Have you ever wondered what turning off 5G does on your iPhone? Does it affect connectivity or battery life in any way? This definitive 2500+ word guide will cover everything you need to know about disabling 5G on an iPhone!
I‘ll provide detailed background on 5G technology, illustrate step-by-step how to toggle the settings to turn it off, analyze the battery and network performance tradeoffs, and answer common troubleshooting questions.
Consider this your personal handbook on controlling that speedy new 5G option on your iPhone!
Overview: What Does Turning Off 5G Do?
Before we dive into the nitty gritty details, let‘s first quickly recap what we mean by turning off 5G:
- Disabling or turning off 5G on your iPhone forces it to stop connecting to 5G networks
- Your iPhone will automatically fall back to using 4G LTE data instead
- All connectivity like calls, texts, and internet access works normally over 4G LTE
- But you lose access to the fastest 5G data speeds and advanced features
Now the main reasons you may want to turn off 5G are:
- Conserve battery life – 5G currently drains iPhones faster than 4G LTE
- Reduce cellular data usage – prevent overages especially if you have limited data
- Maintain stable connections – switch to 4G LTE if you happen to be in an area with poor 5G signals
Later sections will examine the battery and connectivity tradeoffs in more depth. But in most everyday situations you can simply leave 5G enabled on your iPhone to enjoy the fastest speeds wherever available.
Let‘s now look under the hood to better understand what makes 5G tick!
What Exactly is 5G and How Does it Work?
5G stands for the 5th generation mobile networks and will eventually replace the existing 4G LTE technology used by smartphones globally today. Some key enhancements 5G introduces are:
Faster Data Speeds
5G specification call for massive boosts in peak data rates up to 20 Gbps downlink speeds, versus 1 Gbps cap on 4G LTE networks. Real world performance is currently in the 1 – 2 Gbps range as networks mature.
Lower Latency
The time delay for data to make a round trip from device to network is called latency. 5G aims for sub 1 millisecond latency compared to roughly 50 ms lag on 4G. Lower latency translates to near real-time interactivity.
Greater Capacity
By utilizing much wider spectrum bandwidth allocations, a 5G network can maintain high-speed connections to over 1 million devices per square km simultaneously.
To deliver on these promises, most mobile carriers are deploying 5G service in two stages:
5G NR and mmWave
Initial nation-wide 5G rollouts utilize lower frequency Sub-6 GHz spectrum very similar to existing LTE bands. This non-standalone (NSA) 5G buildout focusing on using LTE infrastructure as an anchor is formally called 5G NR.
The next stage involves standalone high-band networks leveraging 24 – 40 Ghz millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum for superfast speeds. But mmWave signals lack range and penetration. So these networks are limited to dense urban areas.
Here is a technical comparison of 4G LTE versus early and advanced stage 5G capabilities:
| Network Standard | LTE | 5G NR (Sub-6 GHz) |
5G mmWave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed (Download) | 1 Gbps | 1 – 2 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
| Speed (Upload) | 50 Mbps | 100 – 400 Mbps | 10 Gbps |
| Latency | 50 ms | < 20 ms | < 5 ms |
| Spectrum Band | < 6 GHz | < 6 GHz | 24 – 40 GHz |
As we can see from the table, 5G NR offers a modest bump over advanced 4G LTE deployments. The extremely high speeds and low latency promises require the wide unused spectrum of high frequency mmWave bands.
But therein lies the catch…
Why Doesn‘t 5G Work Nationwide Yet?
Given all the marketing hype from carriers, you would expect blazing fast 5G networks to be ubiquitous by now. However the reality is 5G coverage maps are still riddled with gaps.
The reason behind these limitations come down to physics and the compromises between high, mid and low frequency cellular spectrum:
High bands like mmWave provide tons of bandwidth enabling insane gigabit speeds. But the catch is weak penetration and minimal range coverage.
Mid bands around 3-5 Ghz strike the best balance between speed/capacity and coverage footprint. But these useful frequencies were already allocated to other services years ago.
Low bands below 1 Ghz offer great signal reach across miles and through walls by sacrificing capacity. Most nationwide 5G today uses low frequency bands resulting in coverage maps that geographically look impressive but offer only marginal speed boosts over 4G LTE.
