iPhone not getting 5G or 5Guw all of a sudden

[official_style]

I’m having a problem with my iPhone where all of a sudden it stopped getting 5G and 5Guw as often as it normally was.   It is now usually on LTE and the bars of service I am getting are lower than normal now too, now I only have 1-2 bars of LTE when about a week ago I was getting 5G or 5Guw with higher bars of service.  I spoke to Verizon customer service and they had me reset the network settings but it didn’t fix anything.  

[vzw_customer_support]

official_style, glad you reached out for some help. Happy to discuss the signal questions with you. To start things off, it is important to remember that you won't see 5G Ultra-Wideband unless your device is actively using. The normal 5G network stuff will show, so sorry if that's not been popping up.  To get more details. Where are you using your phone and is this being used indoors or outdoors? 

-John

[official_style]

I am using my phone indoors and this was occurring in zip code 33458.   So when my iPhone is in Lock Screen mode and I unlock it, it should be showing 5G but not 5Guw?  

[vzw_customer_support]

official_style, thank you for the information. I'm not showing any outages in your area. What data speeds do you usually get? 

~Jesse

[official_style]

I don’t usually check the speed on my iPhone I’m just noticing LTE instead of 5G on my phone pretty often. 

[vzw_customer_support]

official_style, thank you for reaching out about your signal indicators seen on your phone.  There are several factors that may impact what service the phone receives.  This includes coverage/location, device, and plan.  We are eager to look into your speicific details to make sure your phone and serivce is performing as it should be.  Please reply to the private message that will follow to get into your details for answers.

-Deb

[SynthpopAddict]

This is just my opinion, but it seems like Verizon's network is having more and more difficulty with keeping up with more and more people using more and more data, hence 5G access becoming more difficult.  You have to consider that it's not just phones on the network either these days, which can't be helping things.

However, I would like to point out that 5G comes in several different varieties, and the "regular" 5G actually isn't that much faster than 4G LTE assuming the LTE network isn't congested.  There's a tradeoff between speed and how far a 5G signal can travel, so for the most part, low-band "regular" 5G is used to insure coverage to a larger area.  Mid-band 5G is considerably faster than LTE, but maybe goes 2-3 miles.  The super fast mmWave high-band 5G won't go more than about 1500 feet, so is really only good for densely packed urban areas and if you're lucky enough to be close by.

If your service is otherwise good, don't make the mistake I did of porting out thinking I was going to get upgraded data speeds elsewhere...because in my experience, even that place with "the largest and fastest 5G network" did not deliver on their assertion as their low-band 5G was consistently slower than what I get on Verizon's low-band 5G!  And their signal strength was so horrible indoors I couldn't be on calls unless I went outside.  It only took me 3 days to come back.

[Bigboy2024]

Same here.  Zip code 45233,45248 and all of Cincinnati Ohio

[vzw_customer_support]

Bigboy2024, we're sorry to hear that you're not seeing 5G on your phone. Apart from 5G not showing up, are there any problems with service? What data speeds do you usually get on your phone? You can check by Googling "speed test" and using the one provided there.

~Jesse

[SynthpopAddict]

Don't know what ZIP code you're in which is having this issue, but from what I've read on this forum and from my personal experience, you have quite a bit of company.  😞  If you ask me, with more and more people using more and more data, I suspect Verizon's network being mostly 4G LTE based still, is having difficulties keeping up with current demands.  I am personally planning to port my number out once I get closer to the end of my current billing cycle.

[beemobile · Accepted solution]

It seems like your iPhone is experiencing a connectivity issue, possibly related to the network or the device itself. Here are some troubleshooting steps:

1. Check Network Settings:

   • Ensure that 5G is enabled in your iPhone's settings.
   • Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and select 5G.
   • Check for any carrier settings updates under Settings > General > About.

2. Restart Your iPhone:

   • Restart your iPhone to refresh network connections.

3. Reset Network Settings:

   • Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will delete saved Wi-Fi passwords, so make sure you have them handy.

4. Update iOS:

   • Ensure your iPhone is running the latest iOS version. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

5. Contact Carrier:

   • Reach out to your carrier's customer support to check if there are any network issues in your area or if there's anything specific to your account.

