While the three major U.S. iPhone carriers AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint will be launching the iPhone 5 on Friday, September 21, it will not take long for availability to extend to other carriers. Cricket Communications and C Spire Wireless have both announced that they will begin offering the iPhone 5 one week later on Friday, September 28.
Both of the carriers were pioneers in the U.S. iPhone market, with C Spire being the first regional carrier to begin offering the iPhone last November while Cricket was the first U.S. prepaid carrier to launch the iPhone this past June. The iPhone is now available on 16 different U.S. carriers, but it is unclear when the iPhone 5 will come to the remaining carriers.
Neither Cricket nor C Spire has offered any launch details beyond the September 28 availability date.
Update 8:06 AM: Several of the other regional carriers have also confirmed that they will launch the iPhone 5 on September 28:
Sunday November 8, 2026 7:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has made a change to its development process for iOS 28, macOS 28, and corresponding software updates, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said Apple separates development of each year's new operating systems into three major stages. Typically, he said each stage consists of four weeks of coding followed by a four-week "convergence" period where...
Monday November 9, 2026 4:22 am PST by Tim Hardwick
The Apple launches keep coming! The company is set to release two new products on Friday, November 13: the all-new Apple HomeView and the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, both of which have been available to pre-order since mid-October.
Apple HomeView: Apple's new smart home display, powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI, for entertainment and managing the home. Available in tabletop and...
Friday November 6, 2026 3:27 pm PST by Juli Clover
When the iPhone Duo launched, we shared a list of some of the fun apps developers created for the new form factor. Two weeks out, developers are continuing to come up with fresh ideas, so we thought we'd share some of our favorites.
Games
Marbles Unhinged ($2.99) - Marbles Unhinged is a marble maze designed for the Duo. When you fold it, the floor turns into a ramp. If you stand the top...
Using an iPhone 5 on Cricket would be like driving a Lamborghini on a bumpy dirt road.
Yes, but even a cheap brand of car would still get a driver to the exact same destinations... and probably leave some extra money in their pockets to spend on fun when they arrive.
