Is 5G not working on your iPhone 13 Pro Max or not showing up in settings? Don’t worry! In this article, we’ll explain why 5G is not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max and show you how to resolve the problem for good. Lets get started.
If your iPhone 13 Pro Max 5G is not available in settings or r stopped working all together, don’t worry! There are various fixes you can try before blowing up your cell carrier’s customer support line.
If you’ve just purchased a new iPhone 13 and have noticed that 5G isn’t available after getting it set up, there are several things to check out to troubleshoot the problem. These include your wireless plan, SIM card, iOS settings, and more. Let’s dive into what to do if your iPhone 13 Pro Max 5G is not working.
The iPhone13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max features 5G support (including mmWave on all US models) and 5G is turned on by default as far as iOS 15 settings go with Smart Data mode (can be managed manually too). However, if you’ve gotten set up and activated with your carrier and your iPhone 13’s 5G is not working, here are some solutions to try.
Simple solutions to fix 5G not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max
This is what you can do if 5G is not working on your iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max. Follow the steps in the same order given below. After each step, check if you can use 5G on your iPhone 13. Pro Max.
1. Restart your iPhone
It may seem silly to remind you of this basic rule, but most problems encountered on an iPhone can be solved this way. It is therefore important to specify that the first reflex to have when a bug occurs, whatever it is, since it does not only concern the problem related to mobile data, is to turn your iPhone off and on again.
To restart your iPhone 13 Pro Max, simply press and hold the Side button and either the Volume button of your iPhone and then drag the Power off slider. Wait a couple of seconds and turn it back on. Check your status icon, but also test the speed of your 5G connection by opening some websites or downloading some smaller apps.
2. Make sure 5G is supported by your network carrier
The next course of action is to make sure your network carrier supports 5G. You may need to contact your network provider and check whether it supports 5G networks if your iPhone 13 is unable to use 5G. You must also ensure that 5G network coverage is available in your area.
It is important to be aware that 5G networks in all regions are not currently widely available. Not every 5G network is the same, too. One 5G band such as the Sub-6 5G could be a little quicker than LTE. The more frequent radio bands (mmWave 5G) on a flip side can help you experience speeds which cannot even match your home Wi-Fi.
If your carrier doesn’t support 5G network, or there’s no 5G network coverage in your area, even if the feature is enabled, you’ll not be able to access 5G on your iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Also check to make sure you are on a 5G plan. Even if you think you have an up to date plan that includes 5G, it’s good to double-check what you’ve got and confirm it includes 5G service. For example, Verizon has a tricky situation where the new plans don’t have different names or different pricing, but some customers need to make a change to get 5G service.
Meanwhile, AT&T is alerting customers that they also may need to upgrade their plans when logging in their accounts.
3. Make sure 5G is enabled on your iPhone 13 Pro Max
If after checking the above two options the problem persists, it may be settings related. Turning on 5G on your iPhone may be the answer to this problem. To enable 5G network on your iPhone 13 Pro Max, you need to choose one of the two 5G options mention below::
5G On: if you want your iPhone to use the 5G network for a long time (As long as 5G network is available). This means you’ll keep using 5G network even if it provides 4G/LTE speeds. This option is ideal if you are in an area with strong 5G coverage. 5G On is amazing. But it can also ding your iPhone’s battery life.
5G Auto: If you want your iPhone to smartly choose a 5G network when it offers better network connectivity than 4G/LTE, you need to choose this option. Whenever your 5G network will dip and give a similar experience to 4G/LTE, your phone will automatically switch to 4G/LTE. This option is ideal to maintain your iPhone’s battery levels.
Now you know which of the two available options to choose from, here is how you can enable 5G on your iPhone 13 Pro Max:
- Go to Settings, then tap on Cellular.
- Select Cellular Data Options.
- Tap Voice & Data. You’ll see a list of preferred modes.
- Choose ‘5G Auto’ to use a 5G network when it offers better connectivity.
- Pick ‘5G On’ to allow iPhone to keep using 5G even if the network connection is not that great.
4. Turn airplane mode on and off
Sometimes the most obvious fix is the most reliable one. If 5G is not working on your iPhone 13, one of the first things you should try is turning airplane mode on and off. You can do this simply by swiping down from top right of your screen and tapping on the airplane icon, or you can do it through Settings.
You can usually enable Airplane mode by going to Settings > Airplane mode. Turn it on for at least a couple of seconds, then disable it. In a lot of cases your iPhone 13 Pro Max 5G connection issues will be gone. If your iPhone 13 Pro Max 5G is not working still or not showing up in settings, move on to the next step.
5. Eject and readjust your SIM card
If you are still facing the problem of 5G not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max, the issue might lie in an ill-positioned SIM card. Eject it and carefully reposition it in its tray.
