AT&T Western Electric 500 featured in Verge Version History

TL;DR:

• The Verge published a Version History podcast episode in April 2026 about the Western Electric 500 telephone and AT&T's role in its history.
• The article says the Western Electric 500 was widely used in the United States for years and decades as a standard landline phone.
• The Verge notes the iPhone Phone app icon resembles the Western Electric 500 design.

The Verge published a Version History podcast episode in April 2026 about the Western Electric 500 telephone and how AT&T created what the article calls an iconic phone. The article says the Western Electric 500 was used so widely in the United States for years and decades that it became simply “The Phone.”

The Verge identifies the device as the Western Electric 500 and links to a Telephone Archive entry for the model. The article also says the design remains recognizable today and cites the iPhone Phone app icon as an example of a visual design that looks like a Western Electric 500.

This article is historical consumer device coverage rather than eSIM news. It references AT&T, Western Electric, the United States, the iPhone, and The Verge's Version History podcast, but it does not mention eSIM, eUICC, remote SIM provisioning, operator activation, or GSMA standards such as SGP.22 or SGP.32.

Related Questions

What is the Western Electric 500 phone?

The Western Electric 500 is a landline telephone model that The Verge says was widely used in the United States for years and decades. The article describes it as the phone many people simply knew as “The Phone.”

Did AT&T make the Western Electric 500?

Yes. The Verge frames its April 2026 story as the history of how AT&T created the Western Electric 500.

Does the iPhone Phone app icon come from the Western Electric 500 design?

Yes. The Verge says the iPhone Phone app icon looks like a Western Electric 500.