How do I know if my iPhone is using 5G?
Christopher Snyder
Updated on February 19, 2026
Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options. If you see this screen, your device has 5G activated. If you don't see this screen, contact your carrier to confirm that your plan supports 5G.
How do I know if my iPhone is running on 5G?
It's actually pretty easy to identify if an existing iPhone or Android phone has 5G connectivity and there are a few different ways to check. The most obvious is to look for a 5G symbol at the top of the screen where the network signal appears.What does the 5G symbol look like?
If your phone has a 5G modem, you will see one of two symbols: 5G or 5G+. 5G means your phone is currently connected to 5G NR on a sub-6 GHz frequency. Bands in this range provide better coverage but slower speeds. The higher the frequency, the faster your download speeds.How do I turn on 5G on my iPhone?
How to turn 5G on/off on iPhone
- Head to the Settings app on your iPhone (5G available on iPhone 12, 13, and SE 3)
- Tap Cellular.
- Choose Cellular Data Options.
- Tap Voice & Data.
- With 5G Auto as the default, you can choose 5G On to use it anytime it's available for faster speeds.
How can I tell if I'm on 5G?
Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options. If you see this screen, your device has 5G activated. If you don't see this screen, contact your carrier to confirm that your plan supports 5G. Turn on Airplane Mode, then turn it off.How to check if your phone has 5G
What iphones are 5G enabled?
Which iPhone models support 5G? The iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 13 range and iPhone 12 range all support 5G, meaning you can get 5G with the iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.Is 5G better than LTE?
“The main advantage that 5G offers over 4G LTE is faster speeds — primarily because there will be more spectrum available for 5G, and it uses more advanced radio technology,” Els Baert, director of marketing and communications at NetComm, told Digital Trends.Why is my 5G phone showing LTE?
The 5GE symbol really means a phone is using advanced LTE technology, which is available on other carriers and is slower than the 10-gigabyte speeds 5G promises.What does LTE mean on iPhone?
LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and is sometimes referred to as 4G LTE. It's a standard for wireless data transmission that allows you to download your favorite music, websites, and video really fast—much faster than you could with the previous technology, 3G. Play video.How do I turn on 5G on my phone?
Enable 5G on your phone.Open Settings, and then search for and select Network mode. Tap Network mode, and then tap an option that includes 5G connectivity, or GLOBAL.