Add to this the infrastructure costs associated with installing high numbers of compact cell sites to enable mmWave service and it becomes clear why the shift to 5G will span years…not months.
Carriers are working furiously to acquire mid-band spectrum and deploy true high speed 5G more widely. But until then understanding real world limitations is important in managing expectations!
Now let‘s get into the details of how to turn off 5G on your iPhone and assess the impacts…
Step-by-Step: How to Turn Off 5G on iPhone
The process to fully disable 5G connectivity on an iPhone takes seconds:
- Open the Settings app then tap on Cellular
- Scroll down and select Cellular Data Options
- Under Cellular Data Options, choose Voice & Data
- Here you will find three connectivity modes:
- 5G On: Always use 5G when available
- 5G Auto (Default): Intelligently shift between 5G/4G
- LTE: Disable 5G completely
- Here you will find three connectivity modes:
- Tap on the LTE option to turn off 5G!
And that‘s it – by selecting LTE your iPhone will stop using 5G networks entirely.
Keep in mind that this setting persists through restarts. So once disabled, your iPhone will remain forced onto 4G LTE until you explicitly re-enable 5G via the same Cellular Data screen.
Let‘s now evaluate how turning off 5G impacts two key areas – battery life and network connectivity.
Disabling 5G – The Battery Life Tradeoff
One of the biggest reasons people consider turning off 5G on their iPhone is to conserve battery charge. Faster cellular data speeds unfortunately come at the cost of reduced battery runtime.
But how much worse is 5G really for your iPhone battery versus just using 4G LTE? Let‘s examine findings from recent in-depth analysis and testing:
Why 5G Drains More Power
Maintaining a persistent high-bandwidth low-latency link requires your iPhone to transmit at much higher power levels on 5G spectrum compared to idle listening mode on 4G LTE.
Add to this the additional 5G modem and specialized antenna components only active while connected via 5G networks. These extra radios keep the cellular hardware awake and drawing current.
As an example, iPhone 12 models saw their battery life rating go from 11 to 10 hours when constantly using a 5G connection instead of 4G LTE during casual web browsing usage.
And the faster the 5G speeds, the greater the energy expended – testing over mmWave networks resulted in even faster depletion topping over 20% drop for the same workload compared to 4G LTE!
But don‘t despair just yet. Remember that in practical daily usage your iPhone spends a lot of time in idle standby mode during which 5G radios go to sleep and have minimal impact.
Adaptive Battery Optimization
Apple iPhones running iOS are remarkably smart when it comes to adaptive battery life optimization.
Once iOS detects high cellular radio usage it will automatically disable 5G standby monitoring when the device screen turns off. And it will proactively delay background 5G network registration after the screen wakes to conserve power.
This intelligent balancing ensures most average users see only modest cellular battery drain differences in regular usage with 5G enabled versus forced LTE-only mode.
You can visualize this in action by examining the Cellular Data settings. Keep an eye on the network status icon while you lock/wake your iPhone‘s screen:
As evidenced by real world testing data and Apple‘s excellent power state management, for majority of folks there is no meaningful battery life benefit to permanently disabling 5G connectivity on your iPhone.
I recommend leaving 5G enabled in Auto mode to enjoy speedier connectivity when available without worrying about battery runtime or manual network switching. iOS will automatically dial back 5G usage when necessary.
Now let‘s explore the other major impact of turning off 5G – potential changes in network performance and connectivity…
How Disabling 5G Affects Network Connectivity
In addition to battery life, people consider turning off iPhone 5G connectivity to:
- Reduce cellular data consumption
- Maintain stable connections in areas of poor 5G coverage
Both scenarios have some merit depending on your personal usage context. Let‘s examine the networking considerations in detail when disabling 5G:
Effect on Data Usage
It‘s true that the sheer speed of 5G LTE – over 10x faster than typical 4G LTE deployments, makes it easier to accidentally burn through monthly data allotments.
Streaming hi-resolution videos over YouTube while tethering or using your iPhone as a full-time hotspot to other devices are perfect recipes for high data consumption.
In these cases proactively limiting connectivity to 4G LTE caps network throughput around 100 Mbps – fast enough for most tasks without going overboard.
