Understand what you're switching between when you change from 5g to 4g
If you want to change from 5G to 4G, it helps to understand what you are actually trading away. The mobile industry has spent years blurring the lines between generations. So the difference between 3g 4g and 5g on your status bar is often more about marketing than raw speed. In practice, your phone might show a 5G icon while connected to a "low-band" signal that performs nearly identically to a good 4G LTE connection. To complicate matters, you can check your phone's settings menu to tell if my phone is 4g or 5g by looking for network type information. Even that can be misleading if the carrier uses a technology called "5G Non-Standalone," which anchors the connection to 4G towers. If you have ever wondered why my phone say 4g instead of 5g in certain spots, the answer is usually range. 5G tower coverage distances are much shorter than 4G, especially for the faster millimeter-wave frequencies. Your device will drop back to 4G as you move indoors or farther from the tower. For most messaging, social media, and video streaming, switching to 4G removes the battery drain of constantly searching for a fading 5G signal without any noticeable slowdown.
Check your phone and plan compatibility
Before you adjust your phone's settings, take a moment to confirm that your specific device and plan actually support the change you want to make. Not all phones let you toggle 5G off cleanly. Some older SIM cards are tied to a specific network generation. Start by identifying if your SIM card is 5g-compatible. If you bought it before 5G rolled out in your area, it might only provision for LTE. The switch is already effectively happening in the background. Next, check your carrier's account page or app to see if your plan includes 5G at all. Some budget plans restrict access to the faster network, so you may not need to change anything. If you're holding an iPhone and wondering how to find the right toggle, the process for how do I enable 5g on my iPhone 11 is nearly identical to disabling it. Look under your cellular data options and choose "LTE" instead of the 5G option. Finally, verify whether your carrier charges for 5G access separately. A few providers still add a small monthly fee for the faster network. Dropping to 4G can save you a couple of dollars if that's the case. Once you've confirmed these three pieces, SIM, device, and plan, you can proceed knowing the switch will actually take effect. This page alone explains how a SIM card's age can silently default your phone to LTE, even before you touch any settings.
Make the switch and manage trade-offs
To actually disable 5G, open your device’s Settings. Tap “Network & internet,” or “Connections” on Samsung phones. Then select “SIMs” or “Mobile networks.” From there, choose “Preferred network type” and pick an option that omits 5G, such as “LTE/4G.” On an iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and tap “LTE.” The process is essentially the reverse of what you would do to change 4g to 5g on Android phone, but the key difference is that you are now stepping down one generation. Once you confirm the change, your phone will drop the 5G signal within a few seconds. It will latch onto the strongest 4G tower nearby. You should see the status bar icon change from “5G” to “LTE” or “4G.” After making the switch, the most noticeable effect is on your battery. The modem no longer has to scan for a 5G signal or juggle two radio bands simultaneously. You can expect noticeably slower drain throughout the day. That is the primary reason for switching to 4G to save battery, and most users find the trade-off worthwhile. Rest assured that all core phone functions remain unaffected. Your messaging and calling still work over the LTE network. There is no reason to worry about getting calls and texts with 5G turned off. In fact, calls may sound more stable on a consistent 4G connection.
