Turning off 5G

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Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#1
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
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#1
Is your battery being sucked dry using 5G?

Are you struggling to get signal in places where 4G could reach easily?

Have you noticed lately your phone no longer provides the option to turn off 5G?

Does this post seem like a cheesy TV ad?

Ahem... Sorry about that. So yeah, 5G uses more power and has shorter range than 4G, so it can be helpful to turn it off. But after a recent Android update, the option to turn off 5G was removed from a lot of phones.

So here's how you turn it off anyway:

In your phone app, dial
*#*#4636#*#*
This will bring up a hidden menu called "Hidden Menu." No, really. That's what the name of the menu is. The first item in Hidden Menu is 5G/LTE debugging. In 5G/LTE debugging, tap the options button in the top right to bring up the option to toggle turning on and off NR and LTE. LTE is 4G and NR is 5G. So if you turn off NR, your phone will only use 4G LTE.

And just like that, my phone started using LTE and saving battery again. Yay!
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#2
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
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113
#2
Hmm... I should probably mention that you DO NOT want to mess around with other stuff in that Hidden Menu. Turn off NR (or not) and leave everything else alone.

If you do start playing around in Hidden Menu and can't connect to anything any more, don't blame me. I DID tell you not to do that.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#4
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
9,652
113
#4
Tall_Timbers said:
6G is probably right around the corner!
Click to expand...
I sure hope it has better range than 5G. For all the speed 5G promises, the range totally sucks eggs.

Also it generates way more heat. The tiny Android phones I used to love are no more, not because they can't handle modern systems but because their tiny frames can't dissipate heat fast enough.

What? You thought phones kept getting bigger because people wanted bigger screens?
 
Tall_Timbers

Tall_Timbers

Well-known member
#5
Mar 31, 2023
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Cheyenne WY
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#5
Lynx said:
What? You thought phones kept getting bigger because people wanted bigger screens?
Click to expand...
My phones have remained essentially the same size. I have noticed the heat more in the last couple of generations. Samsung has the three sizes that haven't changed much over recent years. I get the smallest one as I'm not a fan of larger phones, and the size of the smallest hasn't changed meaningfully in many generations.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#6
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
9,652
113
#6
Tall_Timbers said:
My phones have remained essentially the same size. I have noticed the heat more in the last couple of generations. Samsung has the three sizes that haven't changed much over recent years. I get the smallest one as I'm not a fan of larger phones, and the size of the smallest hasn't changed meaningfully in many generations.
Click to expand...
Now imagine all that thermal energy in a little black soap chip looking plastic wafer small enough to hide in your hand. A full Android phone, but incredibly tiny.

I miss my original unihertz jelly, but I admit it would never be able to function with 5G. But I still miss it a lot.
 
Tall_Timbers

Tall_Timbers

Well-known member
#7
Mar 31, 2023
1,250
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Cheyenne WY
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#7
Lynx said:
Now imagine all that thermal energy in a little black soap chip looking plastic wafer small enough to hide in your hand. A full Android phone, but incredibly tiny.
Click to expand...
The smaller profile phones of the big phone makers are about the right size for my hand. Much smaller and they just wouldn't be a good fit for the hand.
 
Moses_Young

Moses_Young

Banned
#8
Sep 15, 2019
9,989
5,540
113
#8
Lynx said:
Is your battery being sucked dry using 5G?

Are you struggling to get signal in places where 4G could reach easily?

Have you noticed lately your phone no longer provides the option to turn off 5G?

Does this post seem like a cheesy TV ad?

Ahem... Sorry about that. So yeah, 5G uses more power and has shorter range than 4G, so it can be helpful to turn it off. But after a recent Android update, the option to turn off 5G was removed from a lot of phones.

So here's how you turn it off anyway:

In your phone app, dial
*#*#4636#*#*
This will bring up a hidden menu called "Hidden Menu." No, really. That's what the name of the menu is. The first item in Hidden Menu is 5G/LTE debugging. In 5G/LTE debugging, tap the options button in the top right to bring up the option to toggle turning on and off NR and LTE. LTE is 4G and NR is 5G. So if you turn off NR, your phone will only use 4G LTE.

And just like that, my phone started using LTE and saving battery again. Yay!
Click to expand...
I dunno. This is all sounding very conspiratorial to me, Lynx. A hidden menu titled as "Hidden Menu"? Why would the programmers so obviously out themselves? Are you sure you haven't changed?
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#9
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
9,652
113
#9
Moses_Young said:
I dunno. This is all sounding very conspiratorial to me, Lynx. A hidden menu titled as "Hidden Menu"? Why would the programmers so obviously out themselves? Are you sure you haven't changed?
Click to expand...
I swear it is called hidden menu, right there on the screen. Go to your phone app and dial that code and you will see it.

And then immediately close that app, because you don't want to accidentally hit anything that will completely mess up your phone being able to connect.
 
Moses_Young

Moses_Young

Banned
#10
Sep 15, 2019
9,989
5,540
113
#10
Lynx said:
I swear it is called hidden menu, right there on the screen. Go to your phone app and dial that code and you will see it.