But handling runaway data usage merely by disabling 5G connectivity seems shortsighted. A better long term solution is switching to an unlimited data plan or utilizing built-in iPhone parental controls and alerts for managing usage.
Managing Network Coverage Gaps
Since 5G networks are still being built out across geographies, coverage can be sparse in many locales with pockets of strong 4G LTE connectivity.
Does it help turning off 5G in such areas plagued by unreliable nascent 5G service?
Perhaps temporarily. But here as well I would argue for keeping cellular connectivity on Auto mode instead of forcing LTE-only operation.
The key insight here is that iOS is designed to automatically and seamlessly fall back to the best available network when it detects issues with a cellular link getting established.
So whether that is gracefully shifting from flakey 5G signals to robust LTE or even stepping down all the way to 3G/2G connectivity in remote areas – your iPhone has you covered!
In my experience, the intelligent network switching capabilities of iOS are extremely reliable in maintaining connectivity. Manual overrides usually cause more harm than good.
Trust in the system and enjoy 5G speeds wherever available. Your iPhone will walk down to slower networks automatically when it makes sense to preserve battery life or maintain connections.
Expert Troubleshooting for Cellular Connectivity Issues
However in rare cases you may observe problems like:
- iPhone stuck on 5G despite poor signal and drained battery
- Failing to fall back from 5G to 4G LTE automatically
- Frequent dropped calls or frozen data with 5G enabled
Should you ever face such scenarios of clear radio issues, here is a methodical troubleshooting game plan I recommend:
Step 1. Toggle Airplane mode ON, wait 30 seconds, then turn it OFF. This forces a full reconnect to check for latest tower parameters.
Step 2. Under Cellular settings switch 5G from Auto to LTE-only mode. Test if the connectivity issues persist on 4G. This helps isolate the problem source.
Step 3. Try manually selecting a different cellular operator if your SIM supports multiple networks. Each carrier configuration handles handoffs differently.
Step 4. As a last resort, turn Cellular Data fully OFF for 30 minutes to force the device into a blank radio state eliminating transient history. Then re-enable Cellular Data.
The vast majority of connectivity problems resolve by methodically working through these logical debugging steps. But if issues still persist across networks and bands, you likely have a hardware fault needing professional service.
Key Takeaways on Disabling iPhone 5G Connectivity
Let‘s recap the major learnings based on our detailed analysis:
-
Expect wider 5G availability in 12-18 months as carriers acquire crucial mid-band spectrum
-
Leaving 5G enabled in Auto mode works perfectly fine for most people benefiting from next-gen speeds without any special settings tweaks
-
Don‘t fall for overblown battery drain fears as intelligent iOS power management kicks in automatically behind the scenes
-
Instead of disabling 5G proactively set usage alerts and data limits to prevent runaway consumption
-
Toggle Airplane mode ON/OFF to force re-connect intermittently rather than limiting networks
Prioritize enjoying those blazing fast 5G downloads wherever available knowing your iPhone has you covered in areas still waiting for upgraded cellular connectivity!
Frequently Asked Questions
Let‘s wrap up by addressing some additional commonly asked questions:
Q: Will turning off 5G disable WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity?
A: Absolutely not. Toggling the Cellular 5G settings has no impact on the iPhone‘s WiFi, Bluetooth or other wireless radios. Only the cellular data interface is affected.
Q: What about making phone calls and sending SMS messages?
A: Voice calls and texting work perfectly fine over 4G LTE. In areas of poor 4G coverage, your iPhone can even fall back 3G networks for calling continuity.
Q: Can I create a Control Center shortcut to quickly enable/disable 5G?
A: Great idea! You can easily make a Control Center widget to toggle your Cellular Data mode between 5G and 4G LTE with two taps for temporary changes.
Q: Will I save battery life by turning off both Cellular Data and WiFi and using Airplane mode more?
A: Not necessarily. With no background app updates or streaming audio allowed over Airplane mode, you are severely limiting functionality which often outweighs modest power gains. I suggest using Airplane mode only temporarily while retaining cellular data for ubiquitous access.
And with that we have covered everything from 5G internals all the way to troubleshooting connectivity and battery issues by disabling 5G networks on your iPhone!
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments section. Happy speed testing!
