5G has improved smartphone connectivity and internet speeds. Even in 5G-covered areas, Android and iPhone users may be frustrated when their devices don’t show 5G network availability.
iPhones and Android phones that support 5G will automatically switch to 5G when you enter the area. In some cases 4G/LTE is displayed and 5G communication is not available even though you are in a 5G area.
Fortunately, there are several solutions. In this blog post, we’ll explain why your device may not show 5G network availability and offer solutions to restore it.
Check if it supports 5G
To connect your iPhone or Android phone to 5G, the device, area or plan must support 5G. First check if your device supports 5G, if your area is within 5G coverage, and if your plan supports 5G. The specific confirmation procedure is as follows.
Check if your device is 5G ready:
Check the product name and model number of your smartphone. You can usually find it on your device’s box or settings screen.
Search the internet for the product name and model number and visit the manufacturer’s official product page to find out if your device is 5G ready.
Check if the area is in 5G coverage:
You can find out more about this by conducting a quick Google search or visiting: OOKLA 5G MAP.
Go to the official website of your carrier (telecommunications carrier).
Find the 5G area coverage or area map page.
Enter your address or current location and check if you are in 5G coverage. You can also check the destination area.
Check if your plan supports 5G:
- Go to your carrier’s official website. Alternatively, you can use an app provided by your carrier.
- Access pages such as “My Account“, “Member Information”, and “Plans” and log in.
- Check the details of the plan you are currently subscribed to and check if it is a 5G compatible plan.
Switch Airplane Mode
If your smartphone’s airplane mode is turned on, mobile communication will be turned off and you will not be able to connect to 5G.
Also, if you cannot connect to 5G due to a temporary communication error, switching to airplane mode may solve the problem.
Follow the steps below to switch the airplane mode on your smartphone.
For iPhone:
Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to reveal the Control Center.
For iPhones with a home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Inside the Control Center, tap Airplane Mode (airplane icon) to toggle it to On.
Wait a few seconds, then tap Airplane Mode (airplane icon) to turn it back to Off.
For Android:
Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal quick settings.
If the notification panel is displayed, swipe down from the top of the screen again.
Within Quick Settings, tap Airplane Mode (airplane icon) to toggle it to “On.”
Wait a few seconds, then tap Airplane Mode (airplane icon) to turn it back to Off.
After turning off airplane mode on your phone, check to see if the 5G connection issue is resolved.
Enable 5G on Cellular Data
It is possible that 5G is disabled in the mobile data communication settings of the smartphone, and there are cases where it does not switch to 5G when connecting to mobile communication.
So make sure 5G is enabled in your cellular data settings. Follow the steps below to enable 5G in your mobile data settings.
For iPhone:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap “Mobile communication“.
Tap “Communication Options“.
Tap Voice & Data.
Select “5G Auto” or “5G On“.
For Android:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap “Network & Internet“.
Tap “Mobile network (or SIM)“.
Tap Preferred network type.
Select “5G“.
Once you have enabled 5G cellular data, check to see if it switches to 5G within your coverage area.
Check your mobile data usage
Depending on the contracted plan, 5G communication may be restricted when the data usage of mobile communication reaches the upper limit. If communication is restricted, you will not be able to connect to 5G even within the area.
Therefore, make sure that your data usage for the current month has not reached the upper limit. Your data usage limit depends on the plan you subscribe to.
To check your current mobile data usage, follow the steps below.
For iPhone:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap “Mobile communication“.
Check your data usage in the “Total to Date” section.
For Android:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap “Network & Internet“.
Tap “Mobile network (or SIM)”.
If you can’t find the item, go to “Connections” >”Data Usage”
- Check the data usage in the “XGB usage” item.
In addition to the above methods, you may be able to check data usage charges on the app or website provided by your carrier (telecommunications carrier).
If you’ve reached your data usage limit, wait until the next month or consider changing your plan.
Run System Update
There may be cases where 5G communication cannot be used and connection is not possible due to the old version of the iPhone or Android system.
So, running a system update to bring your system to the latest version may fix the issue. Follow the steps below to perform a system update.
For iPhone:
Launch the “Settings” app.
Tap General.
Tap “Software Update“.
If an update is found, tap Download and Install.
Enter the iPhone/iPad passcode.
Tap “Install now“.
Software update will run. The device will reboot when the update is complete.
For Android:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap “System“.
Tap “Advanced settings“.
Tap “System Update“.
If you see “Update available“, tap “Download” to run the update.
Proceed with the operation according to the displayed procedure.
Once you have updated your system to the latest version, check to see if it now connects to 5G.
Exit Low Power Mode
Some models of smartphones such as the iPhone 12 may have limited 5G communication due to the low power mode being turned on.