6. Check SIM Card:

   • Remove and reinsert your SIM card. A damaged or improperly seated SIM card can affect connectivity.

7. Reset iPhone Settings:

   • As a last resort, you can try resetting all settings on your iPhone (Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings). This won't delete your data but will reset system settings.

If the issue persists, it might be hardware-related, and you may want to visit an Apple Store or contact Apple Support for further assistance.

[RiGemi]

THIS IS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO VERIZON FOR SOMETIME NOW with my iPhone.

What has been the most frustrating is that in now ONE MONTH that I have not had 5G in places where I have always had it since I’ve had this phone, it that Verizon has had no explanation. I’ve been told that the data portion of my plan is the reason, which is not true. I’ve been told that I’ve used all my full strength data for the month, also not true. I’ve been told they cannot guarantee reliable service indoors, but the problem appeared out of the blue and the lower service is outdoors as well.  No one has had an answer because I honestly don’t think they know why it has happened. They have suggested to restart my phone and all the mundane tech support “tips” they have and nothing has worked. In Hartford CT I have never had LTE since everything transitioned to 5G. And let’s not talk about how I don’t even get 5GUW at all anywhere.  I’m not prepaid. I’ve been with Verizon for at least 5 years. 
apologies are great if they come with changed behavior….or in this case service. Over a month and less than quality service is less than acceptable. I’m paying for something I’m not receiving and nothing can be done? That’s what is the most frustrating. Must do better!

[Fierydreams]

Hi all!  I came here seeking answers to my Verizon issue as I have been missing my 5G and 5GUW since January 23rd and my devices are only showing horrible 4G LTE.  I get 2 bars, breaking up on phone calls, data drops, and it's slower than molasses.  Their coverage map says 5G UW at my address and surrounding my address.  I drove around my area with my 5G tablet and my S23 Ultra phone and never once saw 5G / 5G UW for at least 2 miles.  I called tech support, tier 1 & 2 multiple times.  I was told by multiple techs there was a broader issue in my area and they are working on it.  I called back on February 2nd because Verizon had closed my ticket blaming the tree, brick, or network congestion.  This tech and his supervisor, after searching in the system, said no such ticket existed.  I reached out to the Executive Leadership team at corporate and the end result after 2 days was I've been imagining my 5G/5GUW service for 18 months and my vision is bad as I don't have hundreds of screenshots with 5G or 5GUW on the notification bar.  Funny, those same corporate Network Engineers from executive leadership solved a huge 5GUW data drop issue where I live last May and acknowledged the 5G was working perfectly.  They also told me the 5GUW tower was on the top of my apartment building 0.3 miles from me and I could get the "umbrella " effect from time to time.

Asurion warranty is mailing me a new phone to see if that corrects the issue.  If it does they will also replace the tablet too.  I don't have faith this will resolve the issue.

After doing research online with a specific search for "line of sight Verizon 5G", I found that Verizon has been shutting off the DSS (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing) 5G in certain areas.  It seems to be around the bigger cities.  The east coast from Massachusetts to Virginia has been effected.  Verizon, technical support, nor corporate will admit they purposely did away with the mechanism that converted 4G towers to 5G forcing everyone backwards to 4GLTE.

The only other thing it could be is something happened to the towers during a snowstorm with gale force winds January 19-22.  They are adamant it wasn't the storm.

They stripped millions from 5G/5GUW coverage and now they want an additional $4.00 for their 5G/5AGUW plans.  

[SynthpopAddict]

I think that DSS shutoff is because Verizon has some stuff in the works which they don't want to talk about until it actually happens.  Not a real tech geek, but my understanding is DSS was implemented a few years ago as a type of bridge between LTE and true 5G, and it didn't really work that well.  It might explain why so many of us had our 5G light shut off in recent months and haven't been able to get 5G consistently ever since.

But, I have noticed some towers where I live have definitely gotten upgrades.  I'm prepaid and and have never gotten better than ~65Mbps down anywhere until just very recently.  Am not eligible for 5G UW on my plan, and my phone went back to LTE shortly after the test below because such is the life of a prepaid customer, but I'm still impressed by this result just this morning!  Hang in there, folks, I don't think Verizon really wants to retrograde all of our service, but things can't get better unless they turn off older technology?