Using a SIM tool or any alternative, pop out your sim card slot on the side of your iPhone 13 Pro Max, wait a few seconds, and then reinsert it. Once you’re done, your 5G connection should be back to normal.
6. Check for a carrier update
Carriers sometimes send cellular updates over the air, independently from an OS update. To check for a carrier update, go to Settings > General > About. If a carrier or mobile update is available, a prompt will show up on your screen.
7. Check for iOS Update
If you are still experiencing the problem of 5G not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max, update your device to see if everything returns to normal. You can update your iPhone by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
8. Are you using Dual SIM?
For some reason, if you’re using Dual SIM mode with an iPhone 13, both lines will revert to 4G LTE.
9. Is Data Roaming enabled?
5G isn’t available yet when roaming. According to Apple, the only option to get 5G outside of your carrier’s coverage is to pick up a local SIM card when traveling.
10. Is Low Power Mode enabled?
When low power mode is enabled, it restrict your iPhone 13 Pro Max from using 5G (except during video streaming.) Go to Settings > Battery to turn it off. Alternatively, you can tap the Low power Mode icon within the Control Center to turn it off.
11. Reset network settings
If you find 5G not working on your iPhone 13 Pro Max after trying all the above steps, the problem may be network related. Resetting the network settings to factory default settings may be the answer to this problem. Here is how you can do it:
- Navigate to Settings, then tap on General.
- Scroll down and select Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset.
- From the list, tap Reset Network settings. You will be asked to enter your Passcode if you have one. Keep in mind that this will reset all of your Wi-Fi, cellular information, paired Bluetooth devices and so on. If you are sure you want to proceed tap Reset Network Settings.
Once you’ve done this, wait a couple of minutes — new network settings should be picked up by your phone automatically. If nothing happens, move on to the next solution.
12. Restore factory settings
If the above solutions didn’t work, we advise you to opt for a more drastic solution by restoring your iPhone to factory settings. This will erase all data from your iPhone and return all settings to the factory default settings. Your iPhone will be good as new. Software-wise, it will look exactly the same as the first day you turned it on.
This solves just about every software problem you might encounter. It is, therefore, the best solution, but it should be used as a last resort due to the deletion of all data. We suggest that you backup your iPhone before undertaking this step.
- Start the Settings, app on your iPhone.
- Now, tap on General.
- Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Erase All Content And Settings then follow the onscreen instructions.
13. Contact your cell carrier
If you’ve tried everything else on the list and nothing seemed to fix your 5G not working on iPhone 13 Pro Max issue, it’s time to contact your cell carrier. You can always do so on social media, but sometimes a good old-fashioned call might address your concerns better. Here are the customer support numbers of the major US providers:
- Verizon Wireless: 800-922-0204
- Sprint: 888-211-4727
- AT&T: 611 from an AT&T phone or 800-331-0500
- T-Mobile: 611 from a T-Mobile phone or 1-877-746-0909 from another phone
- U.S. Cellular: 611 from a U.S. Cellular phone or 1-888-944-9400 from another phone
14. Get help from Apple
If all of the above steps have failed we advise you to seek professional help by contacting Apple Support. Sometimes a disappearing or inconsistent 5G connection is as a result of fault of hardware. If you’ve recently dropped your iPhone that could have resulted in damage to internal components. Take it to an authorized repair shop to get it checked out. If your device is brand new, on the other hand, but still experiencing consistent connection issues, you might have a faulty unit.
Take your iPhone to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or book a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store, as there may be a corrupted hardware component.
Did you fix your iPhone 13 Pro Max 5G not working problem?
These are our tips and tricks on how to fix iPhone 13 Pro Max 5G not working problem. As someone who has dealt with this issue firsthand, it can be very frustrating. Thankfully these steps have resolved the issue for many people. Did we manage to help you solve your iPhone 13 Pro Max 5G not working issue? Let us know in the comments below. If you know of any other tips to solve the puzzle of 5G problem, feel free to share them in the comments!
Hey, I finally got my 5G work but it was a bit of an edge case situation which was only fixed with a complete Restore to factory settings… but perhaps this will help someone out?
1. I went travelling to Thailand with my iPhone 13 Pro Max, to a region with lots of good 5G.
2. Roaming costs were expensive, I used my home sim to roam for a day or so on the AIS network.
3. I then purchased a locale AIS esim with 5G… but could never get 5G to work, even with network codes and forced carrier updates, reboots etc etc.
Now it seems that my home network do not allow 5G roaming and therefore set 4G on the local network and somehow limited my phone to 4G usage only. When I installed the local sim it picked up the same local carrier network settings, appearing to inherit these values from my roaming sim carrier settings (ie 5G should not be available).
Once I did a factory reset, removed my roaming sim and installed the local e-sim all worked well within seconds!