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Why Turn Off 5G?
5G drains battery faster than 4G LTE. The 5G radio uses more power, and your phone constantly searches for 5G towers when signal is weak. If you’re in an area with spotty 5G coverage, your phone burns through battery hunting for a signal that keeps dropping. Switching to LTE gives you stable connectivity and noticeably longer battery life.
Connection problems are another reason. Early 5G coverage in many areas is patchy – your phone might show a 5G icon but struggle with slow speeds, dropped calls, or data that stops loading. Forcing LTE often fixes these issues because 4G networks are more mature and have better coverage density.
Turn Off 5G on iPhone
This works on iPhone 12 and later running iOS 16.4 or newer.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Cellular (or Mobile Data in some regions).
- Tap Cellular Data Options.
- Tap Voice & Data.
- Select LTE instead of 5G Auto or 5G On.
Your iPhone switches to 4G LTE immediately. The 5G icon in the status bar disappears and shows “LTE” instead. To re-enable 5G later, go back to the same menu and pick “5G Auto” or “5G On.”
iPhone 5G Settings Explained
| Setting | What It Does |
|---|---|
| 5G Auto | Uses 5G only when it won’t drain battery significantly. Falls back to LTE when 5G offers minimal speed improvement. |
| 5G On | Uses 5G whenever available, even if it drains battery faster. |
| LTE | Disables 5G completely. Uses only 4G LTE. |
“5G Auto” is Apple’s default and works well for most people. It uses a smart algorithm that weighs speed improvement against battery cost. If you’re on a 5G tower but the speeds aren’t much faster than LTE, your iPhone stays on LTE to save power. Choosing “LTE” manually overrides this and guarantees no 5G usage.
Turn Off 5G on Dual SIM iPhones
If your iPhone uses two SIM cards (physical SIM + eSIM, or two eSIMs), you need to disable 5G for each line separately.
- Open Settings, then Cellular.
- Tap the first phone number or line name.
- Tap Voice & Data and select LTE.
- Go back and tap the second line.
- Repeat – tap Voice & Data and select LTE.
Turn Off 5G on Samsung Galaxy
Samsung’s menu layout varies slightly between phone models and One UI versions, but the general path is the same.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Connections.
- Tap Mobile Networks.
- Tap Network Mode.
- Select LTE/3G/2G (auto connect) instead of 5G/LTE/3G/2G (auto connect).
On newer Samsung phones running One UI 6 or later, the option might be labeled differently. Look for “Network Mode” or “Preferred Network Type” under Mobile Networks. Selecting any option that doesn’t include “5G” disables the 5G radio.
Turn Off 5G on Google Pixel
- Open Settings.
- Tap Network & Internet.
- Tap SIMs (or tap your carrier name).
- Tap Preferred Network Type.
- Select LTE.
Pixel phones running Android 14 or later may show this as “5G” with a toggle switch instead of a network type dropdown. Turn the 5G toggle off to force LTE.
Turn Off 5G on Other Android Phones
The exact menu path depends on your phone brand, but the setting is always under mobile network or cellular settings.
OnePlus: Settings, then WiFi & Network, then SIM & Network, then Preferred Network Type, then select LTE.
Xiaomi / Redmi: Settings, then SIM Cards & Mobile Networks, then your SIM, then Preferred Network Type, then select LTE.
Motorola: Settings, then Network & Internet, then Mobile Network, then Preferred Network Type, then select LTE.
If you can’t find the setting, open Settings and search for “network mode” or “preferred network” using the search bar at the top. The setting exists on every 5G-capable Android phone.
Does Turning Off 5G Affect Call Quality?
On most carriers, no. Voice calls use VoLTE (Voice over LTE) which delivers HD voice quality. 5G adds Voice over New Radio (VoNR) on some carriers, but the audio quality difference is minimal. You won’t notice a change in call clarity when switching from 5G to LTE.
Data speeds are the main thing you’ll notice. In areas with strong 5G, you might go from 200-500 Mbps down to 50-150 Mbps on LTE. For browsing, streaming, and most app usage, LTE speeds are more than fast enough. The real-world difference is only noticeable for large file downloads.
Battery Savings From Disabling 5G
Battery savings depend on your 5G signal strength. In areas with strong, consistent 5G coverage, the battery difference is small – maybe 10 to 15 minutes over a full day. In areas with weak or inconsistent 5G, disabling it can save 1 to 2 hours of battery life because your phone stops wasting power searching for and reconnecting to 5G towers.
If battery life is your main concern, try the “5G Auto” setting on iPhone before going all the way to LTE. It handles the 5G-vs-battery tradeoff automatically and works well in most situations.
Will my carrier charge me differently on LTE vs 5G?
No. Your carrier plan doesn’t change based on which network you connect to. If you’re paying for a 5G plan, you’re paying for access – switching your phone to LTE doesn’t reduce your bill, and your data allowance stays the same. You’re just choosing not to use the 5G network you’re paying for.
Can I turn off 5G for specific apps only?
No. The 5G setting is system-wide. When you switch to LTE, all apps use LTE. There’s no per-app network selection on iPhone or Android. If you want 5G for large downloads but LTE for daily use, you’ll need to toggle the setting manually.
Does Low Power Mode disable 5G automatically?
On iPhone, Low Power Mode works with the “5G Auto” setting to reduce 5G usage, but it doesn’t fully disable 5G. If you want guaranteed LTE-only, set Voice & Data to LTE manually. Android’s Battery Saver doesn’t affect 5G settings at all on most phones.
See also: How to Clear Cache on iPhone, How to Screen Record on iPhone, How to Screenshot on Android
Sources
Apple – Use 5G With Your iPhone | Samsung – 5G Network Settings