How do I turn off 3G on the iPhone 4S?

misswen wrote:

if you turn off cellular data on your iPhone (settings>general>network>cellular data), does it mean that the phone is now on 2G network instead of 3G?

No. It simply means you've turned off cellular data.

3G is NOT data, it is a flavor or version of cellular networks.

Without a "Enable 3G" option, there is no way to force the device off of the 3G network.

Ok we need to start a petition or something to get the 4GS to have an option to turn off 3G coverage. I am not in an area that has 3G coverage when I am at work but was able to switch over to Edge and have my phone work perfectly. It makes no sense for me to have this phone if I can't use it where I spend the majority of my day.

It i doing a crappy job of finding the Edge network and just saying that I have no service. The reception was fine here on my 4G when I turned off the 3G coverage. I am SUPER frustrated right now....

For the record, the iPhone 4S in the United States (and the world) for ALL carriers is the SAME PHONE. The option for CDMA vs GSM is with the enclosed SIM Card, and software. This is probably why on the GSM model, you cannot turn off 3G.

I just bought my iPhone 4S today, after having my iPhone 4 stolen. I have owned all 5 versions of the iPhone with ATT. I am quite irritated that the 4S doesn't allow me to turn off 3G.

For the record, look up the specs for the iPhone 4. With the GSM version, it lists 5 hours talk time with 3G, 12 hours without.

If you know what you are doing, and you have Wi-Fi at home and work, you almost never need 3G. Emails were fine on Edge, maybe taking a second or two longer.

Many people don't realize that when you make calls, you either use a 3G tower or the Edge towers. On the iPhone 4S, 4, 3Gs, or 3G, if you have 3G on, the iPhone can automatically switch between the two towers, however, sometimes it will hang on to a weak 3G tower. My experience is I had fewer dropped calls on Edge.

If you are on Verizon or Sprint (CDMA), the option to turn 3G off was never there, even on the iPhone 4 (Sprint of course only has the 4S).

Personally, it would seem that Apple could put in a software switch for the GSM model of the 4S to turn off 3G, but I suspect that the hardware won't allow it, as others have alluded to.

You can edit a file in the 4S backup itunes makes to get the switch back.. it's a simple settings change.. or you can restore a backup from a 3GS or 4 to the 4s and that will get the switch back...

Apple did it because

1) They don't want Siri to look bad.. she really ***** on edge.. everytime you use her, she has to talk to apple.. or search the web, etc

2) They probably figured the phone will auto switch down

Why they did this on the ipad 2 was beyond me...

In either case, I put the 3G switch back on my 4S and ipad 2.

This is the "legal" / "allowed" way to restore the switch. Other methods can not be discussed here

TBH, I think ANY idevice should switch to edge the INSTANT it connects to Wifi... no point what so ever to be on 3G when you have WiFi, unless your SMSing pictures or want fast voicemail downloads to the phone...

TallBearNC wrote:

You can edit a file in the 4S backup itunes makes to get the switch back.. it's a simple settings change.. or you can restore a backup from a 3GS or 4 to the 4s and that will get the switch back...

Apple did it because

1) They don't want Siri to look bad.. she really ***** on edge.. everytime you use her, she has to talk to apple.. or search the web, etc

2) They probably figured the phone will auto switch down

Why they did this on the ipad 2 was beyond me...

In either case, I put the 3G switch back on my 4S and ipad 2.

This is the "legal" / "allowed" way to restore the switch. Other methods can not be discussed here

TBH, I think ANY idevice should switch to edge the INSTANT it connects to Wifi... no point what so ever to be on 3G when you have WiFi, unless your SMSing pictures or want fast voicemail downloads to the phone...

Can you prove you did this on an iPhone 4s?

I'm in Ireland on Meteor and out of all the people I know with iPhones I'm the only one on the 4S and the only one without that 3G switch.

I live in an area with terrible 3G coverage and amazing EDGEservice.

The problem is I get 1 bar of 3G, which the phone says has no mobile internet or data. As a result it's useless.

When on EDGE I have full strength bars and I can get anything I want done.

Another problem as other have described is that when the phone has poor 3G is struggles to change to EDGE sometimes, as a result it get's stuck on Searching.... or jumps to No Service.

It will then stay on Searching... or No Service many times unless I restart the phone or reset the network settings.

I have found that turning off Carrier Automatic selection off does help a bit.

My biggest concerns is this lack of 3g on off switch. As a result, I can't make calls and when I do they usually drop after a minute or two.

