iPhone 4S unable to turn off 3G?!

Many people said that is not posible for the radio chip, but I think is WRONG, because the chip can switch automaticaly betwen 3g to 2g I think it can be switched from 3g to 2g and from 2g to 3g and manualy, so I think is just a IOS problem, so the programers can do the toogle button to work for 4S. There are many users unhappy because of this, the 3G signal is not a good choice in many many places.

Apple, please fix this problem or many 4S people will leave you.

Leave now.

Just curious, can you elaborate on how much programming experience you have and at what levels?

As someone who has no programing experince whatsoever, maybe some of you high tech guy could enlighten and help educate those who struggle to understand.

Firstly it is my understanding that computer chips or other types don't just do things on their own, they process commands from software and act accordingly... Yes?

If this is the case with the 4S chip, surely there has to be a command somewhere in the software that tells the chip when there is no 3G signal available then switch to 2G... Yes?

So if both of the above are true, if a toggle switch were introduced into the software so that when the toggle is activated, it in turn activates the command to switch to 2g and therefore fooling the chip into thinking there is no 3G available.... Simples !!!

Here is the thing, Qualcomm radio chips in the past which were mainly CDMA in the past have never included access for an app programmer to manually flip the service or adjust threshholds. As this is a hybrid chip it is probable that Qualcomm did not provide any means for a programmer to access the chip to make any manual changes to the state of the chip and it is hard-coded in firmware within the chip as to when the threshhold is reached to make that change. In other words it is a closed system and the programmer has no access to it.

Excellent explaination deggie, and I fully accept this but again you have to agree that whether it is apple software programmers or Qualcomm firmware programmers, someone has had to input a command somewhere along the line to tell the chip to switch over. and on that note, if apple users are having problems then that same programmer can undo the threshold command and replace it with a toggle access. afterall firmware updates are available for mostly any hardware... correct?

Actually they have developed an entire subroutine burned into the chip that determines the signal available and determines when to switch. But notice I said burned into the chip. In order to change this subroutine, or to add a manual feature to it, you would have to burn an entire new chip and install it in your iPhone. So to change this on existing phones Apple would have to have Qualcomm develop the new chip and build all new iPhone 4s to replace the one you have now. I don't see that happening. Maybe with the iPhone 5 but then again that one will probably also be an LTE phone bringing in even more factors.

Ditto here, I am from Malaysia too and it is a big mistake for me to upgrade from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S.

We will not roll in iPhone 4S in our organisation because of this issue. We have 2G indoor antennas in our office (very thick walls to outside). Also 3G-network gets over-loaded from time to time because of a stadium nearby so we have to rely on our own 2G-network. I wish Apple would also advertise the new limitations on new models, not only new features...

Guys, an A5 jailbreak release is imminent. Then we'll know for sure if the Qualcomm chip indeed can turn off 3G or not.

One question. Are the APIs used to toggle 3G/2G with the Infineon GSM radio chipset the same as the required APIs needed to toggle GSM 3G/2G on the Qualcomm hybrid radio chipset used by the iPhone 4S?

Wow, this is insulting. When i have cellular data ON (3g ON) - my iphone 4s loses the whole network every 5 min. When i switch cellular data OFF i disable my edge connection, as our carrier doesn't have an 3g. So i have only two options - NO internet or NO network at all. This is wrong. Apple, you need to fix it.

Have no clue... but rest assured, if it is possible to turn off 3G on the 4S a jailbreak will reveal it. So we'll know once and for all whether the lack of it is hardcoded in the chip or whether the toggle was simply removed for other reasons.

Now we just have to be patient and wait for the jailbreak to find out... or the iOS 5.1 update, whichever comes first.

I say the 5.1 update too because, at this point, I find it hard to believe that if turning off 3G is possible on the 4S that Apple will still leave the toggle out. I think they've probably received enough complaints to put it back if the 4S is capable of doing it.

So we'll have to wait and see.

Huh? Your post isn't logical. The toggle was never there. How can Appple put back something. That was never there?

Lol, no need to pick on my words. My point was clear, but by "back" I mean like with their previous phones.