Why would you want to disable the fast mobile network speeds of LTE? Sometimes you’ll hit an area with spotty LTE coverage and your iPhone will bounce between 3G, LTE or even EDGE. That can kill your battery and you’ll want to disable LTE to avoid that.
Or maybe you just want to turn off your data to avoid any overages, or because you feel better when not constantly connected while on the go. Whatever your personal reason, here’s how to disable LTE on your iPhone.
Quick note: I’m using AT&T as my carrier, so your settings may differ if you have a different one. Check with your provider if the steps below aren’t working for you.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
First of all, head into your Settings app and tap on Cellular. You can turn off all cell data completely here by toggling the button to OFF.
If you want to leave cell data on and just disable LTE, tap on the Cellular Data Options button, then tap on Enable LTE. Your choices here are Off, Voice & Data, or Data Only. Select Off if you want to disable LTE completely, choose Voice & Data to allow voice over IP (VOIP) calls and data on LTE, and choose Data only to skip the VOIP stuff.
Photo: Apple
Whichever settings you have or choose, at least now you know how you can completely disable LTE on your iPhone, whether you need to do so for network stability, battery life or just keeping your data usage on the down low.
Via: OS X Daily
Rob LeFebvre is an Anchorage, Alaska-based writer and editor who has contributed to various tech, gaming and iOS sites, including 148Apps, Creative Screenwriting, Shelf-Awareness, VentureBeat, and Paste Magazine. Feel free to find Rob on Twitter @roblef, and send him a cookie once in a while; he’ll really appreciate it.
2 responses to “How (and why) to disable LTE on your iPhone”
For those that are indoors almost all day (office or home) then the 2G + WiFi combination is the ideal battery saver.
I recently was in the area that you describe in the 1st paragraph as follows:
“Why would you want to disable the fast mobile network speeds of LTE? Sometimes you’ll hit an area with spotty LTE coverage and your iPhone will bounce between 3G, LTE or even EDGE. That can kill your battery and you’ll want to disable LTE to avoid that.”
I’d like understand what you mean exactly by “That can kill your battery “?
Here is what I’ve noticed after traveling to that area, where I saw my iPhone 6, iOS 9.3 – “bounce between 3G, LTE or even EDGE” –
My iPhone 6 takes longer to charge, even from electrical outlet
The last segment, between 95-100% takes approx. 30 min
Now the Battery is getting used up a lot quicker. Example:
I’d go outside with Battery at full 100%, listen to a 20-40 worth of Podcasts! After that I’d expect to see 82-85%, but now, after having traveled to that area. where my iPhone 6 “bounce between 3G, LTE or even EDGE”, that expected 82-85% is closer to 70%
To be fair, I’ve Updated from iOS 9.2.1 to iOS 9.3 so maybe is partially responsible for that expected drop in performance from 82-85% is closer to 70% after 20-40 worth of Podcasts?
Right now, as I am charging my iPhone 6 via AC outlet, not car adapter, not laptop! And here is my Charging Speed Log:
65% + 30 min = 89% + 10 min = 93% + 10 min = 95% + 10 min = 96 %
3 min after 96% mark I had to unplug my iPhone 6 and take it to charge into another room! As soon as I Unplugged it, 96% became 100%! Thus, maybe those Battery Level % are not very accurate?
Yesterday’s Log was
80% – 30 min timer
93% – 10 min timer
94% – 10 min timer
95% – 10 min timer
Thus 80% > 100% = 1 hr?
I just checked a log from my 1st week of owning this iPhone 6:
October 2014
After 3 Hrs of Use: Wi-Fi On, VLTE (LTE + Data), GPS, Podcasts, Music, Email, Facebook, a few Photos takes 100% > 75 %
Charging from AC, not MacBook Pro USB
75% + 30 min Timer
97% + 5 Min Timer = 35 min
98% + 5 Min Timer = 40 min
99% + 5 Min Timer = 45 min
100% = Charged in 50 min
Now, in 4/2016 I drop down 100% > 75 % in 40-45 min, as opposed to 3 hours!
So agin, when you write – “That can kill your battery ” – do you mean irreparable damage, where I will no longer get a better battery performance?
Or, are you using word “kill” loosely? Do you mean “drain”, “drain faster”?
In any case, can the Battery Performance be Restored, if one Completely Discharges it, and then Charges it Continuously from AC Overnight? I really hope so!
Thus again my Q:
“That can kill your battery” – do you mean irreparable damage, where I will no longer get a better battery performance? I hope not!
Also, does iPhone 6 Charge slower, if one is using Maps GPS while driving, and talks on the phone at the same time? That’s what I noticed after a visit to that very poor coverage area!
I have time till end of September 2016 on my 2 Years AppleCare. Can I expect Apple to Replace my iPhone 6 because of what I’ve described above?
Can they Test the Battery of my iPhone 6 at the Genious Bart in Apple Store, to see if it’s Performance is Healthy?
I expect to Trade my iPhone 6 in 10/2016 and switch from a 2 Years Contract to a Subscription! Of course, I’ll buy AppleCare for my next iPhone 7, or whatever Apple will name it!
Thanks in advance for your reply!