"AT&T has been told to stop running ads that falsely promise all customers a free iPhone. The rebuke came from the advertising industry's official watchdog just a week after AT&T sued the organization over a different advertising dispute. BBB National Programs' National Advertising Review Board (NARB) "has recommended that AT&T Services, Inc. modify its advertising to avoid conveying a false message regarding eligibility for an iPhone device offer," the group, which runs the ad industry's self-regulatory system, said today."
""The NARB panel agreed with NAD's conclusion that the challenged advertising, on its face, conveys a false message that everyone 'gets' a free phone and does not clarify the message by disclosing a material limitation to the offer of a free cell phone in a clear and conspicuous manner," the group said. In reality, the offer was only for AT&T customers on certain plans, excluding customers with low-cost plans."
BBB National Programs' National Advertising Review Board recommended AT&T modify advertising that conveyed a false message about eligibility for a free iPhone. Verizon challenged the "Learn how everyone gets iPhone 16 Pro on us" claim and the National Advertising Division ruled for Verizon in September 2025. AT&T appealed and lost at the NARB. The NARB panel concluded the ads, on their face, conveyed that everyone gets a free phone and failed to disclose material limitations in a clear and conspicuous manner. The actual offer applied only to certain AT&T plans and excluded subscribers on value or low-cost plans. The NAD cited the Merriam-Webster definition of "everyone."
Read at Ars Technica
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