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

@esma1981,

Apple doesn't follow these discussions. If you want to see the 3G toggle restored ASAP, you should post feedback directly at http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Ditto for all your friends, and all the iP4S users in Mumbai...

@toiu,

Not only does all the switching back-and-forth consume power, but when the iP4S is in a weak 3G signal area, it boosts its transmit power so that the uplink signal can be received by the distant cell tower. This can have a significant impact on battery life as the iPhone struggles to maintain a viable radio connection (since 3G transmission is more power-hungry than GSM/EDGE).

This is a serious issue that Apple has completely overlooked.

To have manual over-ride on whether to use 3G or 3G is very important for many people. OK, so the 3G signal is better (for me anyway) but it MUST be draining more battery than 2G. Also, when I`m at home and connected to my wifi there is NO NEED to be connected to 3G.

I agree the chipset is different (better in many ways) but surely there must be a software modification that can be made to allow a manual over-ride. or at least a simple logic function in the firware to say 'if connected to wifi, then disable 3G and operate 2G/EDGE`. It should even be possible to add the 3G on/off toggle as previous versions of the iphone.

I can not believe Apple have made this error. They have totally mis-researched the impact of this change on many of the population (especially those with poor 3G coverage).

Can anyone who reads this thread, please leave feedback on the feedback form (as per previous post). It doesn`t take 2 minutes and requires no additional registration.

APPLE MUST SORT THIS OUT

I very nearly returned my phone, but I`m hoping Apple will resolve this issue SOON. I love the iphone but this issue has made a very big and impact on my impression of this company.

I have submitted feedback twice, called Applecare and returned my phone because of this.  It's all fine and dandy to have a smart phone that can do many things but when it comes down to it, it's a PHONE.  A phone should be able to make phone calls without having lost coverage, static, garble and dropped calls. 

My parents had the first of the 3G iPhones and were way overdue for new ones. My dad's screen was cracked.  After educating them on my personal experience and my returning the 4s and having them read reviews and this forum for themselves, they decided to upgrade to the 4 which is what I went back to.

I hope everyone is voicing their opinion to Apple. It's the only way we'll see a change.

Ok so the iphone 4S has mixed chip: GSM and CDMA. Some here are saying that the reason for the missing 3G Switch is this one. Well now let me ask you some things, anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong:

1.) If the 4S's chip is not able to disable the 3G how come you can use the EDGE network where there is no 3G coverage at all, but it was so hard to enable the switch manually?

2.) It doesn't matter what 3G means on CDMA networks or standard GSM networks, if Apple decided to make a dual-phone like the 4S, they should have implemented into the iOS the capability of detecting what kind of network are you using and by that Hide or Show the 3G Toggle: I believe everyone agrees this with me.

It is not a reason for not having the 3G Toggle the fact that the 4S has both GSM and CDMA support. If the phone can work on EDGE where 3G signal is missing, it is perfectly able to switch the 3G off manually. Why is this not happening? We do not know for sure if this is indeed something inside the iOS or somthing only in the Carrier Settings file (.ipcc) that disables the 3G toggle when a 4S is synchronized.

It's simple, when the Apple server pushes the Carrier update to your phone, and your phone is a 4S, it pushes it without that toggle visible. I wish this could be it, and not another issue that we won't see it fixed pretty soon.

If this is a Carrier stuff, blame Apple for not telling and blame your operator for the same reason.

I have the same problem. Please fix this Apple! I have problems with 3G coverage.

Indeed.  I made VERY heavy use of the EDGE network setting with my old iPhone since I get no bars at my desk at work most of the time, and the 3G network in that area is saturated with data-hungry users.  Seems silly to force customers to use a network that is known to still be problematic in many areas.

You can still use Internet data over EDGE, which is not 3G.

That post hasn't proved anything.

The phone does support EDGE. It auto selects. If there is no 3G, it will auto select EDGE, if available.

Sprint and Verizon never used EDGE network technology.

Turn off iCloud syncing.

I think we are actually missing the point of this whole topic.  There should be an option to turn your 3G settings on the phone off.  In a remote part of Australia where I am (for instence), we have a tower enabled for 3G.  Fair enough, the phone automatically selects 3G, or Edge, but this is not good enough.  It will try and make preference to 3G, but it is right on the limit (at the moment) of going Edge to 3G.

With older iPhone's, where you can select 3G to be disabled, you can stay connected in calls without interruption if the 3G service goes down.  The iPhone 4S provides no relief as when it switches over from 3G to Edge, it disconnects the call in doing so.  Never before have we had problems with our towers, but our service provider is looking into fixing the tower.  Also noticed is that whilst 3G is showing only 1 bar of service, the Edge network is showing full service.

All's I am saying is that if any of you people that are in stable 3G area's ever have problems with your service, you might be looking for the same remedy.  :-)

But CDMA phones can't disable 3G via a toggle. Verizon and Sprint users never have been able to, because there is only one radio for voice or data (one or the other, not both at the same time. If 3G is toggled off, the radio is toggled off). Not everyone uses GSM. Making a blanket statement that there should be a 3G/2G toggle is confusing and is inconsiderate of Verizon and Sprint users who can't.

Hmmmm, quite a conundrum then isn't it.  Verizon customers obviously would have been able to toggle between 3G and 2G in the past with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.  What has changed with the 4S?  Wouldn't it all still be the same?  And have Verizon or Sprint changed what they do?

Verizon users could never turn off 3G (EVDO) at all on any version.