How do I get iPhone to show LTE instead of 4G

4G and LTE are basically one and the same, but Apple lists them in the instruction manual to iOS as different, so we will treat them as different here.

And it confuses alot of people. I get LTE on my provider, because it says LTE. I know I'll get raked over the coals for this one but some Android devices (won't say which ones) have a 4G icon for both LTE and H+ connections.

Confusing?

On my iPhone it's cut and dry:

3G for 3G, HSPA and HSPA+ (and whatever else is in that family)

LTE for LTE and LTE+ (but shows up as "LTE")

I do agree with you on your 4G definition. With regards and respect to the OP it's why I treated it different.

Driver8666 wrote:

On my iPhone it's cut and dry:

3G for 3G, HSPA and HSPA+ (and whatever else is in that family)

LTE for LTE and LTE+ (but shows up as "LTE")

I do agree with you on your 4G definition. With regards and respect to the OP it's why I treated it different.

I was just agreeing with you that it was confusing. The problem is there is no "legal" definition of what constitutes "4G". There are those who argue that LTE doesn't meet the definition as it was originally released. The definition has been rewritten at least once.

All I know is my iPhone 6 (AT&T) usually shows LTE but when I get in a weak signal area or out in the country it changes to 4G. So my iPhone 6 thinks there’s a difference, at least as far as AT&T is concerned.

Driver8666 wrote:

Mine drops to 3G if there is a weak LTE signal.

Do you have AT&T? Or something else? In the U.S., what lkrupp is seeing will only happen on an AT&T phone (or company that uses AT&T's towers).

It gets even more confusing. In the U.S., on an AT&T iPhone, 4G means HSPA+, not LTE. HSPA+ is quite. bit slower than LTE.

Not raking you over the coals, just adding more information. 😎

It still is confusing.

Driver8666 wrote:

It still is confusing.

You've got no argument from me!

Mine drops to 3G if there is a weak LTE signal.

I'm in Canada. I'm on Freedom Mobile. It does make the distinction between 3G and LTE. It's either 3G or LTE. Not 4G.

Yeah, it's pretty much just an AT&T thing.

It actually started with T-Mobile and several months later AT&T adopted it.

deggie wrote:

It actually started with T-Mobile and several months later AT&T adopted it.

Huh. I supposed I must have known that at one point.