[Feature Request] "5G Only" Mode with Android 15

icarious

Maybe the GrapheneOS developers can consider introducing a "5G Only" mode along with "LTE Only" for the up and coming major GrapheneOS update based on Android 15 scheduled to be released soon. 5G is not a Bleeding Edge technology anymore in a lot of regions. I am from India (worlds most populated region / second largest deep mobile penetration after China right now), two big mobile operators have already deployed 5G in the region massively. One of them "Reliance Jio" -- which is the largest Mobile Operator in India chose to take the 5G Standalone SA route. A "5G Only" mode option would actually force the network to prioritize 5G over LTE for better speeds when needed. In India 3G is completely discontinued and insecure legacy 2G networks are still supported by some operators for people who are old or economically weak with basic older generation button phones, I think keeping a combination of "5G Only" / "LTE Only" and "5G/4G" Mixed mode makes more sense today as 2G can already be disabled in settings for people with Android.

Just a thought.

de0u

icarious A "5G Only" mode option would actually force the network to prioritize 5G over LTE for better speeds when needed.

Can you say more about how this would cause the cellular network to prioritize?

It seems to me that a "5G Only" mode would cause the device to lose connectivity in an area without 5G coverage, and might cause the device to slow down in an area where 5G coverage is saturated.

Does 5G work in elevators and underground where you are? If not, then "5G Only" seems likely to result in disconnections.

other8026

icarious It is a planned feature, but hasn't been done yet. Here's a few posts by the project account on X saying as much and why...

It disables 2G, 3G and 5G for minimal attack surface. 5G is still relatively new and being very actively developed so it has a lot more vulnerabilities than the simpler and far more battle tested 4G code. 2G and 3G are legacy and add unnecessary attack surface.

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We'll be adding a 5G-only mode as an option too, we just haven't gotten around to it yet. Eventually, 4G won't be universally available anymore. However, 4G and the baseline 5G standard share a lot in common so it might not get phased out in the same way as past standards.

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That developer option is standard. The feature we add related to this is 4G-only mode and we plan to add a 5G-only mode soon since 4G will eventually become less universally available. For now, 4G-only mode makes more sense since 5G has a lot more attack surface.

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ryrona

icarious I think keeping a combination of "5G Only" / "LTE Only" and "5G/4G" Mixed mode makes more sense today as 2G can already be disabled in settings for people with Android.

I think one option that allow 3G too should be there. India may be far ahead, but where I live, we got 5G coverage less than a year ago, and a 5G subscription is still much more expensive than a 4G one. I certainly won't pay for 5G yet, it is more than twice the cost. Although it is getting rare nowadays, there are still areas with only 3G coverage, if you are a bit away from any village or city. All SIM card providers are still advertising how large their 3G coverage is, in addition to their somewhat smaller 4G coverage and much smaller 5G coverage and basically nonexistent 5G+ coverage (ie true 5G, not just 5G with 4G speeds).

xxx

I think normal phone calls don't work with 5G only. Would be a showstopper for most people.

fxnn

Until it's implemented in the OS, you can set the preferred network type to NR as explained here:

https://privsec.dev/posts/android/android-tips/#baseband-modem-attack-surface-reduction

Object_11

Maybe i am wrong. But i enter code ##4636## in the standard dialer. First menu item, and i see all what you need.
https://pic.li/9Td

Object_11

Bad insertion in previously message. Right code is : *#*#4636#*#*

areaman

Really seems like the proper UI would be a list of radio bands with a check box next to each: 2g, 3g, 4g, 5g, mmWave, Bluetooth, WiFi 2.4 GHz, WiFi 5.2 GHz, NFC radios all in the same place. Its hard to keep track of whats transmitting right now. Understood that this might be something AOSP should implement.