The Samsung Galaxy S24
smooth4lyfe's profile

Professor

 • 

1.5K Messages

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012 8:37 PM

Finally a way to turn off LTE for the Galaxy S3! (Saves a lot of Battery)

Got this from another forum and it seems to work! 

 

1) With phone on, take off back cover and press your SIM card so it releases from the spring. It won't come all the way out as it's blocked by the battery. This seems fine - I didn't bother trying to force it out as I didn't want to break anything...
2) Once you see the message that the SIM card is removed, go to the dialer and dial *#2263#
3) You should see a menu with band selections. The current setting is "Automatic". If you switch to "GSM All", you will be EDGE (2G). If you switch to "WCDMA All", you will be on HSPA+ (3G, though AT&T and others call it 4G).
4) Press the SIM card back into place until it clicks. For whatever reason the phone will not recognize it until you reboot. Upon reboot you should see your new setting in effect.

 

 

Idk why they don't just make a toggle for this like the iPhoen 5 has, but this is an alternative method which seems to work! I have tried

Teacher

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23 Messages

11 years ago


@smooth4lyfe wrote:

Got this from another forum and it seems to work! 

 

1) With phone on, take off back cover and press your SIM card so it releases from the spring. It won't come all the way out as it's blocked by the battery. This seems fine - I didn't bother trying to force it out as I didn't want to break anything...
2) Once you see the message that the SIM card is removed, go to the dialer and dial *#2263#
3) You should see a menu with band selections. The current setting is "Automatic". If you switch to "GSM All", you will be EDGE (2G). If you switch to "WCDMA All", you will be on HSPA+ (3G, though AT&T and others call it 4G).
4) Press the SIM card back into place until it clicks. For whatever reason the phone will not recognize it until you reboot. Upon reboot you should see your new setting in effect.

 

 

Idk why they don't just make a toggle for this like the iPhoen 5 has, but this is an alternative method which seems to work! I have tried


 

After making above change, when I dial *#*#INFO#*#*, it (under device config) still shows LTE/GSM/WCDMA selected .

Scholar

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397 Messages

11 years ago

Why would you want to disable it????

Professor

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3K Messages

11 years ago


@Tailgunner747 wrote:

Why would you want to disable it????


It says right in the title, to save battery.  Particularly since a lot of people aren't even in LTE areas, it makes no sense to have it on all the time searching for a network that doesn't exist.

 
Also the dialer "secret code" to switch the network modes is normally locked by AT&T and changes will not stick without root. So if it doesn't work in Settings, it won't work with the dialer codes, either.

Contributor

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4 Messages

11 years ago

I believe the following also gets you into the settings on the Samsung Galaxy S3 (non-rooted/running Jelly Bean) without having to open the back of the phone.

 

Go to your dialer and type in *#*#4636#*#* - Then go to Device information - scroll down and you should see a drop down box that allows you to make the change to what network your phone is using.

Mentor

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40 Messages

11 years ago

I think someone at XDA has found a simpler way around this where you do not have to take off back cover and pop SIM. Try the following method: Under dialer dial the following: *#197328640# Now select: Umts / Debug Screen / Phone Control / Network Lock / Rat_Free_Supporting ON (The "/" represents a new set of menu selections) After you click "Rat_Free_Supporting ON" you should see "Now RAT Free Supporting". Click back button and try setting radio by pressing *#2263#. This should be much easier than selecting airplane mode, eject and reinserting sim and having to remove and put back on the back cover. The only issue so far is that the RAT restriction is back after a reboot. However, using the code should unlock it again should you need to change it again.

Mentor

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40 Messages

11 years ago


@aberken wrote:

I believe the following also gets you into the settings on the Samsung Galaxy S3 (non-rooted/running Jelly Bean) without having to open the back of the phone.

 

Go to your dialer and type in *#*#4636#*#* - Then go to Device information - scroll down and you should see a drop down box that allows you to make the change to what network your phone is using.


This option, *#*#4636#*#*, does not work on the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3.  AT&T made sure this was done up nice and tight.  Thus far even custom ROMS such as CM10 that usually get around this have not been able too.  This is the preferred option because you can solely turn off LTE and keep both 2G/3G available for switching.  Until a way is found to make it work, the only option is *#2263# after getting around the RAT restriction.  The negative of *#2263# is that it locks in the one band.  Meaning that if you select UMTS you can ONLY use the 3G band and neither 2G or LTE will be available.  If chosen GSM, only 2G is available which is EDGE.

Scholar

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131 Messages

11 years ago


@redpoint73 wrote:

@Tailgunner747 wrote:

Why would you want to disable it????


It says right in the title, to save battery.  Particularly since a lot of people aren't even in LTE areas, it makes no sense to have it on all the time searching for a network that doesn't exist.

 
Also the dialer "secret code" to switch the network modes is normally locked by AT&T and changes will not stick without root. So if it doesn't work in Settings, it won't work with the dialer codes, either.


 

For what it's worth, though I live in an are with excellent LT coverage, I have traveled to places without LTE and observed a marked increase in my already good battery life with this phone.  Again, I have no problems with battery when being on LTE all day, but I have seen that battery life (understandably) extended when in only HSPA+ coverage.  It's not locked into one network type and switches fairly easily, so the battery life of the HSPA+ network seem, for me, to far and away compensate for whichever method of network recognition and switching is built into this phone.  Of course, YMMV.

Contributor

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1 Message

11 years ago

Excellent. Thanks man. It is working for me. Philly area got so called 4G 3 months back and at the same time I upgraded my Galaxy3 to Icecream. My battery was draining very fast. It used to last just 3-4 hrs. I took it to ATT service centers, those technicians are no good. Just gave me another battery!! I just followed your instructions, boooom back to normal, now it lasts more than 18 hrs. I regularly talk, check my office e-mail, surf web.


@smooth4lyfe wrote:

Got this from another forum and it seems to work! 

 

1) With phone on, take off back cover and press your SIM card so it releases from the spring. It won't come all the way out as it's blocked by the battery. This seems fine - I didn't bother trying to force it out as I didn't want to break anything...
2) Once you see the message that the SIM card is removed, go to the dialer and dial *#2263#
3) You should see a menu with band selections. The current setting is "Automatic". If you switch to "GSM All", you will be EDGE (2G). If you switch to "WCDMA All", you will be on HSPA+ (3G, though AT&T and others call it 4G).
4) Press the SIM card back into place until it clicks. For whatever reason the phone will not recognize it until you reboot. Upon reboot you should see your new setting in effect.

 

 

Idk why they don't just make a toggle for this like the iPhoen 5 has, but this is an alternative method which seems to work! I have tried


 

THANKS A LOT MAN.

 

Cheers...

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

11 years ago

I used this method in order to save my battery life until I realized I couldn't live with the excruciatingly slow speeds.  I changed it back and now a couple of times per day I can't make phone calls.  I have to go back in and repeat this process before I can call out or receive calls. Texting and emails work fine, but callers are sent straight to vm and I cannot call out.  Please help me undo this.  Thanks.

 

[corrected formatting]

Tutor

 • 

14 Messages

11 years ago

This worked on s4 until just updated a software update from AT&T. Can't take RAT restriction off anymore but still can take SIM out and do the *#2263# and change but in area I live in I'm not going to have to do this at least 3 times a day for using lte which went stay in unless choose lte only. I knew shouldn't of took update!! It's AT&T stopping us from this and on automatic life they want it I cannot talk in my house in phone. About to cancel!
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