How to turn off LTE on iPhone iOS 15

You do know this is BS and it was actually Apple who removed the user control, since this is a worldwide issue after the IOS15 update.

I work for a operator and now to disable VoLTE for customers we have to reconfigure Apple users who don't want VoLTE for their subscriptions.

Simple answer is you can't disable this in your settings on IOS15 or newer anymore. Because Apple removed the possibility from their customers.

Your operator may be able to disable VoLTE if you don't want to use VoLTE, even tho this issue is not caused by them.

Options under the "cellular" menu are controlled by the carrier, not by Apple.

For example, AT&T removed the option to shut off LTE and have phones drop back to 4G as part of their work to decommission their 3G networks later this year.

This is because on AT&T, when your annunciator reads "5G E" it's really "5G Evolution" which is really LTE plus some 5G extensions.

When your annunciator reads "LTE" it's actually 4G + LTE extensions, and when it says "4G" it's really 3G + some 4G features.

AT&T did this for their own marketing reasons, but the bottom line is that you can't "shut off" LTE any more because that would in reality drop you to their "3G + 4G extensions" network, and the AT&T 3G network is scheduled to be shut down on February 22, 2022.

After February 22, 2022 some 4G LTE modules and devices that request 3G voice services and data-only services to connect to the AT&T network will no longer work. You don't want to be left without service.

https://www.business.att.com/explore/make-the-switch.html

After that any networks that currently show "4G" on your phone will simply no longer exist on AT&T, there will only be LTE, 5G E, 5G and 5G+.

Status icons and symbols on your iPhone - Apple Support

It is a coincidence that iOS 15 came out around the same time AT&T shut down their “4G” network on March 1. You can no longer use 4G because it doesn’t exist in the AT&T network. There will be no network selection switches on an iPhone on AT&T’s network, because there are no choices. The only option is LTE for data and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for phone calls.

It will only come back if Verizon decides it will. The ability to make changes in that area are based on the information in your carrier file that your carrier provides to Apple and is installed on your iPhone and is updated as the carrier decides. At this point, since the US carriers are disabling the 3G bands and converting those frequencies to 5G, you will either connect to LTE or 5G now, that is it. If you do not have a phone that supports 5G, you will connect to 4G/LTE. Those will be the only choices.

Well it’s not, option is available on any phone any system except IOS15 or newer.

the only way to disable VoLTE calls as far as I know on iOS 15 is for the carrier disable it from the subscription ergo apple removed the users choice, which is not that uncommon.

ChvseH wrote:

I work 60-84 hrs a week and when i’m at work my phone is basically useless, the only real solution i see is just to upgrade. thanks for the help my guy 👍🏼

Why is it useless? If you have AT&T as of March 1 the ONLY network they support is LTE, and for voice VoLTE. They no longer have a GSM voice network or 3G data network. They have shut down all of their network options except LTE. However, if you have Wi-Fi at work you can enable Wi-Fi calling with your carrier.

If you have T-Mobile they will make the same change in June, and Sprint and Verizon in December.

No, YOU ARE WRONG, as has been explained over and over and over and over and over in the 13 pages of this thread. Your carrier has COMPLETE CONTROL over the cellular settings on your phone. The carrier provides a Carrier Settings file to Apple for inclusion with each release that defines the network services that are accessible from the phone. The carrier can even update the settings remotely between scheduled updates that can change those settings. And it’s irrelevant anyway, because starting in late March this year all US carriers started shutting down all networks except for LTE and 5G. AT&T was the first; if you are on AT&T your only voice option is VoLTE, and phones that don’t support VoLTE (all iPhones older than the iPhone 6) will no longer work on the AT&T network. T-Mobile will make the switch in June, and Verizon by the end of the year.

Its a IOS specific thing. Nothing you can do to it, your carrier can disable VoLTE from you subscription since Apple won’t give you the option. Or at least we do don’t know about your carrier.

Hotspot issues are quite common on apple devices, below are the most common fixes.

1. Reset your network settings.
2. Or try changing your hotspot name/password.

No, it really doesn’t. I can apply any changes into a subscription at any time. I do not make the decisions but I do implement the changes which aren’t as complicated as you think they are.

