Verizon discontinuing ringback tones, once-popular feature
Callers will no longer hear 'Please enjoy this Verizon ringback tone while your party is reached'
Ringback tones on Verizon are about to be a thing of the past.
The telecommunications giant recently announced that effective Aug. 26, customers were no longer able to subscribe or purchase ringback tones ahead of the service being discontinued.
"Effective October 31, 2020, Verizon will be discontinuing ringback tones and playlists," the company said in an announcement.
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Verizon Wireless launched the ringback tones service back in 2004 and expanded it a year later. It would play clips of music for callers instead of the traditional ring.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VZ | VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. | 40.13 | +0.36 | +0.91% |
Callers would hear the message, "Please enjoy this Verizon ringback tone while your party is reached." The selected music would then play.
Users were able able to select from more than 2,400 songs in 13 different music genres at the time as Verizon became the first national carrier to offer the service.
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Customers were able to have a standard ringback tone or customized tones for different callers based on the caller ID, group list, or time of day, the company said at the time. After several years, the service faded in popularity.
Come Halloween, the ringback tones will be a distant memory.
In recent days, Verizon has sent messages advising that the service is going away.
According to Verizon, existing subscriptions and any ringback tones purchased from the company's media store will be automatically removed from all times on user's accounts, and customers will no longer be charged a subscription fee for the service.
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"You may receive a one-time, prorated bill credit(s) for the subscription fee and any active ringback tone(s) that you purchased," according to the announcement. "You will not need to do anything to implement these changes or receive prorated bill credits, if eligible."