| Cult of Mac

How to save battery life when using 5G on iPhone

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save battery life when using 5G on iPhone 12
Are you using the right data mode?
Photo: Apple

If you’re using one of Apple’s newest iPhone models, you should be enjoying spectacular battery life — the best you can get from a modern smartphone. But if you’re not, the likely culprit is its super-speedy 5G connectivity.

5G consumes significantly more power than 4G, but there are some things you can do to minimize its impact on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. We’ll show you how.

App Store’s cellular download limit increases on iPhone

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App Store
Apple apps no longer dominate App Store search results.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has finally increased the App Store’s cellular download limit on the iPhone — but not by much.

You can now download up to 200MB over a 3G or 4G connection. The limit was previously set at 150MB. You will still need to connect to a Wi-Fi network to download larger apps and games.

U.S.’s crappy 4G service costs far more than it should

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Speedtest will show you that 4G LTE service in the US is often quite slow.
Speedtest will show you that 4G LTE service in the US is often quite slow.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Many other countries have much faster 4G service than the United States, according to a new study.  About the only places the US beat were emerging economies.

To add insult to injury, a recent study also found that Americans pay far more for mobile internet access than other developed countries.

Ranking every iPhone by 4G data speeds

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iPhone XS
Gigabit LTE on the iPhone XS is screamin fast.
Photo: Apple

Holding onto your old iPhone could be causing you to lose out on some serious 4G LTE speed gains made by carriers over the last few years.

A new study on the average iPhone 4G download and upload speeds in the United States found that iPhone 6 owners and earlier see seeds that are nearly 10Mbps slower than the latest iPhone models.

Apple admits Qualcomm was the only choice for 4G iPhone chips

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iPhone 5
The iPhone 5 was a brilliant phone. And Qualcomm was a big reason for that.
Photo: Apple

Apple has admitted in court that, when it transitioned to 4G connectivity with the iPhone 5, Qualcomm was the only company capable of providing the chips Apple needed.

The admission of Qualcomm’s technical superiority over rivals came from Matthias Sauer, Apple’s director of cellular systems architecture. Sauer said that Apple considered working with Ericsson, Broadcom and Intel — but that none could deliver the chip specifications that Apple wanted.

New LTE tech brings screaming speeds — but not to iPhones

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T-Mobile LTE speed test

Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile has increased LTE speeds to a staggering 500Mbps in New York City. It has become the first carrier to test commercial Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology, which sends 4G signals over unused 5GHz Wi-Fi channels to increase bandwidth, in the United States.

LAA will soon be expanding its reach across the U.S. — but you won’t be able to enjoy it on iPhone.

How to fix the iPhone No Service error while roaming

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IPhone no service error
Just switch this setting to fix the iPhone No Service error.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you’ve ever traveled to a foreign country with your iPhone or iPad, you may have come across the dreaded No Service error. This happens when you get off the plane and switch on your iPhone. But instead of connecting to a cellular network, your iPhone just spins its wheels and refuses to connect.

Apple offers a support page to help out, and a zillion forum pages serve up advice, but none seem to cover this particular tip, which I discovered after hours of painful futzing with settings.

Qualcomm demands ITC ban iPhones powered by Intel

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iPhone 6s teardown
Pegatron will team up with an Indonesian manufacturer..
Photo: iFixit

The ongoing fight between Apple and Qualcomm could result in an import ban on all new iPhones powered by Intel.

Qualcomm requested today that the U.S. International Trade Commission place a “limited exclusion order” on all iPhones that use Intel’s 4G wireless modem. iPhones powered by Qualcomm’s chip would be excluded from the ban.

Qualcomm fights back with counterclaim against Apple

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iPhone 6s teardown
Pegatron will team up with an Indonesian manufacturer..
Photo: iFixit

After being sued by Apple for allegedly charging royalties on technology it did not own, Qualcomm is fighting back with a lawsuit of its own, claiming Apple is misleading and has breached its contract with the company.

Qualcomm has long been responsible for the wireless chips used in iPhones, iPads and many other Apple devices, but the relationship between the two turned sour back in January when Apple filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the chipmaker.

Verizon plans to roll out 5G network in 11 cities

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Verizon is about to get more expensive.
5G is coming to Verizon in 2017.
Photo: Verizon

The next generation of wireless internet speed is nearly here. But only if you have a Verizon account.

The carrier said today that it plans to start rolling out its high-speed wireless 5G network in the United States during the first half of 2017, making it the first cellular network to offer the new technology.