Greetings to all fellows!
In my basement, the reach of 4G signals is almost non-existent and I spent my most of the day here. consequently, my phone (SE 3rd Gen) drops a lot of battery to catch them + I always gather complaints from my family and friends, why your mobile always going offline whenever we try? Even sometimes I have to step outside to get OTP's. And most of the times I miss the important transactional messages from banks. I mean a lot of problems.
So, I want to switch my network to 3G. But it doesn't showing up in network selection settings in cellular section.
Only 4G, 5G Auto and 5G showing up here.
I did a bit of research to find 3G, But came to know that apple has no saying in the matter, only cellular network decides what to show here. But I don't see this claim worthy, because in the same place when I insert the same sim card on my older Iphone 8, 3G section showing up there. but not on this 3rd gen. On more older SE 1st gen, even 2g showing up, same place, same network, and the same sim card.
So, any suggestions from you guys how I can switch to 3G network?
In ideal case, 2G which my carrier still supports, is the best option.
Or it would be great if we can do it with some shortcut, like if my phone connects to a specific wifi, switch the network to 3G or/ 2G.
Of course, appreciations in advance..... 😊
By Muhammad Bilal, 13 January, 2026
Forum
iOS and iPadOS
Comments
3G is gone
I don’t know where you are in the world, but 3G is basically gone.
If it actually exists in your country, then you need to use an older phone that actually utilizes those bands. iPhones no longer do. Most of those 3G bands have been repurposed for 4G and 5G.
Iphone no longer uses 3g?
Thanks for your comment, but what you're saying is not stated in anywhere in apple official documentation that IPhone no longer uses the 3g. and 3G bands have been dedicated to 4G in its modem...
4G is backward compatible
YOur phone may be saying it's using 4G, but if all that is available in your area is 3G, it will connect. Sounds like the 4G network where you are located ins poor. You're better off contacting your carrier and reporting the issue to them. They might have a bad tower in your area and not be aware of the problem if no one is complaining.
YOur old phone probably is saying it's connecting to 3G because it doesn't have 4G, or that radio is somehow incompatible with the network as is. 4G would be backward compatible all the way to "Edge" networks, which I believe is the 2G standard.
Of course, if you have wifi available, it's always better to get your device on a strong wifi network, and enable wifi calling if available where you are. I know we're talking about SMS messages here, but still, SMS can be carried over wifi as long as your phone registers itself via wifi.