Q: iPhone 4S unable to turn off 3G?!

3G is data. Turn 3G off on the iPhone 4 you can use EDGE data pipeline. On the iPhone 4S you can only turn off data, which is 3G, with no more access to EDGE.

I got the 3G switch back on my 4S

My 4S arrived earlier, and I noticed it missing. But when I backed up my 3GS with that 3G switch OFF, then restored my 3GS to my 4S, the switch is now back on the 4S.

This seems like the only way to get it back.

If you have an older iphone that can handle 5.x:

1) back up the 4S

2) restore the 4S' back up to the older phone

3) let the old phone sync, etc

4) back up the old phone with the 3g toggle off

5) restore the 4S with the old back up and toggle switch comes back

Wrong. I've gotten my toggle switch back. The 4S is perfectly capable of turning off 3G. Apple it's some lame brain wisdom removed it. Probably because Siri talks to apple almost anytime you use her. So apple probably wanted Siri to be fast.

This is an EASY fix for apple:

1) Add the 3G switch back

2) if the 3g switch is turned off AND there is no wifi connection, Siri auto disables.

VERY.. VERY simple solution

I tried siri over Edge with no wifi.. she takes.... F O R E V E R... so that's probably their reasoning

For the last time: 3G is NOT ONLY data. It is a whole different transmission medium for calls AND data. If you turn off cellular data, you will still be using the 3G service for calls! Turning off cell data does not turn off 3G for calls.

Battery life for talk time on 3G is about half of what it is when it's on Edge. And without the 3G toggle, you are still forced to use 3G on calls, even with cell data turned off!

You know how you can test this? Go to field test mode. On Edge, you'd see blank values for UMTS (3G) and values filled under GSM (Edge). When on 3G, UMTS data will be displayed and GSM is blank. Turning off cell data (while on 3G) and going into field test mode will show you that you are still using UMTS, not GSM.

A second way to test this: If you are in a low 3G coverage area (1 or 2 bars) but a strong 5-bar Edge area and turn off cell data while on 3G, you'll still see low signal if you turn cell data off. Signal strength hasn't changed because it's still on 3G.

Last way to test this: GSM causes interference (that buzzing sound you hear near speakers for example) because of the pulses it sends while 3G uses a non-pulsating signal. Turn cellular data off (while on 3G) and your phone still won't create interference.

So for the last time people, stop saying turning off cellular data turns off 3G. It only turns off data. You won't be able to use the internet in whatever capacity (GPRS, Edge or 3G) but you'll still be in whatever mode you where prior to hitting that switch! So all your calls will still made on UMTS even with cellular data turned off, draining your battery a lot faster than when making those same calls on Edge (x2 faster assuming both signal strengths are excellent).

Not to mention that if you're in a low 3G signal area (but very strong Edge), you'll still be stuck with that low signal for all your calls and your battery will drain even more as a result.

I personally always keep my phone on Edge and only switch to 3G when needing to use the internet. Because of this, my battery is spectacular. I easily come back home at the end of the day with at least 70-80% battery left on my phone. If I keep my phone in 3G mode and use it the same way, I'm down to 30 or less by end of day. Not having the 3G on/off switch on the 4S was the only deal-breaker for me and as a result I had to return it.

They'd better bring it back because this is a big issue, especially for people in low 3G signal areas who are now stuck on 3G all the time. I'm sure the battery issues in part are caused by this, because in low-signal areas the antenna is using a lot of power to maintain its connection.

@Adnan,

Thanks for posting the excellent description of 3G mode of operation. There is a great deal of misunderstanding on this topic. Many people seem to equate "3G" with "data", which it's not.

Anyone interested in a deeper dive into 3G, 4G, UMTS and other alphabet soups involved in the iPhone 4S should read Brian Klug's article here:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4943/the-iphone-4s-hspa-when-hspa-is-real-4g

And I agree with your hypothesis re the potential impact on battery issues. In areas with low 3G signal levels, the iP4S radio will consume more power attempting to maintain the cellular connection on 3G. I surmise that Apple has adjusted the 3G-EDGE fallback threshold to stay in 3G mode at lower signal levels (compared to previous iPhones), for the reason that TallBear suggests two posts back. In other words, they've optimized for Siri operation, not battery life. While I can understand their rationale for doing so, I also hope they restore the 3G toggle option on the iP4S. Not only can it extend battery life, but it is extremely useful when traveling out of region.

