How to turn off LTE on iPhone iOS 15

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

Operator22 wrote:

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.

You can make changes in the provisioning of an individual account but you don't send out changes in the carrier settings package that get uploaded directly to the phones. And you can only make the provisioning changes based on what's available in the system. I know precisely how it works having spent twenty years working for a major U.S. cellular provider. But, it sounds like we were better trained in knowing the limitations of our jobs.

So what precisely are these two photos supposed to show?

That different frequencies used for different cellular technologies use different antennas and have different propagation characteristics? We knew that.

That 4G service is still available? We knew that too.

You still have one bar on 5G E (which is really a marketing term for an LTE network with 5G features, not true 5G, as compared to 4G, which is really 3G with 4G features, thanks AT&T.)

If you had a switch to turn off LTE you might be left with no signal at all as of the end of February and would not be able to make or receive voice calls as AT&T will require all devices on their network to use VoLTE.

Hopefully AT&T will get your local cell tower properly optimized before their 3G sunset date.

It’s permanent, it’s not a bug, the 3G network will shut down in like two weeks, 4G is basically 3G, even if you switch to another phone, after two more weeks, the 3G network will be gone, carriers like to do their deceptive marketing to confuse customers about 4G and 3G.

your only option is to switch to a different carrier

AT&T gave you incorrect information.

Do an Internet search and you will read of Samsung Galaxy users saying they can no longer shut off VoLTE on their phones on T-Mobile … in posts from 2020.

You will also find posts from AT&T confirming you cannot shut off 5G on Galaxy phones on their network.

3 and 4G are different, unless you are AT&T where their 4G was really 3G with 4G extensions, just as "5G E" is really LTE with 5G extensions, not true 5G.

AT&T has stated on various posts on their help forum threads that as of the 3G shutdown all their networks that cause a phone to read anything other than "LTE" or a variant of "5G" will be gone.

So a carrier that does not operate in Europe also makes the decisions for us?

I really don’t get why it’s so difficult to accept that it’s a IOS specific thing and not a carrier based decision.

the fact that 3G will be terminated globally in quite a short time has nothing to do with the fact that Apple removed the option for their customers.

I don't know very much about Android devices, but do they have carrier files that have been pushed by the carrier to update their carrier settings? I know that with the open culture of Android, users have the option to make changes to APN info, which is one of the things that the carrier files on the iPhone handle. Just a thought for someone that knows more than I do regarding Android configurations.

No, Apple took away the LTE control feature. It’s not wireless carrier. LTE is not the same as 4G. Next these people will tell you that the ability to rewind 5 seconds in iPod is still there. I finally upgraded from 14 to 15.3 today because the stupid Apple Watch won’t sync without it. Luckily I made a backup before the upgrade of course. I can tell you now that LTE switch off/on works just fine in 14 when I reloaded my backup since LTE drains my battery and does not have a good signal where I live. Switching to LTE basically turns off my ATT connection. Only 4G works. So for all the naysayers, thanks for trying to help but you are wrong.

[Edited by Moderator]

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.

My iOS 14 had the option to select 4G/LTE and LTE was selected. Consumer Cellular (who uses AT&T towers) told me to update and now the option to select anything has disappeared. At the same time, they are saying that when this mess of a 3G drop and lack of calling ability is over, no cell service will work unless we toggle LTE on. So, yes the option would have been there when you had iOS 14.

I don't want to shut it off. What I want is to enable LTE as was the case when I had iOS 14. They are telling us that LTE must be enabled. However, I have no way of doing that. If my phone had LTE before, what happened in my carrier file once I updated to 15? No one knows, but it is all very frustrating.

Your phone has LTE “always on". That is all it has. That is why there is no switch for it. It wasn’t the update to iOS 15; it was your carrier discontinuing all network service except LTE; since all you can use is LTE there is no point in a switch.

That is helpful, I think. Since, Consumer Cellular uses the AT&T network and my phone doesn't work I suppose either LTE is not on for some reason according to the carrier file (even though it should be) OR there is actually a problem with the towers. It means more waiting for a fix from them, but it does help to understand I was wrong about what I thought was causing the problem: no more cellular options. Thank you.