Apple iOS 16.2: Here's how to activate 5G on your iPhone

Airtel and Reliance Jio launched a 5G trial service in select Indian metros in October and since then, they have expanded it to more cities and towns around the country.

However, the premium iPhone 12, 13, and 14 series did not support 5G at the start as Apple wanted to make sure of devices be able to deliver seamless super fast network connectivity and also battery usage is optimized.

After months of testing, Apple finally rolled out the much-awaited iOS 16.2 with 5G support to all compatible iPhone models in India.

Here's how to enable 5G on iPhone 12, 13, and 14 series:
Prerequisite: To experience 5G, you should have iPhone 12 or newer models and reside in areas with 5G network coverage offered by Reliance Jio and Airtel.
For now, both the leading cellular network providers offering trial 5G service for free for a limited time until they cover most of the regions in India

Let's begin.
Step 1: Open Settings >> Mobile Data >> Mobile Data Options >> Voice & Data >> Tap on either 5G Auto or 5G on. The latter ensures, the iPhone is always on looking out for 5G network connectivity and may affect battery life.

However, if you choose 5G Auto, the iPhone will switch between 4G LTE and 5G whichever signal is strong and ensures, less battery power is efficiently consumed, and the device lasts longer through the day.

Steps on how to enable 5G on supported iPhone models. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Also, users can turn on 5G data by following the procedure below:

Step 1: Open Settings >> Mobile Data >> Mobile Data Options >> Data Mode>> Tap on 'Allow More Data on 5G'. There will be two other options-- 'Standard' and 'Low Data Mode'.

If you choose 'Allow More Data on 5G', the iPhone will prefer faster 5G over Wi-Fi to download the software update and automatic iCloud backups, and higher quality content. This may exhaust the day's 5G data quota faster, particularly affecting those with the pre-paid subscription.

It is better to use either 'Low Data Mode' or 'Standard' so that background activities are limited to some tasks and other big data such as video and FaceTime quality is controlled.

It should be noted that Reliance Jio 5G service is available by invitation only. So, keep an eye on the True5G Welcome offer banner on the MyJio app.

Must read | Reliance Jio True 5G welcome offer: Users to get unlimited data at 1Gbps speed

Steps on how to enable 5G data mode on supported iPhone models. Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Also read | Airtel to give 5G benefits to 4G users till full rollout

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