The end of 2G and 3G: How do I know if my smartphone is 4G or 5G compatible? 1

The end of 2G and 3G: How do I know if my smartphone is 4G or 5G compatible?

4G or 5G compatibility

After years of good and faithful service, it’s time to say something definitive Say goodbye to 2G and 3G mobile networks. Telecom operators, which are considered obsolete today, all already have a deadline by which they will have to interrupt these services. Although the operation will seem transparent to many people, we should not forget that it will leave a lot of smartphones behind. Even industries we consider irrelevant, such as the auto industry, where the end of 2G is a real problem, are being affected.

if today More than 99% of France’s population is covered by the 4G network and since 5G will eventually become so widespread, it’s even smarter to check what’s going on on your smartphone. Not all models are 5G compatibleThere are also quite old ones that cannot benefit from 4G. Fortunately, it’s easy to make sure, especially since there are many methods of doing this, which we will detail in this guide.

How can I make sure my smartphone is 4G or 5G compatible?

Among all vehicles check if your mobile phone is compatible with 4G and/or 5GWe’ve kept the simplest ones so you can get the most direct answer possible. Choose the one you want, remember that if the first one doesn’t work, you should definitely switch to one of the following to be 100% sure.

Check the back of your mobile phone

This only applies to 5G. At the end of 2020, when the new standard began to hit the market, the number of compatible smartphones was small. Some manufacturers have made this a selling point in itself and 5G marked on the back of the phone. If you bought yours a few years ago, take a look at the back. This practice has since been abandoned by most brands, so the absence of a logo does not mean a lack of compatibility.

Check the smartphone tech sheet

Networks supported by a mobile device are indicated in the description of its characteristics. You can find them on the manufacturer’s website After searching on Google. If you want, return to: private sites just like gsmarena.com. Type your device name in the bar provided and click on it when it appears. This is the first line NetworkThis concerns us. click expand To see details. In the example below, we can see that the Galaxy S20 is 4G compatible but not 5G compatible.

Galaxy S20 gsmarenaGalaxy S20 gsmarena

Control directly from your Android smartphone

Of course, it is possible to browse the settings of your mobile phone. Android For a list of compatible networks. The steps described here were performed on Pixel 8 running Android 14. Therefore the process or names may be slightly different, but you will be able to find equivalents without any problems:

  1. Go to: Settings.
  2. Open Network and Internet.
  3. To touch SHIMMER then the currently active one (e.g. if there are 2).
  4. Press Preferred network type. All supported are listed here.
4G 5G Android4G 5G Android

Control directly from your iPhone

If one iPhone, Apple It will also let you know if it supports 4G and/or 5G. The following steps were taken within the scope of iOS 17.4.1 :

  1. Go to: iPhone settings.
  2. To touch Cellular data.
  3. Under SIM cardspress mother.
  4. open menu voice and data. Compatible networks are displayed.
4G 5G iPhone4G 5G iPhone

Here you have the main methods you can use to find out whether your smartphone is 4G or 5G compatible! You don’t run the risk of finding yourself without a mobile network overnight.