There has never been a worse time to be a T-Mobile customer with a OnePlus phone

T-Mobile and Starlink opened up the beta for their direct-to-cell service last week. T-Mobile said that most smartphones from the last four years would be supported but that's not quite true.

The beauty of T-Mobile and Starlink's direct-to-cell program is that it doesn't require you to add any special hardware to your phone to stay connected in places unreachable by traditional cell towers.

It was clear from the get-go that recent Samsung models would be supported. T-Mobile had said that the experience would be optimized on select phones initially. The company has published a list of phones that can enroll in the beta program.

The list includes the Apple iPhone 14 and later models, the Google Pixel 9 series, a bunch of 2024 Motorola models, many recent mid-range and high-end Samsung phones, and two T-Mobile REVL handsets.

Notably missing: OnePlus phones. This is a far cry from the company's claim of supporting most phones released in the last four years. Judging by what a sales representative told a user, support will not be added for OnePlus phones, or more Motorola models for that matter, any time soon.

It looks like T-Mobile's satellite service will not work on OnePlus handsets, most Motorola phones, and Pixel phones released before the Pixel 8, at least in the foreseeable future.

The feature doesn't even work flawlessly on supported phones, so it makes sense for T-Mobile to improve the experience on supported devices before expanding the beta to more phones, which is something it has promised.

Regardless, if you are a OnePlus user, this is probably disappointing news for you. After all, everyone wants to be able to use the latest features. 

The service is free in beta for everyone with a compatible phone, including AT&T and Verizon subscribers. In July, when it's launched, everyone except for those on T-Mobile's premium plans will be required to pay a monthly fee to remain connected.