T-Mobile Tuesdays perks have been great for customer loyalty, but at the beginning of the year, the app that housed these deals was rebranded to T-Life. We thought it was a bit clunky at the time, but the weekly gifts on Tuesdays kept flowing, so there wasn’t much to complain about. Things got a bit more confusing when the new T-Life app was updated to include the entire functionality of the main T-Mobile app (in addition to the Tuesday deals) a few months ago. Now, we’re seeing the endgame of these plans.
The week in mobile wasn’t all as awkward as T-Mobile’s app consolidation — we also saw Samsung setting a date while coming up with a new design. And Google’s next Pixel Feature Drop was already locked in, but we got an early look at the one after that. Meanwhile, one Pixel that won’t be getting either of those updates came back from the dead briefly, so there’s a lot to catch up on from the last seven days.
Last Week’s Roundup
Google all but admits Android TV is its neglected ‘other’ operating system in last week’s news
Plus Android 16’s likely release date
The T-Mobile app dies a slow and painful death
Only to come back T-Life
On the very first business day of the year, T-Mobile went straight to work on killing the T-Mobile Tuesdays app. We didn’t realize it at the time, but the company evidently had a plan to discontinue the fan-favorite app without the negative press that directly pulling the T-Mobile Tuesdays app would have garnered.
Instead, it started by rebranding T-Mobile Tuesdays to T-Life on January 3. The Tuesdays perks were still there, so the only bad PR the company got was a bit of good-natured ribbing over the new app’s awkward name. Phase two of this plan apparently went into effect in August, when all the functionality of the main T-Mobile app was added to T-Life, creating a situation where the company’s two main apps were identical.
Fast-forward a few more months until the press died down again, and this week, T-Mobile removed its main app from the Play Store, leaving only T-Life behind. The app’s URL and package name still show its T-Mobile Tuesdays roots, but it’s now the one and only app for managing your T-Mobile account and accessing benefits. It was a long and convoluted process that will undoubtedly leave some customers scratching their heads in the coming weeks when they go to pay their bills, but hey — at least T-Mobile avoided the negative PR of killing the Tuesdays app directly.
Samsung’s tri-fold phone starts taking shape
Putting the Z in ‘Galaxy Z’
If a wallet has two folds, it’s called a tri-fold because of the three panels created by the two creases. Yes, it’s a bit confusing, but it’s an established naming convention that is currently making the jump from leather goods to consumer tech. It’s the term used to describe Huawei’s new Mate XT with two display creases and three panels, and it will surely stick around when Samsung releases its own take on the form factor.
It’s starting to look like Samsung’s tri-fold phone will come next year, because the rumors are pouring in lately. This week, we learned the new model will feature an ‘infolding’ design to handle durability concerns — something that early reviewers of the Mate XT have voiced concerns about. With Huawei’s design, one edge of the flexible screen is constantly exposed, but it seems Samsung will address this by keeping the less durable display entirely on the inside when the device is closed.
Main Story
Samsung’s tri-fold phone might use an ‘infolding’ design to solve durability problems
It’s apparently launching as early as next year
Rumors zero in on the Galaxy S25’s launch date
January 2025 seems likely, but when specifically?
Early in the week, a leaked survey suggested Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series could debut as soon as January 5. We were suspicious of the timing since it would happen just ahead of CES, when other tech gadgets would be garnering headlines and taking the focus away from Samsung’s next flagship series.
Later in the week, however, leakers apparently felt the need to clear the air — because not one, but two trusted sources tipped a launch date of January 23 for the new phones on the same day. This date aligns more closely with past Samsung S-series releases, so we’re inclined to believe it, although we’re still not quite sure if the rumored Galaxy S25 Slim will make its debut that day.
Main Story
Samsung Galaxy S25 launch date just leaked from two different sources
Late January reveal date looks likely
The Pixel 5a comes back from the dead
Then gracefully slides back into the grave, probably
Being Google’s last phone before it switched to its in-house Tensor chips, the Pixel 5a was never promised the gaudy long-term support numbers of its newer siblings. So the midranger’s last guaranteed update came in August 2024, but this week, a surprise patch came in. The update fixes problems with Adaptive Brightness, Bluetooth, and media playback — but don’t get too excited if you own a 5a, because we don’t expect any further updates for one of the best value phones of 2021.
The March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop makes its debut
In beta, at least
It’s now clear that Google is on an accelerated path towards releasing Android 16 — the company even came out and said as much last month. To accommodate this, it seems its various beta programs are speeding up their release cycles as well. The beta program for the first Quarterly Platform Release for Android 15, coming to the stable channel as the December 2024 Pixel Feature Drop, ended more than a month before the public release.
Now, Google is turning the page to the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop with Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1. And it’s not just a lame-duck release, there are some major new changes already: The new Priority modes are live, replacing DND, and all the code is there for Google’s native Linux Terminal, which could bring desktop apps to the platform. At this rate, we wouldn’t be surprised if the first Developer Preview of Android 16 dropped before the holidays — it would certainly be a cornucopia of goodies for us Android fans, after all.
Main Story
Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 is here with a glimpse at next year’s first Pixel Feature Drop
Just 11 days after Google itself spilled the beans