Therefore, if the smartphone is in low power mode, it may be possible to connect to 5G by canceling it. To exit low power mode, please follow the steps below:
For iPhone:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap “Battery“.
Toggle the “Low Power Mode” switch to “Off“.
For Android:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap “Battery (or Battery)”.
Toggle the “Battery saver (or energy saving mode)” switch to “Off“.
After you can get your phone out of low power mode, check to see if you can successfully connect to 5G.
Restart Your Device
There may be cases where you cannot connect to 5G due to a temporary problem in the system of your iPhone or Android smartphone.
Therefore, turning off your phone and restarting it may fix the problem. To reboot your device, please follow the steps below:
For iPhone:
Press and hold the iPhone’s “side button” and “volume control button” at the same time and drag the power off slider. When the power is off, press and hold the “side button” to wake it up.
For models with a home button, press and hold the “side button” and drag the power off slider.
For Android:
Press and hold the “Power Button” and tap “Restart“.
Once you have successfully restarted your device, check to see if you are now connected to 5G.
Reinsert the SIM Card
It may not be possible to connect to 5G due to problems such as poor contact with the SIM card attached to the smartphone.
Therefore, removing and reinserting the SIM card may fix the problem. To reinsert the SIM card, follow the steps below.
- Power off your smartphone.
- Eject the device’s SIM card tray.
- Remove the SIM card from the tray and reinsert it correctly.
- Put the SIM card tray back into the smartphone.
- Power on your smartphone.
If your device has an eSIM, you can’t remove the SIM card, so try the following:
Check for carrier communication failure
In rare cases, there are cases where you cannot connect to 5G communication due to a communication failure with your contracted carrier.
Therefore, please check if there is a problem with the line you are using on the official page of your contracted carrier or Twitter.
If there is a communication failure, wait for a while for the carrier to respond and then try to connect to 5G.
Reset APN
There may be cases where 5G communication cannot be connected because the APN settings on the smartphone are outdated or the settings are not correct.
Therefore, resetting the APN settings once and then setting them again may solve the problem. To reset the APN, follow the steps below.
For iPhone:
Launch the Settings app.
Tap General.
Tap Profile.
Tap the current configuration profile.
Tap “Delete profile“.
Tap “Delete” to delete the APN settings.
Download and install the profile again from the carrier’s page.
For Android:
Open the “Settings” app.
Tap Network and Internet (or Connections).
Tap “Mobile network”.
Tap “Access Point Name”.
Tap the 3 dots icon in the upper right and select Reset to default.
Tap “Add” in the upper right.
Enter the required information according to the APN setting information published by the destination carrier.
Save the settings with any name.
Select the newly added setting on the APN selection page.
Confirm that the check box is checked and you are done.
After resetting the APN information, check if you can connect to 5G.
Reset Network Settings
There may be cases where you cannot connect to 5G communication due to problems with network settings.
So, resetting the network settings once may fix the issue. Note, however, that resetting network settings will reset all Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and APN settings.
Follow the steps below to reset the network settings.
For iPhone:
Open “Settings” from the home screen.
Tap General.
Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad.
Tap “Reset” → “Reset network settings”.
Enter your passcode when prompted.
Tap “Reset network settings” to perform the reset.
After the reset is complete, your iPhone/iPad will automatically restart.
For Android:
Open Settings.
Tap “System (or Device Information)”.
Tap Reset Options (or Reset).
Tap Reset Network Settings (or Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile, Bluetooth).
Tap Reset settings.
After resetting the network settings, make APN settings as necessary and check if you can connect to 5G communication.
Why can’t my phone connect to 5G?
If your iPhone or Android phone connects to cellular data but not to 5G, the main reasons are:
None of your device area plans are 5G capable
The system version is old and does not support 5G
Problem with cellular data or APN settings
Data usage limit reached
Low power mode is on
Airplane mode is on
Your carrier has a communication failure
I have a problem with my device or SIM card
First, make sure that your device, area, and plan all support 5G, and then try the solutions for the other causes mentioned above.
If not resolved
If you’ve tried all the solutions and your iPhone or Android smartphone still can’t connect to 5G, there may be a problem with your contract plan or device hardware. So, try the methods below.
- Contact your carrier: There may be issues that your carrier can resolve, such as 5G communication troubles or plan confirmation.
- Contact support center: Contact your phone manufacturer’s support center for device-specific troubleshooting.
- Repair or replacement: If there is a problem with your device or SIM card, it may need to be repaired or replaced. Follow your carrier or manufacturer’s instructions.
If neither method solves the problem, there may be a situation where 5G communication is not available or device restrictions. If necessary, consider reviewing your plan or purchasing a new device.
