How do I tell if my phone is connected to 3g or 4g?

[Sunny Rio]

I want to know what network type my phone is **actually connected to right now**, not what it's capable of (which is all Google turns up when I ask the above question, stupid thing). It will do up to 4G(1) but I can find no way of finding out if it's on 3G or 4G. My old phone used to have 3G or 4G next to the signal bars, and I'd see one or the other depending on the area I was in and how near a mast I was), but this one (a Samsung A10) doesn't.

(1)It actually says 2G/3G/LTE auto select. Google says LTE is the same as 4G, is that correct?

 

[AugieTN]

That's odd your connection is not showing next to the signal bar. LTE is 4G

 

[Sunny Rio]

Here is a screenshot of the top of my desktop screen, also when I swipe down twice for the most information. It's Android 11 on a Samsung Galaxy A10.

 

[AugieTN]

If you turn WiFi off does the connection show? My Pixel 7 won't show the carrier connection when connected to WiFi. When i turn off WiFi it shows 5G+

 

[Sunny Rio]

Thanks, that worked. It's like it's assuming I don't want to know the connection type when I have Wifi, but 4G is used for calls aswell as data!

The reason I asked originally was due to the email I just got from GiffGaff, my phone network provider, about the UK government running a new emergency alerts system (invasion by Russia? Not sure what that's all about), and it only works on 4G, then I found out 3G is gradually being switched off from now. Looks like my mum's 2G phone will need to be replaced soon!

 

[Hadron]

Yeah, I think that the network type indicator is really a "what data connection am I using" indicator, so it doesn't show when you are connected to WiFi.

If you really need to know you could find a widget. I use a homebrew KWGT widget as the clock on my home page and that displays the mobile connection type regardless of whether you are connected to WiFi.

The emergency alert thing has been a standard phone feature for years, just never been set up in the UK.

 

[mikedt]

FWIW my Samsung Galaxy phone still shows the network type when it's connected to WiFi.

 

[Sunny Rio]

The UK one does not work on 3G. Perhaps it can and does elsewhere, but since they're stopping 3G soon, they didn't bother here.
Not sure what emergencies it will broadcast, it says government and emergency services. I'm assuming it contacts everyone in the cell area, so it won't be localised things like "your next door neighbour's house is on fire and it may spread to you" - more like massive forest fire (which we don't get in the UK), or nuclear war. Are they really epxecting that?

 

[Sunny Rio]

Yeah well mine isn't 5G, I don't have the fancy modern stuff! £30, cracked screen, broken front camera, 2GB RAM, 8 core processor, 720p screen, 12MP camera. I does what I need it to and even science research.