5G cellular service has expanded significantly across U.S. carriers in recent years and works on iPhone 12-15 and SE 3. Apple defaults to a “5G Auto” setting that aims to give users a balance between network speed and battery life. However, you can also manage settings manually to optimize what you need at that moment. Follow these steps to learn how to turn 5G on or off on your iPhone.
Wondering what kind of 5G performance you’ll get on your iPhone? It depends on your region and carrier. In the US, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile all have 5G available nationwide, with top speeds that can exceed 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps), but that’s not the norm for most companies.
That said, the cellular speeds on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are quite fast.
There are several types of 5G. Millimeter waves offer the fastest speeds, but range is quite limited. Sub-6Ghz 5G has better range, but speeds are closer to 4G LTE (only iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15 support both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G).
If you’re considering changing carriers to improve your 5G coverage, we’ve got a complete guide for you.
However, one of the drawbacks of 5G is that it consumes more battery than LTE. Some tests show that your iPhone lasts 1 to 2.5 hours longer on 4G LTE than on 5G.
iPhone default 5G settings
5G is turned on by default on compatible iPhones, but it’s not permanent (if available). It uses what Apple calls “smart data modes” that automatically try to strike the best balance between 5G/LTE and battery life. Apple also says it takes data plans into account.
Default settings for 5G on iPhone are optimized for battery life and data usage based on your data plan. You can customize these options for when to use 5G and how much data some apps use.
However, within Cellular Settings, you can manually turn 5G on or off on your iPhone to optimize speed and battery life.
How to turn on/off 5G on iPhone
- heading to settings app On iPhone (5G available on iPhone 12-15 and SE 3)
- Tap mobile phone
- choose cellular data options
- Tap voice and data
- If you select 5G Auto as default, 5G on You can use it whenever available to get faster speeds
- Or, if you want to turn off 5G completely, tap . LTE to extend battery life
You can also tap and select Data Mode in your phone settings. 5G allows more data Enable high-quality video for streaming, FaceTime, and more. And vice versa, low data mode For when you want to save money.
This will look like this:
Turn 5G on/off: What is this icon?
Depending on the different types of 5G services (sub-6Ghz, mmWave, etc.), Apple displays four different icons on your iPhone’s status bar to indicate which one you’re using (Turn on 5G manually) or 5G Auto/Smart). data mode).
Verizon uses 5G UW to note mmWave and other high-frequency 5G connections, AT&T uses 5G+, and T-Mobile labels it 5G UC (ultra-capacity). If you see a simple “5G” in your status bar, it means you’re in the lower spectrum (which has greater range and coverage, but relatively slower speeds).
Note: iPhone SE 3 is not compatible with mmWave 5G services, only sub-6GHz. iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15 support both mmWave and sub-6GHz.
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Top image (via Apple)
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