So, your iPhone is stuck on 3G and you want to switch it to LTE Don’t worry. You are in the right place.
In this article, I’m going to share with you why your iPhone is on 3G, all the possible ways you can change from 3G to LTE, and how to stop your iPhone from switching back to 3G. So make sure you read till the end.
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Why is my iPhone on 3G?
As a general rule, whenever the network in your area is not good enough, your iPhone gets stuck on 3G. However, it can also be a minor glitch. Change 3G to LTE by restarting your phone, checking whether LTE is enabled or not, resetting network settings, turning on-off the airplane mode.
Let’s see all the possible ways in which you change your iPhone from 3G to LTE.
How do I change my iPhone from 3G to LTE?
- Restart your iPhone
- Check if LTE is enabled
- Reset Network Settings
- Turn Airplane plane mode off & on
- Disable VPN
- Turn Off SIM PIN
- Update Your iOS to latest verison
- Restore your phone
- Contact your carrier
- Talk to Apple support
1. Restart your iPhone
Sometimes restarting your iPhone can help you solve the connectivity issue. So, try doing that.
First, you can switch off your phone, remove the sim card, re-insert it, and start your iPhone again.
See if this works or not. If nothing changes, continue reading to try the other methods.
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2. Check if LTE is Enabled or Not
You need to check whether or not LTE is enabled on your iPhone. Yes, this method may sound obvious, but sometimes the most noticeable thing can help solve big problems.
So to do it, you have to do the following steps:
- Open the Settings application on your iPhone.
- Tap on Mobile Data/Cellular Data.
- Select the Mobile Data option.
- Choose Voice And Data.
- Then select the LTE option.
After doing these steps, your iPhone will be configured and use the LTE network.
3.Reset Network Settings
Selecting the reset network settings can help you to solve the network connectivity issue on your iPhone.
And to do it, you have to go through the following steps:
- Launch the Settings application on your iPhone.
- Scroll down a bit and then tap on the General tab.
- Continue to scroll down and tap on “Reset.”
- Now select “Reset Network Settings” from the available options.
However, it would be best if you take caution. Selecting to reset the network settings will delete all the internet and networking-related data. Only do this if you are comfortable with this information deleted.
If you feel nervous, I recommend checking out my detailed article on what happens if you reset your iPhone. It is essential to be aware of the consequences, as you are an iPhone user.
4.Turn On & Off Airplane Mode
Sometimes turning on and off the airplane mode can also help you solve the connectivity issue on your iPhone.
To do it, you have to locate the airplane mode option. You can do this by either swiping up or down on your iPhone screen.
Then turn “Airplane Mode” on, wait for a few seconds and again turn it off.
5. Disable VPN
To disable VPN, you need to do the following steps:
- Open the Settings application.
- Scroll down and tap on General.
- Then scroll down again and tap on VPN.
- If VPN is enabled, then tap the toggle to turn it off.
Doublecheck if this strategy works. If not, continue to the next option.
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6.Turn Off SIM PIN
A SIM PIN is used to safeguard your phone from others who might use it to make calls or use your iPhone’s cellular data. However, turning it off can help you to solve the connectivity issue with LTE.
So to turn off the SIM PIN on your iPhone
- Go to the Settings application.
- Tap on the Mobile Data/Cellular Data option.
- Then tap on SIM PIN from the available options.
- Now tap on the toggle to turn off the SIM PIN.
- Enter your SIM PIN code for verification.
7. Update Your IOS
Do you have the latest version of IOS installed on your iPhone? If yes, great! But if you haven’t updated your iPhone’s IOS for quite a while. Now is the best time to do it.
IOS updates can help you to solve the issues you are facing with your iPhone.
8. Restore Your iPhone
This strategy is a bit more aggressive because restoring your iPhone will delete all the data and install the latest IOS version.
Make sure to take the backup first before doing it.
Here’s how to backup your iPhone using iCloud straight from Apple
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.
- Turn on iCloud Backup. iCloud automatically backs up your iPhone daily when iPhone is connected to power, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi. …
- To perform a manual backup, tap Back Up Now
9.Contact Your Carrier
Even after applying all the tips mentioned above, if you still face connectivity issues, then contact your carrier.
Explain to them what the problem is, and ask for help. Tell the carrier as well to check whether or not your account is set up correctly.
10.Contact Apple Support
Lastly, if nothing works, the only option left is to reach out to Apple customer service.
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Why is my phone on 3G instead of LTE?
Your iPhone is on 3G instead of LTE is because of the poor signal strength of LTE in your area. If you are in a location where the signal strength for LTE is not good enough, then your iPhone will tend to switch back to 3G instead of accessing 4G.
Right now I am in a Jungle town in Colombia and my iPhone has 3G in the city with a stronger Wi-Fi connection I have 4G.
You can think of it by the example of the radio you use in your car. Whenever there is a hissing sound, it indicates that your radio signal is poor in that area.
But as you drive and go some distance ahead, you start hearing the radio correctly.
Similarly, whether your device is on 3G or LTE, your iPhone will shift to the option that has the best signal in a particular area. However, if the signal is weak, you might even lose the network signal completely.
How do I stop my iPhone from switching to 3G?
As a general rule, you can’t force your iPhone from not switching back to 3G. In areas of poor signal reception, your iPhone will automatically switch back to 3G. However, you can choose to prefer LTE for data usage and making calls on your iPhone.
To set your default network as LTE:
- Launch your iPhone’s Settings application.
- Head to Mobile Data, Mobile Data Options.
- Select Enable LTE.
If your phone keeps shifting to 3G even after setting your default network, retry the ten options discussed above.
Now, have you ever seen canceled calls on your call logs and wondered what it is exactly? Then I highly recommend that you check out my detailed guide about canceled calls on iPhone.