iPhone XS - 4G capable or not? Australia

Question

iPhone XS - 4G capable or not? Australia

With the 3G network closing on August 31 in Australia, iPhones without 4G capability will cease to work. Problem is, trying to get a definitive answer on whether or not my wife's XS is 4G enabled seems to be impossible? Apple says yes, Reebelo says yes (iPhone 6 and later are, supposedly, all okay), Telstra says no, Aldi has no idea.

At the moment, every time she makes a call, she gets a message that says, 'As of August 31, your device may no longer work'. Operative word being 'may'.

All the online sources say to simply enable it as such: Press Settings>Press Mobile Data>Press Mobile Data Options>Press Enable 4G.

My wife's does not have these options, but neither does mine (SE) and I don't get those warnings.

The build date 9-10-2018. The family model number A1920.

I'll buy a new device, but only if I absolutely have to.

Any thoughts are welcome.

iPhone XS, iOS 17

Posted on Aug 26, 2024 7:12 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Aug 26, 2024 7:30 PM in response to Anthony Johnsen

Yes, the iPhone XS is 4G capable. But and this is a big BUT, your iPhone was manufactured for the US Market and the 4G bands in Australia are quite different from the 4G bands in the US. Your iPhone XS won't be able to connect to the 4G Networks in Australia. Looks like you'll be buying a new iPhone.

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Answer 2

edclange

Level 5

4,656 points

Aug 27, 2024 10:01 AM in response to Anthony Johnsen

No model of the iPhone XS supports 4G/LTE Band 28. At least one major cellular carrier in Australia (Telstra) has recently announced that LTE Band 28 will be required for voice calls once their 3G network is fully shut down.

The oldest model iPhone that supports LTE Band 28 is the iPhone 12. Probably because it also supports 5G and has newer cellular radio components.

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Answer 3

Aug 26, 2024 7:52 PM in response to lobsterghost1

Thanks lobsterghost1, that's really helpful. How did you determine that it was manufactured for the US?

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Answer 4

Vespine9

Level 1

8 points

Aug 26, 2024 7:45 PM in response to Anthony Johnsen

Hi Anthony,

here in UK my iPhone XS is happily using 4G on our Vodafone network., so I suggest you keep investigating this ... for your Australian situation.

In Settings | General | About

my trusty XS (now my 'spare' phone) has a model number MT9N2B/A.

Good luck, because I agree with your implicit point that the XS model is not yet obsolete 😁

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