Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- US Mobile markets its End Game Dark Star promotion as having unlimited data, and yet at least one user saw their service shut off after using 281GB over the course of the month.
- US Mobile previously ran into controversy over this plan when it retroactively changed its unlimited hotspot access to a tiered system.
- Despite how it might negatively impact user opinion, the terms of the agreement on the plan make it clear it has the power to do this if it feels the usage is excessive or otherwise violates the contract.
US Mobile made waves when it announced last month that it would offer truly unlimited prioritized data through its Dark Star network. Unfortunately, the launch hasn’t gone smoothly. Within days, the carrier revised the terms of its new unlimited End Game plan multiple times to mitigate abuse or clarify its policies. This has led to significant customer confusion, and now, with reports of customers (as indicated by Redditor Nerdtality and others on the No Contract Subrredit) being cut off from US Mobile for excessive data usage, the situation doesn’t seem to be improving.
US Mobile initially suggested its Dark Star network had no firm data cap after introducing the End Game plan, which promised truly unlimited data. However, it was always implied (and even stated in the terms) that extreme data usage could trigger warnings or speed reductions. Past remarks from the CEO on the US Mobile subreddit also seemed to suggest that as long as users didn’t consistently exceed 1TB of data, they were likely within acceptable limits but there was never any clear line on what was too much. Despite using far less than 1TB, at least one user has spoken out on how they reportedly had their service terminated for “being found in breach of our terms and conditions.”
According to Yellmapper on X (formerly Twitter), their service was terminated after using 281GB in a month — about 11.7GB per day. Reportedly none of this was hotspot data, and was all on-device. While this is more than the average person consumes(especially since the billing period hadn’t ended), is it truly excessive enough to warrant termination? Technically, yes.
Is US Mobile within its rights to cut off excess users like this?
46 votes
US Mobile’s terms of service are honestly a little vague on what constitutes Acceptable Use, leaving much to the carrier’s discretion. There’s no firm data cap listed, but the agreement includes language like:
“Excessive or abusive usage that negatively impacts network performance, including repeated or excessive speed tests, may result in throttling, capping, or termination of service.”
Even though the terms page has been updated since launch, this exact wording has been present from the beginning. This means that no matter what might have been said or promised in marketing materials, the company has always had the right to enforce these restrictions. Additionally, the terms repeatedly state that features “can change at any time,” giving the company broad leeway to modify customer plans retroactively.
Bottom-line, every change US Mobile has made has technically been within its legal rights, even if customers have been caught off guard and I personally find the whole thing pretty alarming. That even applies to one of the most controversial revisions, the shift from truly unlimited hotspot access to a tiered system.
Although you initially could use as much data as you want, the current system works like this:
- You can now use 100GB of high-speed hotspot data before speeds drop to 8Mbps.
- After another 100GB at 8Mbps, speeds drop further to 600Kbps for the remainder of the billing cycle.
- This applies to both new and existing Dark Star users.
While this change was a major marketing misstep, the company’s original agreement covered this change as well:
While regular data usage remains unthrottled under this offer, hotspot data usage may be subject to throttling after a specified threshold. US Mobile reserves the right to change hotspot throttling policies at any time.
So what can you expect from US Mobile’s Dark Star in the long term?
In reality, from the beginning, US Mobile’s terms suggested that many of its current Dark Star perks were temporary promotions to kickstart its upgraded network. However, its marketing failed to clearly communicate this. For instance, the original announcement post never mentioned that some of these “unrestricted” features would be temporary — aside from a note that Multi-Network Function would only be free until March 31.
The good news? If you’re already on the unthrottled plan, your service should remain the same after the promotion ends —unless you make changes to your plan, that is. However, excessive data usage could still result in warnings or service termination.
The biggest catch is that if you modify your plan in any way, you might not be able to return to the unthrottled version of Dark Star Premium. It’s also unclear if using the Network Transfer feature — even temporarily — could risk losing the unthrottled plan. I’ve reached out to US Mobile for clarification and will update this post if I get more details.
For those who sign up for Dark Star after the promotion or make major plan changes and lose grandfathered access to the unthrottled version, the following restrictions will apply:
- New customers will be placed on QCI 8 priority unless they pay for a QCI 9 upgrade.
- Data usage beyond 100GB per billing cycle may result in throttling, depending on network capacity.
- Hotspot terms remain subject to change, per US Mobile’s discretion.
US Mobile is within its rights — but it’s hard not to feel misled
If you feel duped, I don’t blame you. While I don’t believe US Mobile intended to mislead customers, it could have been much clearer about restrictions and limitations. Regardless of intent, it’s undeniable that this launch has been messy.
So, should you leave US Mobile or stick around? That depends.
Yes, it’s crummy that US Mobile isn’t clearer on its exact cut-off or the steps it will take before it just bans someone, or that it’s made constant little tweaks to the plan.
To be fair, you’ll find a similar level of vagueness in almost all US carrier terms. For example, the terms for Visible’s unlimited plans state you could have your service limited, suspended, or ended permanently without notice for a variety of actions including using your service “in a way that negatively affects our network or other customers, such as by persistently using excessive amounts of data in ways that negatively impact our ability to service other members or in ways that defy normal and reasonable usage patterns”.
The key difference here is I’ve seen plenty of reports on Reddit and other sources where Visible users consumed close to or sometimes slightly more than 1TB of data with no issue. Still, if you’re happy with your service and keep your usage close to the 100GB to 200GB range, you probably won’t run into issues. The loudest complaints about Dark Star come from users pushing the boundaries of acceptable use.
That said, I recommend keeping an eye on updates — either from US Mobile or community forums like the No Contract subreddit. The current chaos may settle, leaving you with a solid service, even despite the carrier’s disorganized rollout. Or there may be a time you’ll have to make a hard decision about leaving.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been testing Dark Star myself. While I may eventually switch to Warp 5G for better coverage in my area, I still plan to stick with US Mobile despite its shortcomings. The pricing is excellent, and while the company can be confusing and inconsistent, I’ve found the benefits outweigh the downsides.
Of course, this is just a secondary line for me, so I have less to lose. I will say that the latest US Mobile drama does make me a bit more cautious about who I recommend US Mobile to, but I’m hoping this will turn out to be a temporary blip in what otherwise is a generally solid service.
