AT&T announced that it phased out its 3G network beginning in February 2022. Verizon announced that it will finish shutting down its 3G network by December 31, 2022. T-Mobile announced that it finished shutting down Sprint's 3G CDMA network as of March 31, 2022 and Sprint's 4G LTE network as of June 30, 2022.
Older Samsung Galaxy phones such as the Galaxy S4 and earlier won't work anymore in 2022 and beyond. However, since Samsung was relatively quick to adopt 4G LTE way back in 2014 with the Galaxy S5 (LTE model), the majority of Samsung devices will continue to work through 2022 and beyond.
AT&T has said that all iPhones made prior to the iPhone 6 and some Galaxy models will no longer function after next week, while Verizon has said that the iPhone 5, 5C, 5S, Samsung Galaxy S4 and older models, and Apple's iPad 2 will not work after the deadline, as we previously reported.
Which devices will stop working: Any iPhone older than an iPhone 6, including the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S. Samsung Galaxy S4s and older, but newer models may need an update. Kindle with 3G.
4G is expected to last for at least another decade, and possibly longer with the help of Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which shares available spectrum between 4G LTE and 5G devices.
On Android smartphones, go to settings > Network settings > mobile network. It should give you a dropdown menu of mobile standards such as 2G, 3G or LTE (4G). If you don't see 4G or LTE, then your smartphone doesn't support the standard.
Fastest 5G smartphones in the US
iPhone 14 Pro Max was the fastest 5G device in the US at a median download speed of 177.21 Mbps with the iPhone 14 Pro coming in second at 175.08.
Apple sold tens of millions of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models after their launch in 2015. The iPhone 6 is reportedly “safe until 2023,” but the iPhone 6 Plus isn't so lucky. This popular iPhone model won't stop working overnight — but that's not the real danger.
Therefore, the thing to remember is that 4G will not be going away anytime soon, regardless of how fast the 5G network grows. The plan is for existing 4G LTE networks to be used by carriers well into 2030.
Tech giant Apple, which introduced the iPhone of 2022 in September, will soon be marking the iPhone 5c as an obsolete product by next month. Once marked as obsolete, Apple will stop providing certain repairs for the iPhone 5c and may depend on part availability.
It's bad news if your iPhone is older than the iPhone 8—Apple has ended support for the iPhone 7 and older, so you won't be able to upgrade your iPhone software to iOS 16.
Today, both devices support Apple's iOS 15 software. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus did not get upgraded to iOS 16 when it was released in late 2022.
Until iOS 16 was released in September 2022, a used iPhone 6S was still able to run the most recent Apple mobile operating system: iOS 15. It is the oldest iPhone to receive the iOS 15 update (the iPhone 6 is stuck on the last version of iOS 12).
The iPhone 6 is reportedly “safe until 2023,” but the iPhone 6 Plus isn't so lucky. This popular iPhone model won't stop working overnight — but that's not the real danger.
In early 2021, Apple told several suppliers to halt production of iPhone 12 Mini parts and later final assembly of the device within the first six months of its release. Apple still released an iPhone 13 Mini less than a year later but discontinued the Mini product line with the iPhone 14.
This period can increase to a total of seven years based on specific parts and availability. So from the above hypothesis, Apple will likely stop fully supporting iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus around 2025. However, it's also possible that the company might decide to add a year or two of coverage.
For most users, this represents approximately two years of use, which is why most people believe that the lifespan of a phone is two years. However when it comes to iPhones, you can expect between three to five years (maybe more) with proper care.
iPhone 13 is Significantly Faster Than Samsung's New Galaxy S22 in Benchmarks. Samsung's new Galaxy S22 models are some of the fastest Android smartphones ever, but Apple still has the world's fastest mobile processor by a considerable margin.
This year's best overall iPhone goes to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
What is happening? Mobile carriers are shutting down their 3G networks, which rely on older technology, to make room for more advanced network services, including 5G. As a result, many older cell phones will be unable to make or receive calls and texts, including calls to 911, or use data services.
Within the U.S., it's reasonable to assume that by the end of 2022 there will not be a single major carrier supporting 2G. The same fate awaits 3G. 4G LTE operates under a different scenario, and we can confidently say that 4G will be around for at least another decade.
LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and is sometimes referred to as 4G LTE. It's a standard for wireless data transmission that allows you to download your favorite music, websites, and video really fast—much faster than you could with the previous technology, 3G.