How to turn off 5G on the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

Google did indeed hit it out of the park with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, delivering incredible value that will be appreciated by the average user. But the phones have a weakness: the Samsung Exynos 5300 modem used on these phones still struggles with poor network performance, especially when it comes to 5G reception. The modem improved from the Pixel 6 series, but it still has a tendency to drain your battery when the phone is set on 5G but not in reception of a 5G network. Here’s how you can turn off 5G on the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

How to turn off 5G on the Google Pixel 7 using the Settings app

You can turn off 5G on your Pixel 7 by following these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to Network & internet > SIMs > Preferred network type.
3. Here, you can choose LTE as the preferred network. This will stop your phone from connecting to 5G. Note that if you select 3G, it will stop your phone from connecting to both LTE and 5G, and we do not recommend choosing this setting unless you know what you are doing.

How to turn off 5G on the Google Pixel 7 using a custom Dialer code

Some carriers may not surface the above settings, so it may not be possible to switch off 5G on the Pixel 7 using the steps mentioned above. In these cases, you can choose to turn off 5G using the custom Dialer code. Note that these menus are part of hidden menus used for diagnostics, and you should be very careful about changing any setting here. Do not change any setting that you do not fully comprehend.

To turn off 5G on the Pixel 7, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Type *#*#4636#*#* in the dialer.
3. In the menu that opens, select Phone information.
4. You will enter the Phone network info diagnostic menu. Locate the field that says Set Preferred Network Type. Since you are on 5G, you will likely have an option starting with NR, which indicates 5G.
5. In the menu, choose an option that does not begin with NR. You can choose LTE/TDSCDMA/CDMA/EvDo/GSM/WCDMA, which will forcefully restrict your phone from connecting to an NR (aka 5G) tower.

What’s the need to turn off 5G on the Pixel 7?

Before you figure out how to turn off 5G, the question that needs to be asked is why should 5G be turned off on the Pixel 7 series? After all, it is a fairly capable smartphone that is able to take advantage of 5G in all the regions where it is officially sold.

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro ship with the Google Tensor G2 SoC, which includes the Samsung Exynos 5300 modem. Its predecessor, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, ship with the first-gen Google Tensor SoC, which includes the Samsung Exynos 5123b modem. Pixel 6 users would frequently complain about the poor signal strength and resultant poor speeds on their phones. A lot of users have complained that the phone also drains the battery in this process, as it would just constantly struggle to latch onto a network.

Compared to the Pixel 6 series, the Pixel 7 (and Pixel 8 series) has a better modem. It connects to networks better, maintains a stronger connection for longer, and delivers better speeds. Unfortunately, all of these are relative to the predecessor. The Exynos 5300 performs poorly when compared to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon modems. Users have reported that the Pixel 7 series can tend to drain the battery quickly if 5G is being used in an area with poor 5G reception. The phone constantly keeps searching for a good network lock, and even when it latches, it struggles to maintain the best connection.

If you live in an area where 5G reception is not great, we would recommend that you turn off 5G on your Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

Further, 5G isn’t cheap. Carriers charge a lot of money for this service, and there’s a good chance that you just don’t need any of the speed and bandwidth advantages that 5G brings to the table. There’s also a chance that 4G LTE just works better in your area than 5G. In these situations, too, it is advisable that you switch off 5G on your Pixel 7 and save some money instead of wasting it on something you don’t need or can take advantage of.

If you’re looking for more helpful guides, you can check out how to activate an eSIM on the Pixel 7 and how to turn off or restart the device. You can also learn all the different ways that you can take a screenshot on the Pixel 7.

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