VoLTE is dumbed down to a single checkbox for CC services.

I literally did this to my own subscription to test this. It’s a IOS specific thing.

And it’s easily provable but you just refuse to believe this of a device provider which is notorious for restricting your access to the device and it’s properties.

At the moment the workaround is to disable it from the carrier side on a individual level for IOS users that live in weak/borderline LTE areas , which obviously ***** from a carrier perspective.

[Edited by Moderator]

Reason for the change on iOS 15. 1 is because AT&T is decommissioning it’s 3G on February 22, and they don’t want users to have interruptions when they disable LTE, 4G is basically 3G, 3G plus operating on the UMTS network, there’s nothing you can do besides switching carriers, this option is long gone, back when AT&T shut down it’s 2G network, the option to disable 4G was gone in iOS 7, and as you know, history repeats itself, AT&T did the same thing this year with the LTE on iPhone

Sorry, but you are falling for AT&T marketing and have not idea what you are talking about. For most carriers in the US 4G = LTE. Before LTE was widely available AT&T went along with a marketing scheme that T-Mobile started that claimed (and showed) the phone was 4G when actually it was just a faster speed 3G (or 3G+ if you prefer). Once AT&T shuts down their 3G network you will not longer be able to connect to an AT&T network that says 4G.

And the information about which connection you can make comes from the Carrier Settings file that is provided to Apple by the carrier in question, in your case AT&T. Apple then includes it in updates and the iOS reads the setting the cell service carrier provide.

If you are still seeing a 4G connection you have about 1 day for that to work. You need to get a new SIM from AT&T and see if that fixes the problem or get your phone serviced.

Verizon states (emboldening mine):

After December 31, 2022, if you are a Verizon customer still using a device that is 3G (CDMA), 4G that does not support HD Voice (Non-VoLTE), or 1X, the device will no longer be able to send or receive text messages, use data services, or make or receive calls, including emergency 911, on the Verizon network. Until this date, your device will still be able to use these services.

https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-218813/

There is no reason to allow you to shut off LTE any longer as doing so would soon leave you with a completely non-functional device.

Verizon in fact stopped allowing devices that do not support VoLTE on their network as of January 1, 2020, so there is yet another reason they did not want to allow you to shut LTE off.

JustBob1 wrote:

Can I uninstall the 15.5 update? Off WiFi lte is useless. T mobile didn’t do it, update 15.5 did.

You are half right. 15.5 did it, but it's BECAUSE T-MOBILE GAVE APPLE A CARRIER UPDATE TO BE INSTALLED WITH iOS. You can’t go back, but even if you could that would not change anything because the T-Mobile carrier update will remain installed. And by the end of June there will be nothing but Voice over LTE (VoLTE) on T-Mobile’s network, they are shutting down their 3G (AKA “4G”) network. They began the transition on April 1, and expect to finish by the end of June. AT&T already completed the transition as of April 1.

Apple did NOT do this. All of the US carriers are shutting down 3G this year. T-Mobile started decommissioning their 3G network a couple of months ago, and it will be completely gone by July 1. AT&T finished the shutdown in April, Sprint last January, and Verizon will shut down 3G by December 31. Verizon is up the longest because it is the primary carrier for emergency services in the US, and they agreed to keep it up a year longer than planned so emergency service providers will have time to update their systems.

Carriers around the world are also shutting down 3G because they need the spectrum for 5G.

JeremyWiseman wrote:

I am highly irritated at this subject this morning as well. At my workplace, and even some areas in my community, nothing will load on LTE. For the last two years, I have made it habit to leave my phone on 4G unless I am near a big city with good LTE service. I installed the iOS 15 update last night, and now today my phone is essentially useless at work. Not only is it an inconvenience because I cant use any apps that use data, it also bothers me thinking that my pregnant wife might not get a hold of me immediately during an emergency. Apple really needs to quit taking things out of their OS updates without letting the end user know before installing.

Ummm.... I hate to break it to you, but LTE is 4G...

Unless you are an AT&T customer, in which case 4G is not 4G, it is 3.5G, HSPA+, which is not 4G according to the standard...

AT&T has removed the option to disable LTE. AT&T is in the process of shutting down their 3G network entirely.