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T-Mobile to offer loaner devices for Note 7 after all

Eli Blumenthal
USA TODAY

NEW YORK — If you still have a Galaxy Note 7 on T-Mobile, you'll be able to get a loaner phone while you wait for a new device.

Returned boxes of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in a shop in Seoul, South Korea.

After initially saying that it would not be offering loaner phones for those Note 7 owners who wanted to switch to a different phone that was out of stock, such as the iPhone 7 Plus, T-Mobile has clarified its policy.

The company told USA TODAY that those with Note 7s  and looking to change phones will be able to use another phone temporarily if their local T-Mobile store is out of stock with the phone they want. T-Mobile is allowing users to use any device, such as an iPhone 6S or Galaxy S7, as a loaner so long as the device is in stock at their local store.

Customers can then bring the phone back and swap it out once the phone that they wanted arrives.

Samsung faces rough patch post-Galaxy Note 7

T-Mobile joins other carriers in providing Note 7 owners with loaner devices. AT&T announced it would do so last week.

Verizon has similarly been providing loaner phones, though the carrier isn't offering high-end options for those waiting, instead recommending users reactivate older phones while they wait for their new device. If a user doesn't have a older phone, the carrier will provide a loaner device though it won't be on the level of an iPhone, Google Pixel or Galaxy S7.

Loaners phone are particularly valuable to those who were considering switching to the iPhone 7 Plus or Galaxy S7 Edge.

Since its release last month, Apple's larger iPhone has seen delays until early next month or even into December, according to T-Mobile's shipping estimates. Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge, another popular Note 7 replacement option, is also seeing some delays at the carrier, with the 32GB platinum version not shipping until late October or early November.

Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note 7 for a second time last week after reports of replacement devices suffering from the same exploding issues that plagued the original Galaxy Note 7. Samsung has since canceled the phone, with carriers and retailers pulling the phone from shelves and urging customers to return the defective and dangerous phone.

Samsung sweetens pot to get Note 7 owners to return their phone

The U.S. Transportation Department has banned the phone on all flights, with those who try to sneak a Note 7 on board facing potential fines and criminal prosecution.

Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal

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