T. Starting on May 31st, T-Mobile customers will be upgraded to DIGITS for free, and on top of that, customers can get an additional DIGITS line for just $10/month when they have autopay. Finally, those with T-Mobile’s ONE Plus plan with taxes and fees included can get an extra DIGITS line for free.
DIGITS isn’t just limited to mobile devices, it can also be used on a browser on your PC. Meaning that you’ll be able to make phone calls and text messages from your computer using your phone number. In fact, T-Mobile said in the press release that about 41% of their beta users were using DIGITS from their browser on a PC. After May 31st, DIGITS will be a standard feature for T-Mobile customers, which means when someone switches to T-Mobile, they’ll automatically be able to use that phone number on other devices that don’t have that SIM card.
T-Mobile is aiming to make it easier for users, and keep people from needing to carry around two phones. Right now, around 30 million Americans carry around two smartphones. Typically one is their personal number and the other is their work number. T-Mobile is looking to eliminate that (which seems counter-intuitive since they want to sell more phones). Now customers will be able to have just one line with two numbers, which is going to make things much easier. T-Mobile hasn’t said how long the promotion for an extra DIGITS line will last, however.