How to force your phone to use LTE or 5G

The 4G LTE standard was how phones transmitted data for a decade before 5G launched and the best 5G smartphones started to appear. Phones with 4G LTE and the networks they connect to still exist. With C-Band officially rolled out, 5G is available almost everywhere, but sometimes the signal is weak and switching to 4G LTE might get better connectivity. Knowing how to switch between the two networks is essential, especially if you run into these connection problems. Here’s how to make sure both services are activated, and for select phones, how to force your phone to use only one of them.

Forcing your phone to use 5G only, and why you probably shouldn’t

If you only want your phone to use 5G connectivity, you can force the option by following the steps (determined by your smartphone) outlined later in this article. However, not all phones and carriers allow users to force 5G. Keep that in mind if your options differ from ours. For example, as you’ll see below, Samsung doesn’t make this easy.

If you have the option to force 5G, this prevents your device from switching to 4G even when 5G is unavailable, so approach this route with caution. If Wi-Fi is available, it’s likely to have a better connection. Still, you can follow the same steps to select the 5G/4G or 4G-only option if you can’t stay on a 5G network.

How to turn off 5G

Although it’s come a long way, the 5G network is not as widespread as the 4G network, and there are still some areas where it’s lacking. Simultaneously, you may find occasions where a 5G network is so overpopulated with devices — think sporting events or concerts — that dropping to 4G gives better speeds. In either case, you might want to consider ditching the network.

Each Android manufacturer relies on a slightly different method to control your 5G settings, so check out our tutorials below to find the network settings on your phone. Whether you want to use 5G, 4G, or both, you can often control your network mode and choose an option. The available options depend on your phone and carrier. Android phones can be different from iPhones, and AT&T might be different from Verizon or T-Mobile.

How to force 5G or LTE on your phone

Whether trying to push your phone onto 5G exclusively or staying on the older LTE network, forcing Android to stick to one of the two is simple. Here’s how it’s done on phones by each major manufacturer.

Force 5G or LTE on a Google Pixel or Motorola device

Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have come a long way from their predecessors. Although their modems aren’t up to par with the best from Qualcomm, the connectivity issues that plagued the previous generation are not as prevalent. However, if your Pixel runs better on LTE or 5G exclusively, swapping your mode on a Google-made device — or a phone running near-stock Android, like a Motorola phone — can be easy if you know where to look.

While older versions of Android allowed you to tweak your network in Settings, this is no longer true on Android 13 and Android 14. To force LTE or 5G, you’ll access hidden menus through a phone code or third-party apps. We found these tools on a Pixel 7 Pro using Netmonitor, a reliable utility for monitoring your cellular reception.

To use Netmonitor on a Pixel 7 (alongside other smartphones), do the following:

1. Download Netmonitor from the Google Play Store.
2. Tap the blue Service menu banner at the bottom of the app after accepting the permissions.
3. Tap Phone info.

   

   

4. Look for the Set Preferred Network Type drop-down menu and select the option you want. NR refers to 5G, so if you see NR/LTE options, select NR only to stick to 5G bands exclusively.

   

   

The menu accessed through Netmonitor doesn’t feature an LTE-only option, at least on our Pixel 7. If you’re trying to stay away from next-gen networking, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Some Pixel phones can select their preferred network type. Even if others don’t, check your phone’s specs. You’ll find it under the SIM settings in Network & internet if it’s there.

Motorola and other smartphones with near-stock Android builds have kept phone access codes that no longer work on a Pixel. That makes accessing these secret menus easy without needing a third-party app.

1. Grab your phone and open your dialer.
2. Type *#*#4636#*#* to load your phone’s testing menu, then tap 5G/LTE Debugging Information.

   

   

3. Go to the upper-right corner, tap the overflow menu (the triple-dot icon), and select between NR (5G) or LTE options.
4. To force 5G, turn off LTE. To force LTE, turn off NR.

   

   

This can cause problems with your device, particularly with voice calls over 5G. We also ran into issues where turning off LTE on a Motorola device would break data connectivity, though this didn’t always happen. Your mileage may vary.

Force 5G or LTE on a OnePlus smartphone

On the latest OxygenOS builds, OnePlus devices keep things as simple as possible, assuming you don’t want to activate the 5G-only mode. Here’s how to access network settings on OxygenOS:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Mobile Network.
3. Choose the SIM card to enter SIM info & settings.

   

   

4. Select Preferred network type, then choose the mode you want.

   

OxygenOS only allows you to drop below 5G, and the phone menu options that worked on Motorola don’t work here. Try a third-party app like Netmonitor to access NR-exclusive modes.

Force 5G or LTE on a Samsung Galaxy device

All of Samsung’s modern smartphones have 5G modems, ranging from the expensive Galaxy S23 Ultra to the $200 Galaxy A14. However, the company removed the ability to toggle your network mode in settings and prevented the workarounds described in this article from working. Even third-party apps like Netmonitor and Samsung Band Selector no longer work after a change in mid-2022.

If you have a modern Samsung phone with One UI, you’ll have to make do with automatic network selection or look for available custom roms.

Force LTE or 5G on other phones

Most of the options on this list for other smartphones are worth trying. Between built-in settings menus like on OnePlus, phone testing menus like on Motorola, and third-party apps like Netmonitor on Pixel, those are the three ways you’re likely to force your device to connect to the network of your choice.

Simply stuck in automatic mode

Many phone manufacturers don’t give users the option to swap the network mode. Still, most 5G networks are more robust than they were a couple of years ago, which should reduce battery drain and increase mobile connectivity. If you still have a connectivity-related issue after trying these options, network reset or restart your phone. That can solve many network connectivity problems without doing a factory reset. If nothing helps, it might be time to check out a new Android phone.