For the last month or so I've had extremely poor LTE service at my home. So, I turn it off to just use 4G and the device tells me I have no internet connection. Anyone else experiencing this?
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iPhone 8/Plus No internet with LTE disabled
- Thread starter dennysanders
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Not for me. I had to disable LTE at a sporting event the other day as it was unusable due to the crowd. It fell back to 4g HSPA and the internet worked fine.
LTE is 4G. If you’ve turned off 4G/LTE then your phone will be using 3G or HSDPA. This is much lower bandwidth and more contentious so you’ll notice a much slower/less responsive connection.
On T Mobile if you turn off LTE it says 4g. I think ATT does this as well. It was how T Mobile claimed 4g before they could deploy LTE. I think 3g and 4g then are the same thing one is just a lot more honest than the other.
Some are doing this with 2g as well. I saw where Verizon will decommission their CDMA network by the end of 2019. Yeah T mobile calls their 3g 4g and LTE is LTE. It is a shell game.
So when I disable LTE, why does my status bar change to “4G” with full bars? And then when I attempt to use an app that requires internet, I’m alerted that I must connect to WiFi or cellular data. Restored and the issue remains the same. Sounds like Apple will be giving me a new device. Woohoo!!!
I would try calling your carrier to see if they have an answer. Getting a refurbished replacement device from Apple would not be my first choice.
Sorry you’re wrong Einestein. At least on AT&T...
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AT&T and T-Mobile used a data speed definition of "4G" that allowed them to claim 4G speeds for some of their best performing WCDMA 3G arrays, so they show "4G" when you are on one of those arrays even if it is not LTE.
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In some parts of my T-Mobile coverage area, if I shut off LTE I will have no Internet connection.
This is because Band 12 allowed T-Mobile a huge and radical expansion of coverage area.
It's possible you're in a place with only one bar of 2G service when you turn off LTE.
That's just a guess based on what I know about some of my own T-Mobile coverage area.
My coverage area is generally about what it needs to be, but only with LTE turned on.
[doublepost=1523288415][/doublepost]Just to experiment, I turned off LTE in my location where I'm in the field right now.
Without LTE, I fell back to a nominal EDGE system that provided zero effective connectivity, and would error out in Open Signal tests.
It's been 6 months since iPhone 8 launch and they're not refurbished? The model number on replacement devices starts with a different letter to indicate as such.
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When iPhone 4s launched, AT&T called it a 4G device.
In fact, AT&T worked with Apple to change the status bar so it reads 4G.
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Yes, this is correct. In short, every carrier has a different definition of 4G. Basically, anything faster than plain 3G can be called 4G.
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Of course there are refurbished 8s. Those aren't given out as replacement devices though.
I'm not sure what they do with them. Apple employees are told that replacement devices are not refurbished. So, I guess your inside info is a bit deeper than mine.
Inside info isn't required when Apple's own warranty terms says they can:
"replace the Apple Product with the same model (or with your consent a product that has similar functionality) formed from new and/or previously used parts that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability"
There are several public cases where consumers have filed lawsuits against Apple for replacing their device with a refurbished one.
Dutch court rules that Apple cannot supply ‘refurbished or remanufactured’ iPads as warranty replacements
If replacement products were brand new, Apple wouldn't need a different model number for those units.
I guess Apple is dumber for admitting in court they give customers refurbished replacement devices.
check and mate
Anyways, what ended up happening was I received a new or refurbished device and a new SIM card that are working out much better than the original combo I had. We couldn't duplicate my issue in the apple store. What I came to figure out was that if my device automatically switched to "4G" from LTE and then I went into settings to disable my LTE manually, my cellular data worked just fine, as you'd expect. It only told me I had no connection at all if I shut off my LTE in settings while my status bar still read "LTE" in the corner. In the Apple store, the device was auto switching to "4G" so it never happened in front of the genius. And with a different iPhone and SIM card, I have the exact same issue! But it's not as big of a deal because I now have better LTE service at home (which was the original problem that led to finding this weird glitch) and when the LTE connection does become weak, the device automatically switches to "4G," which it had not been doing in this specific location.
Apple told me it was definitely a carrier issue. AT&T claimed the opposite. Of course. After getting the new SIM, I went back to apple and they replaced my phone. But, I only tested the glitch after changing the SIM cards so I'm not sure if it's the new device or SIM card that is giving me a +2 bars better connection at home now.