My battery also drains amazingly fast when bouncing between EDGE and 3G.

I unplugged my phone an hour ago and it's already at 82% with only sending 5 iMessages, and 3 what'sapp messages.

I also have All location services and Siri turned off.

Many iPhone 4S users and myself would greatly appreciate it if Apple would add the 3G data switch to the 4S

Edit:: I nearly forgot. I also have this annoying issue when sending normal SMS's and MMS's where they'd fail with full EDGE signal, and then phone trying to jump back on that 1 bar 3G signal that's useless. I might send one or two texts only to have the signal die and jump to 3G or from that to EDGE mid message sending. It's extremely annoying.

wich file must be edit to get the 3G switch back?

or how i can locate this file or the switch in the backup?

I know the Backup location is ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup

But i have over 1500 Files in there

TallBearNC cannot answer your questions because their posting is inaccurate.

There is no file that can be edited to cause the functionality to miracuously re-appear.

The Enable/Disable 3G functionality in the 4S simply does not exist.

If everyone agrees that the functionality does not exist but would really be useful is there a way for all of us to schedule calls with apple asking about the funtionality so that perhaps it can be changed if it is noticed that there are a lot of calls asking abou tit?

If the function does not exist and is not possible, how would mass petitioning Apple solve anything? It could be very well that the reason the switch is available for the GSM iPhone 4 and previous, is because those iPhone 4 models used a different radio chip from Infineon that could support it. The iPhone 4S uses the hybrid radio chip from Qualcomm that very well may not be physically able to support such a function. It's an impossible feature for CDMA phones and the iPhone 4S is a hybrid phone with both CDMA and GSM. Petitioning Qualcomm to develop a fix for this hurdle might be more appropriate.

Welcome to technology.

I think your comments is uncalled for to M.lhad. You might as well as all the phone manufacturers out there, "What is the point of making a Smart Phone when the batt can only last you a few hours and not even a day?"

For your info, I also request for the 3G/2G toggle switch as running the phone on 2G on my 3GS last me almost the whole day while on 3G, it can last me as short as 3 hours. Does it make sense for me to charge my phone 2-3 times a day when I am traveling around and do not have a proper place to charge.

Currently I have to rely on external rechargable batt pack to help to last long enough for me to get somewhere to charge my phone properly.

The function may or may not exist, which is why we are requesting for it.

Since the chip is able to connect to a 2G network. The possibility of a toggle switch working still exists.

I can think of 3 possible scenarios to end all these threads..

1) Apple adds the function back if it is possible

2) If such a function is not possible due to hardware limitation, etc. Apple can simply come out and announce this. Then we can either decide to replace the phone with another brand or model or to live with it.

3) Likewise, Apple can also announce that they will not add back the switch regardless of whether it is possible or not and thus ending all these mass requests.

Or until Apple finally decides to reply on this issue, there will always be request for the switch in this thread or the few other threads on the same topic.

It doesn't exist for any CDMA phone. It is technically impossible. The iPhone 4S isn't a GSM phone, only. It is a hybrid phone with both GSM and CDMA limitations to deal with. You still can buy the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 as GSM only variants that will contain the toggle that you are looking for. EDGE network on an iPhone 3GS or GSM iPhone 4 will be no differenince in speed than EDGE on an iPhone 4S.

Well, unless you are the designer for the new Qualcomm Hybrid chip.....

Let's look at it this way.

I agree that the iPhone 4 come with 2 models, GSM that supports 3G toggle; and the CDMA version which does not.

iPhone 4s comes with a hybrid chip that allows it to use the GSM networks (both 3G & 2G). Even if the hardware itself is not possible to toggle the switch. The software might be able to be programmed to look for 2G signals instead of the 3G and therefore providing a switch via software instead of hardware.

Technically speaking, if the hardware cannot provide the toggle interface and Apple can't provide the toggle via software, then leave it to Apple should speak out to us and let us know. There is no point insisting whether this is technically possible or impossible... I don't think anyone here who posted so far can prove whether this is possible at this stage....

If somebody can prove it, I think it should be out in the news by now....

Dude, you are on the Internet. Do a search.

It is not my opinion that it is technically impossible, it is a fact. If you turn off 3G on a North American CDMA phone, not an SV-DO phone, you will disable voice, data, SMS and text. They all operate on 3G. Not true of UMTS/HSPA on GSM phones. In parts of Canada, if you disable 3G, you have no signal, since there is no EDGE network to fall back on.