Others who feel the same way should provide direct feedback to Apple here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Allan Sampson wrote:

 

Provide the reference that indicates this - with the chip being available in any other cell phone that includes the option to turn 3G access off.

 

I'll have to find my reference about the CDMA chip not including the option, which the CDMA iPhone 4 does not include.

@Allan,

My sources include the following:

• the UBS TechInsights teardown. They decapped the chip to see what was inside.
• the iFixit teardown, that revealed it's an MDM6610
• Brian Klug's insightful analysis (at Anandtech).
• the GSM and UMTS specs from 3PP
• personal experience developing GSM handsets

Industry intel indicates that to date, the Qualcomm MDM6610 has only been made available to Apple. Thus, I can't cite aren't any cellphones from other vendors that provide the option to turn 3G mode off using a 6610 design. The only proof point I know of currently is the iPhone 4S itself, per recent posting from TallBear who found a clever way to restore the Enable/Disable toggle on his/her iP4S.

https://discussions.apple.com/message/16867109#16867109

You are quite right that the CDMA iPhone4 (Verizon model) did not have the option to disable 3G. There would be little benefit in doing so, due to the nature of the CDMA air interface and network deployments. The compelling reason for the option is on GSM/UMTS networks. The "2G" mode (GSM/EDGE) is quite different from "3G" mode (UMTS) -- different radio, potentially different frequencies depending on region, higher data rates, and the bugaboo of higher power consumption.

It's clear the the MDM6610 chip in the iP4S can operate in "2G" mode on a GSM/UMTS network. The phone can and will automatically fall back from 3G to EDGE if there is no 3G network available (or if the 3G signal level is really weak). I think the key question is if the chipset can be forced into "2G" mode via firmware control (i.e. at request of the user, by flipping an enable/disable toggle) even if a 3G network is present. If you find your reference that states that the 6610 chip is unable to do so, I'd be interested to see it.

Didn't work for me!

This did not work for me. I attempted it twice. Did it really work for you? Would you mind posting a picture?

Did you get your toggle switch back by restoring from a back-up with 3G turned off? Or some other way...because that didn't work for me.

Yes! Don't let us disatisfy to Apple products! You know what!? Samsung Galaxy is catching up iPhone! Don't let them make a laugh to iPhone4S

I'm more than a little hacked off by this problem. Wish I hadn't bought the 4s. I was going to buy the missus one too. but not now. Think I'll sell the 4s as it's no use to me without this feature.

Me either, I am planning to sell my new iP4S soon because I found the Mobile Signal transmitter MDM6610 may not able to turn 3G model off to use EDGE to save some battery power. Does anyone know more about the MDM6610 chipset capable to turn off 3G model physically.

Qualcomm Chipset information

The MDM6610 chipset from Qualcomm is an iteration of the MDM6600 and a member of their Gobi line of connectivity solutions. Much like the MDM6600 that was first used in the CDMA version of the Apple iPhone 4 that was released late in 2010, this chipset features multi-mode - supporting GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, HSDPA and HSPA+,as well as the 1x EV-DO standard. The MDM6610 really is a single chip, which was evident to see once we decapped the device. Doing so revealed the baseband and transceiver on separate dies.

here is the reference link http://www.ubmtechinsights.com/teardowns/apple-iphone-4s-teardown/?pi_campaign_i d=9895

This is my last hope to iP4S , studying to buy a 4G version as I just swapped from iP first gen.

Really frustrating, emailed Apple and asked them point blank if they're gonna bring this 3g toggle back.

No one can answer this question. The point for me is- as a user I'll want my purchase to be 'fit for purpose'

If they're gonna put this function back, I dun mind waiting, if not- I'll wanna get rid of this junk asap.

I've decided not to be a sucker and got myself a Samsumg S2.  Not entirely perfect, but beat the crap outta this 4****.

I'll wait for IP5- this one will wait until the major bugs are resolved before paying

i perfectly agree... apple should let customer choose whatever connection they prefer.. in my area as well (and i'm writing from italy) 3G connection are not well covered (especially living outside big cities) therefore battery usage is increase because this iOS5 keeps changing for signal from 2G to 3G mode and viceversa....

here in mumbai, the 3g coverage is also very poor and iP4s stays on 1/2 signal bars for the most of my day... need the 3g toggle option ASAP APPLE!