For Fi users, updating to iOS 16.4 could literally make your cell service faster.
If you’re one of the people brave enough to use Google Fi with an iPhone, your experience is about to get a lot better, as Google announced on Wednesday that you can finally use 5G instead of being stuck with LTE (via 9to5Google).
According to Google’s documentation, using 5G with your iPhone requires iOS 16.4, which was released earlier this week. (Though Fi’s 5G support was spotted during the 16.4 beta process.) You also have to have an iPhone 12 or newer, since older iPhones don’t support 5G. Turning it on after you’ve updated your phone is simple, though: go to Settings > Cellular Data Options > Voice and Data, then select “5G Auto.” Just like that, you’ll have access to T-Mobile’s 5G network.
It’s not necessarily surprising that it took this long for Fi’s 5G to come to iPhones. While the service has been available on Apple’s phones since 2018, the experience has always been a little lacking compared to using the carrier with an Android device. iPhone users had to wait years to get Fi’s built-in VPN and eSIM, and you have to manually enter MMS settings to get regular texting to work right. Still, if you have an iPhone and are interested in using Fi as your primary carrier (or as a secondary one that you turn on or off at will) the addition of 5G may make it an even better option.
