Advice & Tips

Why Is My Phone Not Showing 5G? How To Fix It?

First, why doesn’t my phone display 5g?

There is a short-term bug. Due to your distance from the 5G network, your phone cannot access it. The most recent 5G towers are malfunctioning. The network is incompatible with your mobile device.

Verify that 5G is available where you are. If you’re unsure, speak to your carrier. Navigate to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options. Your device has 5G enabled if you see this screen. Check with your carrier to see if your plan supports 5G if you don’t see this screen.

Please read on as I provide you with more detailed information about why my phone does not display 5G.

Why Is My Phone Not Showing 5G?

5G connection issues are hardly ever caused by something you did wrong or could have prevented. Here are some potential causes of the issue:

  • A brief malfunction is present.
  • Due to your distance from the 5G network, your phone cannot access it.
  • The nearest 5G tower isn’t operating correctly.
  • The network cannot support your phone.

Remember that many older phones can’t connect to 5G, so you can save some time by skipping through all of these steps. 

How To Fix: 5G Network Doesn’t Show Up

To try some of the simpler fixes first, follow these steps:

  • Turn your device’s airplane mode on, wait a short while, and then turn it off again. Your connection to the cell tower will be momentarily cut off, after which it will be made to try once more.
  • See how to restart an Android device or an iPhone for complete instructions.
    Restarting isn’t fun because it might take a while before your phone starts up again and everything loads, but it’s a simple step that you shouldn’t skip.
    This step is for restarting/rebooting your phone, not resetting. Your phone will behave differently if you restart or reset it. Resetting is one of the steps below, but don’t do it this early in the troubleshooting process.
  • Check your location to see if 5G is available. Although 5G has been installed everywhere, there are significant gaps that render it unreliable in many locations.
    Moving even a few feet can force you back to an older standard like LTE/4G if you have a 5G-capable phone and you recently used a 5G network.
    If the provider of your mobile service does not have a coverage map available on their website, you can view the Ookla 5G Map at Speedtest.net.
    There are various 5G networks, some of which your carrier might support even if your phone doesn’t. It’s possible that your phone only supports 5G UWB if the map indicates low-band and mid-band coverage where you are but 5G isn’t available on your device.
  • Verify with your carrier that 5G is covered by your plan. If a 5G network doesn’t appear on your device even though you’re in an area that should be supported, it’s possible that you aren’t paying for 5G access.
    Most businesses include 5G in the majority of their plans, but for specifics, check with your carrier.
  • Depending on the circumstances, switch 5G on or off.
    Turn it off if it’s already on, but you can’t reach the network. Thus, your phone will at least function on an outdated network type, such as LTE.
    In some cases, the 5G tower is to blame, and there is nothing else you can do. Sadly, this may be the only option. If there’s a specific tower nearby that you frequently have trouble connecting to, but 5G works elsewhere, it’s most likely your situation.
    However, if you’ve completed those steps before, and that’s why you can’t access the network, reverse those steps to turn it on.
    You can turn an iPhone’s 5G on or off in the Voice & Data area of the settings. Search for Preferred network type or Network mode if you’re on Android.
    If the network type is already set to something that should cover 5G, like Global or Auto, change it to an option that best ensures a connection, like 5G On or 5G/LTE/3G/2G (auto connect).
  • Make sure your phone is running the most recent operating system. If you’re using an outdated version of iOS or Android, you’re missing out on all the newest fixes and improvements for your phone that are included in the most recent OS installation.
  • Clear the cache for the SIM Toolkit and reseat the SIM card.
    Specifically, do this:
    • Switch off the phone, take out the SIM card, and then switch it back on without it.
    • SIM Toolkit’s cache should be cleared. Open Settings > Apps > See all apps, and search for SIM Toolkit. Open it and go to Storage & cache > Clear cache.
    • After re-inserting the SIM card, switch the phone back on after switching it off.
  • Potentially outdated is your phone. For a phone to find and connect to a 5G network, specific hardware must be installed.
    Even if it was produced before 2019, a phone that can connect to 4G may not necessarily function with 5G. You might not have a 5G-capable phone if you don’t see 5G at the top of your phone and none of the other suggestions have worked.
    Check the phone’s specifications online or on the manufacturer’s website using the model number. It ought to specify whether 5G is supported.
  • To learn about your other options, get in touch with the customer service department at the business that provides your mobile service. Tell them what you’ve already done (all of the aforementioned steps); they might be able to help you out themselves or they might have additional suggestions that are specific to your phone or plan.
    They might ask you to perform a full reset (see Step 10), but it’s best to put off doing that as long as you can. It is a good idea to contact the service provider first.
  • your phone’s factory reset. It will remove all of your customizations and reset all of the software and apps to their factory default settings.
    This step is drastic, and you should take it only if you’re confident your phone should be able to reach a 5G network, but it still won’t even after considering all of the above.
  • Contact your phone’s manufacturer. All that’s left is faulty hardware preventing your phone from using 5G after you’ve reset the phone’s software and done everything else on this list.
    You’re left with no choice but to have the phone fixed or replaced with a functional model.

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Study About 5G Options

iPhone’s 5G default settings are optimized for battery life and data usage based on your data plan. In some apps, you can change these settings for when to use 5G and how much data to use.

Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options to access these choices. If you’re using Dual SIM, go to Settings > Cellular and select the number whose settings you want to change.

Voice And Data

Choose how your iPhone connects to the 5G network to preserve battery life.

  • 5G Auto: Turns on the Smart Data mode. Your iPhone switches to LTE automatically to conserve battery life when 5G speeds don’t offer a noticeably better experience.
  • 5G When 5G is available, always use it. Battery life might suffer as a result.
  • Even when 5G is available, LTE is the only network that is used.

By going to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice and Data in mainland China, you can enable or disable 5G Standalone. With iOS 14.5 or later, 5G Standalone is enabled by default on iPhones for mainland China. When 5G Standalone is activated, 5G is used for all cellular communication. Please speak with your carrier for more information on 5G networks.

Why Is My Phone Not Showing 5G How To Fix It
Why Is My Phone Not Showing 5G? How To Fix It?

Data Mode

  • Increase 5G data usage: gives apps and system functions the ability to use more data. These consist of improved FaceTime, high-definition programming on Apple TV, songs and videos from Apple Music, cellular iOS updates, and automatic iCloud backups.
    • When Wi-Fi connectivity is sluggish or unsafe on a network you occasionally visit, your iPhone can use this setting to automatically switch to 5G instead of Wi-Fi. Navigate to Settings > Wi-Fi to turn this feature on and off for a particular network. Use Wi-Fi for Internet can be done by selecting the info button next to the Wi-Fi network.
    • Additionally, this setting permits third-party apps to utilize more cellular data for better experiences.
    • For some unlimited-data plans, depending on your carrier, this is the default setting.
    • This setting makes greater use of mobile data.
  • Standard: Uses standard quality settings for video and FaceTime, and permits background tasks and automatic updates on cellular. This is typically the default setting.
  • By suspending automatic updates and background processes, the Low Data Mode helps users use Wi-Fi and cellular data less frequently.

Data Roaming

5G roaming is supported by a large number of carriers worldwide. If your carrier doesn’t support 5G roaming, you can get cellular data through 4G or LTE networks or purchase a local SIM card or eSIM that supports 5G where it’s available. To learn more, get in touch with your carrier.

Conclusion

Why is my phone not showing 5G was the main topic of the post. Check out our most recent posts if you want more details.

I would like to thank you once more for reading.