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T-Mobile is getting rid of the worst thing about its unlimited plan

T-Mobile is getting rid of the worst thing about its unlimited plan

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Streaming HD video is no longer a hassle for customers

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John Legere 2017 stock
Chris Welch

Yesterday T-Mobile announced two significant improvements coming to its unlimited data plan, T-Mobile One. HD video and 10GB of high-speed hotspot tethering are now included as part of the base plan and no longer cost extra. But one lingering question remained: would the company continue on with the silly “HD day passes” that users were required to enable whenever they wished to stream high-definition video. Today, the carrier confirmed to The Verge that the answer is no.

As of Friday — and once you’ve accepted/activated the revised data plan — you’ll only need to turn on HD video once using T-Mobile’s app and then it’ll stay on. The elimination of HD day passes was first reported by Ars Technica, and is a change that T-Mobile apparently decided on within just the last 24 hours.

“The HD video will stream at whatever is provided by the content provider,” a spokesperson told The Verge via email, eliminating any concern that T-Mobile still plans to “optimize” HD video or limit it to 720p. Should you leave HD disabled, you’ll still get the DVD-quality video that’s standard with T-Mobile One.

Prior to the changes announced by CEO John Legere yesterday, both HD video and high-speed tethering were premium add-ons to T-Mobile One that hiked up the monthly subscription for customers who wanted those features. The improved plan is widely seen as a counter to Verizon’s unlimited data plan, which launched yesterday with HD video and 10GB of hotspot included.