And then immediately close that app, because you don't want to accidentally hit anything that will completely mess up your phone being able to connect.
Click to expand...
Joking. I'm so conspiratorial, I never believed that 5G would improve phones in the first place.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#11
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
9,652
113
#11
Moses_Young said:
Joking. I'm so conspiratorial, I never believed that 5G would improve phones in the first place.
Click to expand...
Well 5G is in fact blazing fast. If you are in a place with a good 5G signal you can get amazing download speed.

The problem... Aside from shorter range, higher battery consumption and more heat... Is that very few people really need it. 4G is dependable, longer range and fast enough to stream videos. Maybe not 4K videos, but if you're watching on a phone how good does the video resolution need to be?

It's the same problem HD DVDs had back in the day. The main competition was not Blu-ray, it was regular DVDs. Most of us were happy with regular DVDs, they were cheaper and they did the job just fine.
 
Moses_Young

Moses_Young

Banned
#12
Sep 15, 2019
9,989
5,540
113
#12
Lynx said:
Well 5G is in fact blazing fast. If you are in a place with a good 5G signal you can get amazing download speed.

The problem... Aside from shorter range, higher battery consumption and more heat... Is that very few people really need it. 4G is dependable, longer range and fast enough to stream videos. Maybe not 4K videos, but if you're watching on a phone how good does the video resolution need to be?

It's the same problem HD DVDs had back in the day. The main competition was not Blu-ray, it was regular DVDs. Most of us were happy with regular DVDs, they were cheaper and they did the job just fine.
Click to expand...
I didn't know that. I guess most of the people I talked to were trying to use it at mid-range, and were greatly disappointed.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#13
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
9,652
113
#13
Moses_Young said:
I didn't know that. I guess most of the people I talked to were trying to use it at mid-range, and were greatly disappointed.
Click to expand...
That's where 5G falls down spectacularly. A lot of phones keep trying to use 5G when it is just barely in range, instead of switching to 4G which still has really good signal at that distance.

So yeah, a lot of people actually get worse connection because their phones don't flip to 4G at a reasonable distance, or rather when they lose reasonable signal strength at 5G.
 
Mem

Mem

Senior Member
#14
Sep 23, 2014
7,230
2,208
113
#14
So, because I've noticed the zap in battery, I followed the instructions and got a message that said that feature or something or other was not available. But then, I did that find where I could turn off 5G and get back on LTE.
 
G

Gideon300

Well-known member
#16
Mar 18, 2021
5,441
3,222
113
#16
Lynx said:
Well 5G is in fact blazing fast. If you are in a place with a good 5G signal you can get amazing download speed.

The problem... Aside from shorter range, higher battery consumption and more heat... Is that very few people really need it. 4G is dependable, longer range and fast enough to stream videos. Maybe not 4K videos, but if you're watching on a phone how good does the video resolution need to be?

It's the same problem HD DVDs had back in the day. The main competition was not Blu-ray, it was regular DVDs. Most of us were happy with regular DVDs, they were cheaper and they did the job just fine.
Click to expand...
I'm ok with 4G. I'm using it right now because my DSL is broken. Faster speed would be nice, but not essential. Does anyone know why 5G generates more heat? I'm considering a Pixel 9 pro as my phone is now 5 years old and has no 5G.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#17
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
9,652
113
#17
Eli1 said:
View attachment 268977
Click to expand...
In my experience it is the iPhone users who feel that way. I've heard a lot of people dissing Android, like "so I showed up for the blind date and he was looking up directions to a different place, and he whipped out an Android, and I was just like, ew gross, I've got to go. So I just bailed on him then and there. I couldn't handle that."
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#18
Aug 13, 2014
27,720
9,652
113
#18
Gideon300 said:
I'm ok with 4G. I'm using it right now because my DSL is broken. Faster speed would be nice, but not essential. Does anyone know why 5G generates more heat? I'm considering a Pixel 9 pro as my phone is now 5 years old and has no 5G.
Click to expand...
If your area has good 5G coverage from your provider, and if you are downloading files or watching HD videos and wish your speed was faster, definitely get a 5G phone.

Otherwise, don't bother. 4G isn't going anywhere anytime soon. You've got years still to use that 4G phone you are currently using. By the time it breaks down your new phone that replaces it will almost definitely have 5G anyway.
 
G

Gideon300

Well-known member
#19
Mar 18, 2021
5,441
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#19
Lynx said:
If your area has good 5G coverage from your provider, and if you are downloading files or watching HD videos and wish your speed was faster, definitely get a 5G phone.

Otherwise, don't bother. 4G isn't going anywhere anytime soon. You've got years still to use that 4G phone you are currently using. By the time it breaks down your new phone that replaces it will almost definitely have 5G anyway.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. Like my car, now 8 years old, my phone is probably good enough.
 
Tall_Timbers

Tall_Timbers

Well-known member
#20
Mar 31, 2023
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#20
Lynx said:
Otherwise, don't bother. 4G isn't going anywhere anytime soon. You've got years still to use that 4G phone you are currently using. By the time it breaks down your new phone that replaces it will almost definitely have 5G anyway.
Click to expand...
I don't use my phone much for calling or receiving calls, but I use it a lot for the data. 4G isn't all that great for data use. 5G works pretty well with data, but a bigger pipeline is still needed. It's interesting that the higher frequencies work for only shorter distances but can pipe data faster. Which makes me think that if 6G is ever implemented they might need to make every device a signal repeater. Talk about heat...
 
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