How to turn off 5G on iPhone is easier than you might expect. If your battery seems to disappear faster than usual, switching to LTE may be worth a try. The setting is tucked away in your Cellular menu, but once you know where to look, it only takes a few taps.
Find out which setting to change, when it can actually help, and whether turning 5G off is the right move for your iPhone.
1. How to Turn Off 5G on iPhone (Quick Step-by-Step)
The setting is a few taps deep on supported iPhones, although the available options can vary by model, carrier, and region.
- Open Settings, then tap Cellular.
- If you use more than one line, tap the line you want to change.
- Tap Cellular Data Options, then Voice & Data.
- Select LTE instead of 5G Auto or 5G On.
Once you select LTE, your iPhone will use an LTE connection even when 5G is available.
If you use Dual SIM, remember to select the line you want to change first. Each line has its own cellular settings, so you can adjust them separately.
That is all it takes to switch 5G off. But before you decide to leave LTE on permanently, it helps to understand what the three options actually do. You may find that you don’t need to turn 5G off at all.
2. 5G Auto vs. 5G On vs. LTE: What’s the Real Difference?
The setting offers three options, and the difference between them matters more than most people realize, since two of the three behave almost identically most of the day.
| Mode | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 5G Auto (Smart Data Mode) | Switches between 5G and LTE when 5G does not provide a noticeably better experience | Everyday use and battery balance |
| 5G On | Uses 5G whenever it is available | Situations where you want 5G whenever possible |
| LTE | Uses LTE even when 5G is available | Weak 5G areas or when you prefer LTE |
Think of these settings as three different ways of asking your iPhone to manage its connection. One lets the phone make the decision for you, one keeps 5G available as much as possible, and the last one takes 5G completely out of the picture.
How iOS Smart Data Mode (5G Auto) Balances Speed and Battery
5G Auto, also called Smart Data Mode, lets your iPhone decide when 5G is worth using. When 5G does not provide a noticeably better experience, the phone automatically switches to LTE to help conserve battery.
That makes 5G Auto a useful middle ground. You get 5G when it can make a difference without forcing the phone to stay on 5G all the time.
For many people, this is the setting worth trying before making a complete switch to LTE. But if your phone keeps searching for a usable 5G connection, the next option can tell a very different story.
Forced 5G On: When It May Affect Battery Life
5G On tells the iPhone to use 5G whenever it is available. Apple notes that this setting may reduce battery life compared with 5G Auto.
If you’re already dealing with weak or inconsistent 5G coverage, that extra battery use may become more noticeable. In that situation, 5G Auto or LTE may be the more practical choice.
That brings us to the question behind many searches for this setting: does switching all the way back to LTE really save enough battery to be worth it?
>>>Read more: Why Does My Phone Get Hot and What You Can Do
3. Does Turning Off 5G Actually Save Battery Life?
Switching from 5G to LTE may improve battery life, but the difference depends on your iPhone, network conditions, and how you use your phone. The benefit may be more noticeable when your 5G connection is weak or unstable.
If your iPhone already uses 5G Auto, however, it is already designed to switch to LTE when 5G does not offer a noticeably better experience.
That is why forcing LTE is not necessarily a must-do battery trick. It is more useful when you have a specific reason to avoid 5G.
So, if battery life is your only concern, there may be no reason to rush into changing the setting. But if you cannot find the 5G options at all, that is a different problem, and there are a few things worth checking.
4. Troubleshooting: What to Do When 5G Options Are Missing or Greyed Out
If the 5G options are missing, start by checking whether your iPhone, carrier, plan, and region support 5G. Apple notes that available cellular options can vary by device, carrier, and location.
If you recently changed carriers or installed a new SIM or eSIM, check for a carrier settings update:
Settings > General > About
Apple says carrier settings updates can improve cellular connectivity and add support for features such as 5G.
If the problem continues, your carrier can confirm whether your plan and account are enabled for 5G.
Once the setting is available again, the choice becomes much simpler: keep 5G for speed and convenience, or use LTE when stability and battery life matter more to you.
5. When You Should Keep 5G Turned On
There is no need to turn 5G off simply because you want to save a little battery. If your connection is strong and your iPhone is working normally, 5G Auto is designed to handle the switch between 5G and LTE for you.
Keeping 5G available can be useful when you regularly rely on faster mobile data for large downloads, high-quality streaming, or other data-heavy tasks. On the other hand, if your 5G connection is weak or inconsistent, LTE may give you a steadier experience.
In other words, turning 5G off is not automatically an upgrade or a downgrade. It is more like choosing the setting that fits the way you use your phone that day. And if battery life is still bothering you, there are a few other settings worth checking before blaming 5G alone.
6. Other iPhone Settings to Save Battery Without Sacrificing LTE Speed
5G is rarely the biggest battery drain on its own, so pairing the cellular setting with a few other changes tends to add up to more noticeable savings.
- Lower screen brightness and set a shorter Auto-Lock interval, which typically saves more battery than adjusting cellular settings alone.
- Limit Background App Refresh under General settings to only the apps that genuinely need it.
- Check which apps are drawing the most power under Settings, then Battery, and address those directly.
These changes are easy to overlook because they are less visible than the 5G icon. Yet sometimes the biggest battery drain is hiding somewhere else, quietly working in the background all day.
7. FAQs
These quick answers cover what people run into right after making the switch.
Will turning off 5G affect my call quality or texting?
Turning off 5G does not normally prevent regular calls or texts. Your iPhone will continue using the voice and messaging services supported by your carrier over LTE or another available cellular connection. Exact voice features can vary by carrier and region.
Do I need to turn off 5G separately for each SIM on a dual SIM iPhone?
If you use Dual SIM, select the line you want to change before opening its cellular settings. This allows you to adjust the network settings for that line separately.
Can I turn 5G back on anytime without restarting my phone?
Yes. You can return to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and select 5G Auto or 5G On when those options are available on your iPhone and plan.
Does turning off 5G reduce my data usage too?
Not directly. Your data usage mainly depends on what you stream, download, and sync. Switching from 5G to LTE does not automatically make those activities use less data.
Conclusion
How to turn off 5G on iPhone ultimately comes down to a short path through Cellular settings, but whether it is worth doing depends on how much of the battery drain actually comes from 5G.
Smart Data Mode already handles most everyday battery savings automatically, so manually switching to LTE tends to matter most in areas with weak coverage or during travel. Pairing that change with a few other settings, rather than relying on it alone, usually makes the bigger difference.
