Are T-Mobile and Assurance Wireless the Same Company?
T-Mobile US is an American wireless network operator and the second-largest carrier in the United States. The huge company with the third-largest 4G LTE network and the largest 5G coverage in America owns several smaller MVNOs that offer T-Mobile’s network yet different services in different parts of the country.
One of T-Mobile’s subsidiaries is Assurance Wireless – a company that is fully focused on providing Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) discounts on phone, wireless, and internet services to eligible low-income households. Assurance offers free monthly plans with unlimited talk, text, and data, up to 10GB of free mobile hotspot data, and a free smartphone per qualifying applicant.
Do I Have to Set Up APN Settings Manually?
The phones that are originally sold or provided free of charge by Assurance Wireless (or another provider) are likely to have the right APN settings pre-installed. As such, you won’t be required to change the settings manually.
Nevertheless, the unlocked, compatible phones that you may decide to bring to a provider and use with the provider’s services probably don’t have the right APN settings. If so, it’s highly advisable to change your APN settings manually, as only so will you able to get the most out of your service.
Luckily, it’s very easy to change your APN settings on your phone manually and you don’t need any knowledge or skills. You must simply follow the instructions provided in the following sections.
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless APN Settings and MMS Settings for Android Phones
To get the most out of your Assurance Wireless’s T-Mobile network (the best connection, signal, data speeds, etc.) on your Android phone, you should check your APN settings and change them if necessary. You can change your APN settings right after you activate your device or later on.
How to Change Your APN Settings on Android Phones
To change APN settings on your Android phone, follow these simpler steps:
- Take your phone and go to Settings.
- Press Mobile Network.
- Choose Access Point Name.
- Finally, choose Add Access Point.
- Then, enter the values below. Leave the rest unchanged.
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless APN Settings for Android Phones
- Name: Assurance-Wireless-INTERNET
- APN: internet
- Proxy: Not set/Blank
- Port: Not set/Blank
- Username: Not set/Blank
- Passwords: Not set/Blank
- Server: Not set/Blank
- MMSC: Not set/Blank
- MMS proxy: Not set/Blank
- MMS port: Not set/Blank
- MCC: Leave as default (470)
- MNC: Leave as default (02)
- Authentication type: Not set/None
- APN type: default,supl
- APN protocol: IPv4/IPv6
- APN roaming Protocol: IPv4/IPv6
- APN enable/disable: APN enabled
- Bearer: Unspecified
- MVNO type: None
- MVNO Value: N/A
- Mobile virtual network operator type: None
- Mobile virtual network operator value: Not set/Blank
When you write the values, press Save and restart your phone.
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless MMS Settings for Android Phones
To enable picture messaging, enter the following values:
- Name: Assurance-Wireless-MMS
- APN: internet
- Proxy: Not set/Blank
- Port: Not set/Blank
- Username: Not set/Blank
- Passwords: Not set/Blank
- Server: Not set/Blank
- MMSC: default
- MMS proxy: default
- MMS port: default
- MCC: Leave as default (470)
- MNC: Leave as default (02)
- Authentication type: Not set/None
- APN type: mms
- APN protocol: IPv4/IPv6
- APN roaming Protocol: IPv4/IPv6
- APN enable/disable: APN enabled
- Bearer: Unspecified
- MVNO type: None
- MVNO Value: N/A
- Mobile virtual network operator type: None
- Mobile virtual network operator value: Not set/Blank
Save the values and restart your phone.
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless APN Settings, MMS Settings, and Personal Hotspot Settings for iPhones
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless APN settings are a bit different on iPhones. Therefore, let’s see how to enjoy the fastest T-Mobile network speeds and the strongest signals on your Assurance Wireless plan.
How to Change Your APN Settings on iPhones
Depending on which iPhone model you have, you can access and change your device’s APN settings by following these simple steps:
- Go to Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data Options, and Cellular Network.
- Go to Settings, Mobile Data, Mobile Data Options, and Mobile Data Network.
- Or go to Settings, General, Network, Cellular, Cellular Data Network, and APN.
Then, add the values exactly as described below and leave the rest unchanged.
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless APN Settings for iPhones
Cellular Data/ Mobile Data
- APN: internet
- Username: Blank
- Passwords: Blank
LTE Setup (Optional)
- APN: internet
- Username: Blank
- Passwords: Blank
Once you have entered the values, save them and restart your device.
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless MMS Settings for iPhones
To enable picture messaging, add these values:
- APN: internet
- Username: Blank
- Passwords: Blank
- MMSC: unchanged
- MMS Proxy: unchanged
- MMS Message Size: unchanged
- MMS UA Prof URL: unchanged
Save the values and restart your phone.
T-Mobile Assurance Wireless Personal Hotspot Settings for iPhones
Finally, to enable personal hotspot on Assurance Wireless on an iPhone (or iPad), enter the following values in Personal Hotspot (under Cellular/Mobile Data).
- APN: internet
- Username: Blank
- Passwords: Blank
Save the values and restart your phone. This way the new settings will surely override the old ones and stick.
What Are APN Settings?
APN is an acronym that stands for Access Point Names. APN settings are configuration settings included in every mobile device that enable the device to connect to a carrier’s network.
Every carrier and MVNO has its own APN settings and in order to enjoy the highest data speeds, picture messaging, and stronger signals, the phone you are using must have the exact right APN settings. If the device with which you are connected to a network has the wrong APN settings, you may experience a weaker connection.