5G Enabled on iPhones in India: How to Activate 5G on Airtel and Jio on Your iPhone

Apple has just announced the arrival of official 5G support on iPhones in India, starting at 11:30pm on December 13, for subscribers who have Jio and Airtel connections. With the release of iOS 16.2, users in India will be able to take advantage of 5G network speed in areas where coverage is available. 5G support will be activated on all compatible iPhone models released in 2020 or later. These include the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 families as well as the latest iPhone SE model. Users who currently have a 4G SIM and data plan will not need to change anything, as Airtel and Jio SIMs are compatible.  

Which iPhones are 5G compatible?

Here is a complete list of 5G-enabled iPhone models:

• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2022)

How can I activate 5G on my iPhone in India?

On your iPhone, open the Settings app and tap General, then Software Update. You will see the option to download iOS 16.2. Accept the terms and conditions, and download the update. Note: It is always advisable to back up all your data before installing a software update.

Once the update has been installed and your iPhone has restarted, you might see a new 5G status icon in the notification area (if Wi-Fi is not currently active). If not, you can open the settings app and tap to Cellular > Cellular Data Options. If you are using two active SIMs, you can choose which one you want to use 5G through. 

You can leave the default Auto mode enabled if you want your iPhone to dynamically adjust your connection speed to help save battery power. In this mode, your device will switch to 4G LTE when you aren't doing anything that requires high-speed data, as the older standard requires less power. Switching to 5G On in the Cellular Data Options settings will force your device to always use 5G when coverage is available. Alternatively, switching to LTE will ignore 5G, and could be useful to prolong battery life.