relatively inconsistent, and they watch their service constantly switch back and forth to LTE
(which stands for “Long Term Evolution”). It is currently believed that most 5G phones will
continue to use 4G networks for the foreseeable future, and that a complete transition to 5G
won’t occur until 2030 to 2035.
By the way, you might notice when you’re not close to a tower with your cell phone carrier
appurtenance, you will see that “LTE” on your screen. While Long Term Evolution sounds
fancy and progressive, what that really means is that your service is not working optimally,
but it’s trying. There is no true standard for LTE, it covers the entire range of minimum
download speeds from 3G’s 20 Mbps to 4G’s 100 Mbps, giving it a massive range of
potential speeds.
If you have a newer-model phone and it’s trying to utilize 5G but seems to be stuttering,
Apple users have the option to turn it off. You can go to “settings,” then “Cellular,” then
“Cellular Data Options,” then “Voice & Data” and tap LTE. Your phone will then turn off its 5G
connection, reverting to (sometimes) slower LTE connection. You can always turn 5G back on
when you want it, or when service in your area improves by repeating the steps above and
selecting 5G Auto. Or,
if you’d rather your
iPhone 12 not use
Apple’s Smart Data
mode, you can force
it to always use a 5G
connection when
available by selecting
“5G on.”
This requires a bit
of explanation as
well. If you have an
iPhone, Apple has a
thing called “Smart
Data.” This means
your phone examines
every request you
make of it and decides which mode to use on its own, if Smart Data is enabled. For instance,
if you’re streaming a video or playing a game, it will optimize your speed with the highest
carrier ability (at this time that might be 5G for you, but is usually 4G). When the phone
makes that decision for you, it optimizes your battery life between charges. If you decide you
want to keep your iPhone’s 5G connection setting on, make sure you check your data mode
by going to “Settings,” “Cellular,” “Cellular Data Options,” then “Data mode,” and there you
will either see two or three options as to how aggressively your phone will allow apps and
services to utilize 5G connection.
It is best to be as prudent as possible, as most carriers who proclaim you have “unlimited
service” often harness and stutter your data at some point once you go over a certain
amount, and your service will slow down.