I am discovering over the last few days, that my new Note 20 Ultra Unlocked does not have some of the menu options of a provider branded phone. There is no menu setting to turn 5G on or off for instance.
Is there a code to get under the UI into settings? I used to know some stuff years ago but I forgot all the tricks, and likely they are old news now anyway. Or better yet, is there a stable, secure, and safe app that will allow me to access radio controls so that I could turn off certain modes, like 5G?
Why would I want to you ask. Well imagine living close enough to a tower where you sometimes got switched to 5G after hours in proximity to it, but were too far away to have any effective function from it. That is where I find myself. Rather than being 50X faster, I am 100x slower, and that is not an exaggeration. The data simply doesn't work on 5G. I haven't been close enough to a 5G source to actually test if it works well when close enough, but I know I don't want it switching over to 5G when I am at my home. The tower is either too far away, or something else is wrong. I am getting a new Sim card on Monday. Meantime, an app or code would be nice to just shut 5G off. I may just go back to my old plan. I invested in a new more expensive plan for speed, not frustration. Databyter
If you open your settings and search "Mobile Networks" and then choose the option that says Mobile Network, the next screen should show an option to change Network Mode back to LTE and auto connect to only that
Thanks, this is a confirmation that the Unlocked phones are being shipped out with different software and perhaps firmware. It is annoying.
If you revisit this thread can you provide the following data.
Under settings, About Phone, Software settings'
Your,
One UI Version #
Android Version #
Baseband Version#
Build number#
That's a lot to ask, I'm hoping the answer will be in the "One UI Version" so at least give me that small easy number. But the others may privide some clues as well. I'm going to ask Samsung to provide me this functionality that I have paid for. There is no reason your phone has it and mine does not. It is ridiculously clear that people who buy unlocked phones, want functionality and flexibility. More of it not less.
My new working theory is that there are either two versions of UI software, and I got the one with an oversight, or that perhaps my SIM card is so old (and it is old, Im getting a newer one today) that it does not support the same diversity of changes, and the phones knows it, and therefore does not give me the option.
The Sim theory is not likely tho. It does have the advantage of being proven one way or another when I upgrade Sim card today. It is more likely that this is a programming oversight on some versions, and a problem that can only be fixed by flashing firmware or software of the phone itself.
Everybody is also telling me that my service provider can fix the problem, but I don't think they have anything to do with my UI. Their programming may fill in the data points and APN's when they see me on the network. I don't think they are reprogramming my phones UI.
Thanks for sharing this You are the first unlocked phone user that does NOT have the same problem as me, so perhaps unlocked is not the only factor. Databyter
EDIT: (Credit to "IAMCANADIAN" above for the solution. This app is easiest to use and has multiple ways to bypass my UI and get me to band selection and network mode settings. I meant to mark it as the answer, but accidently marked my response to it as the answer, so putting credit here until I can figure out how to change it.)
Thanks, this looks promising. I downloaded a few others as well, but I'm not going to mess with any of it until I instal and activate my new Sim card as I want to see how that works first. This app gets great reviews and is Samsung specific so chances are it will work great for what I need. I did notice today that in real usage, my phone actually realizes the 5G is not working well and quickly switches back to regular LTE, whether 3-4 I do not know. So it's not that severe of a problem unless I am actually doing a quick speed test. But it does delay my action if I am on 5G since I have to wait for the phone to figure it out. I just want a quick way to switch it on or off. Otherwise, I am a big fan of the phone. I expected more from the Camera and the 3 lenses. Although they provide a great range and decent pictures, my Note 8 that I am replacing took pictures that I could zoom far into without losing clarity and sharpness. These, not so much. Then again, with the telephote for instance, I have less need to zoom in to a picture in the first place, since I am already there. So I guess it is just a different school of thought. I would have hoped for higher megapixels for each lense and more pixel peeping success. But great overall. Databyter
I have used the app you linked with good success. I meant to show your response as the answer to the thread, but accidently marked my response to your suggestion as the answer, and so far haven't figured out how to change it to you. But I will edit my response to give you credit.
Thru the app you linked there are two ways to control radios.
One is band selection which is specific for type, but doesn't mention sub types like #G.
The other is under "More Network Settings" and takes you to a SIM menu, and under the Sim menu there is a sub menu that gets you preferred Network Type, which gives you the option to prefer 2G 3G 4G or LTE. In My case after trying various #G's I decided to reset it to automatic again, which I did thru the First method, Band selection, which unsets any preferred network setting back to nothing chosen again, basically putting me back where I was, which wasn't terrible, just not ideal. I plan to try this out in different areas and learn more about the band names, since there are a dozen options, and I don't remember what they mean anymore. It's been years since I played around with cellphone radios. Databyter
I have a Verizon Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and I was wondering the same thing. Under network mode for me I have Global and the normal LTE settings but there's no option for anything to do with 5G. maybe it's covered under Global I'm not sure but I'd like to know if there is a way to turn it off or if I have to turn it on for that matter to use it at all.
