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Some carrier systems aren't ready for the Galaxy S25 Ultra (Update: Statements)

Update: Both Xfinity and Metro have now said that customers can activate their S25 phones.
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Published onFebruary 4, 2025

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra home screen
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
  • Some Xfinity and Metro by T-Mobile customers can’t activate their new Galaxy S25 Ultra phones due to delayed system updates.
  • Xfinity has reportedly informed customers that they can only activate their brand-new flagships after February 5.
  • The two carriers have since issued statements to Android Authority to clarify the situation.

Update: February 4, 2025 (1:30 AM ET): Xfinity and Metro have now issued a statement clarifying the situation. And it sounds like customer service will be your best friend in both cases.

“Sorry for any confusion. Customers can activate their phones as soon as they arrive. Our support team can walk customers through the process if needed,” an Xfinity representative told Android Authority.

Metro also issued a statement to us, confirming that unlocked S25 phones can be activated on its network:

Just confirming that customers can bring an unlocked device — including any in the Galaxy S25 series — and activate it at Metro. If anyone encounters a problem during setup, they can contact Metro customer service.

Original article: January 31, 2025 (5:28 AM ET): Xfinity Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers are facing frustrating delays in activating their brand-new Galaxy S25 Ultras even though they were first in line to get their pre-ordered units. It looks like the carriers weren’t able to keep up with Samsung’s ultra-fast shipping speeds.

Xfinity users are reporting on Reddit that their freshly pre-ordered Galaxy S25 Ultras are being blocked from activation until at least February 5, when the carrier is expected to complete the necessary system updates to support the device. This has left customers questioning the point of pre-ordering a phone that cannot be used for several days.

“Xfinity mobile says their systems will be updated to include the S25U by Feb 5th, at which time I can activate my device. I’m still not happy,” wrote a Redditor, who was previously given a February 7 activation date by the carrier.

It seems the situation is not unique to Xfinity. Some Metro by T-Mobile customers are also reporting problems with device activation. One customer said the carrier informed them that their current plan was incompatible with the S25 Ultra and offered them the option to switch plans. However, they did not want to make the change.

Are you having trouble activating your Galaxy S25 Ultra on Xfinity and Metro?

204 votes

“I’m having the same issue with Metro as it says that my current plan is not compatible. It does seem to give me an option to switch to another plan that is supposedly compatible, but I think it might be that the network hasn’t been updated for this phone to work on. Thankfully I have until the 14 to trade in my phone, but it’s really annoying that I won’t be able to use it until I’m allowed to activate it,” they wrote on Reddit.

Both carriers' issues appear to be linked to the fact that the affected customers are using eSIMs.

Another Metro customer found a workaround, suggesting that the activation snafu could be bypassed by switching to desktop mode in the mobile browser while performing the activation. After completing the process on a separate phone, they were able to successfully activate their Galaxy S25 Ultra on Metro.

“What I did was go to the website through my other phone’s browser. At first, it gave me that same error about the plan not being compatible. I closed the page and reopened a new tab and changed the website to desktop mode and redid the swap devices process, and it let me through the second time and was able to switch to the S25 Ultra,” the user explained.

Both carriers’ issues appear to be linked to the fact that the affected customers are using eSIMs, rather than traditional physical SIM cards. It seems that the networks have yet to fully upgrade their systems to support the newest flagship devices, which officially go on sale on February 7.

As of now, both Xfinity and Metro have not acknowledged the problem. We’ll contact the carriers for clarification.

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