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

I am wondering the exact same thing. I have a feeling that they do not offer EDGE on this device as a way to get you to use up 3G data.

As far as I can see, you can't. I guess they assume no one has access to 2G, which is totally false. Even in Houston (3rd/4th largest city in U.S.) I have it. I gather that they have the phone auto-switch. Too bad. I sometimes switch to EDGE when I'm at a convention when I use a lot of phone time.

but how can you switch to EDGE on the iphone 4s? that is what i used most of times so the battery won't die so fast.

I spoke to Apple Care earlier. EDGE is not available on the 4S. They claim that it is to save battery from the device trying to constantly search for an EDGE signal, as opposed to a 3G signal which they claim is "always there". Makes no sense. My battery is DRAINING on 3G.

Yea hopefully apple might add that option back in future updates. Auto switching isnt always optimal and i have to manually use Edge when cell signals are very weak.

omg that apple care person is so wrong lol. EDGE support can't just be left out completely.

Besides, says right there on the back of the 4S box: "Supports....and GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz)"

Alibur86 wrote:

I am wondering the exact same thing. I have a feeling that they do not offer EDGE on this device as a way to get you to use up 3G data.

Sorry, but you have no concept of what you are speaking of. There is no EDGE vs 3G data.

The only benefit to turning off 3G is to save power at the expense of slower data speeds. Turning on/off 3G does NOT affect cellular data. 3G and EDGE are both cellular technologies and use the same data "bucket".

It simply appears that Apple chose to remove the "Enable 3G" switch from the 4s for reasons that only Apple can explain.

Clearly you don't know what you are talking about either because the 4S from AT&T does not give the option to access EDGE for data, only 3G or WIFI. Funny how when 3G is turned off on my phone I can't use data. Hmm... maybe because there is "EDGE vs. 3G data". And Apple only confirmed it.

Are you kidding? why would they remove this option. I use EDGE a magarity on my iPhone 4. If I upgrade to iOS 5, will i lose this option?

Well. Just came from a football game and sometimes the only signal my phone would get (with everyone trying to use their phones) was EDGE. So, the 4S does get EDGE.

Alibur86 wrote:

Clearly you don't know what you are talking about either because the 4S from AT&T does not give the option to access EDGE for data, only 3G or WIFI. Funny how when 3G is turned off on my phone I can't use data. Hmm... maybe because there is "EDGE vs. 3G data". And Apple only confirmed it.

I'm curious as to just where you found the ability to turn off 3G on your 4S. All I can find on my 4S is the ability to turn off all Cellular Data under Settings->General->Network. 3G isn't mentioned there.

I live in an area where 3G often isn't available. In those areas my status bar says that Edge is active, not 3G.

I agree that for better battery life it would be nice to have the ability to turn off 3G and leave Edge active--particularly in 3G fringe areas. That function was available in some earlier versions of the iPhone.

Data is sent on EDGE..that was the original iphone remember? Obviously slower though, and cannot do voice and data at same time. If you get a call while surfing the net on EDGE, it will go straight to voicemail.

EDGE signals can extend to hard to reach places where 3G cannot sometimes. And yes it definitely uses less battery. I like to manually turn off very weak 3G signals myself if i'm stuck there for a while.

For me it has nothing to do with speed or saving the battery, it's a matter of not dropping every other call I make on 3G. It doesn't matter how many times I contact AT&T to complain about dropped calls on 3G it's never changed. I'm gald I found this thread before I went out and bought the new 4S. Until they bring back the option to make calls using Edge which doesn't drop calls left and right I'll be keeping my 3G S. *** are they thinking?

I'm in the UK, and for anyone in the UK who is thinking that the 4S does not have EDGE, well it does. I was in my local phone shop yesterday and I saw the 4S that was on demo, going from 3G to displaying E at the top of the screen. It was defintely the 4S because it had Siri on it.

It does not mean that because Apple have removed the option to turn off 3G, that the 4S will not be able to be used in a non 3G area. When you are in a non 3G area, the 4S will use either EDGE or GPRS connection (in the UK I'm talking about here).

I can see why some people may want to disable 3G to save battery, but its never something I've done when travelling around to various places where there was no 3G coverage. It's just another thing that needs to be switched back on when you are back in a 3G area, so I never bothered with the turn 3G off option.

I think the removal of the option to disable 3G, is so that Siri is forced to use the fastest cellular connection available.

Feedback from Paris. 3G coverage is pretty good all over the city but there are areas where the 3G signal is weak. My iPhone 4S then switches to Edge on its own. Indeed, there is no option to disable 3G, only Cellular data. I too used to turn off 3G on my previous iPhone 4 in the belief that it helped save battery (which I found to be true after some testing) and also because it seemed to me that Edge was more reliable (I use the Orange network). Also, of course, I had little use for the extra 3G speeds on the go and I use wifi at work and home.

So yes, I would appreciate if Apple gave us back the option to disable 3G.

As far as the Siri issue is concerned (tal1971's interesting argument is that Siri is thus forced to use the fastest cellular connection available), I would be OK with the disable 3G option not being available when Siri is turned on, but why not make it possible to turn 3G off when Siri is off too?