NoNewTaleToTell: Quick question before I open an entire thread about it, anybody know how to force a phone (LG, Android) to use 4G LTE? I'm in a pretty boondocks-y location at the moment and the phone keeps bouncing between 4G LTE, 4G and 2G. There IS 4G LTE service here (I'm using it now) but the phone seems to want to use the stronger network which is 2G here, which is no good obviously.
I've tried the 4G LTE Switch app but it doesn't work on my phone and most similar apps seem to be just for Samsung phones.
Pulling this from an article, might be useful -
One nice secret feature with most Android phones is they have a hidden menu to select specific network types. For example, the OnePlus can be set to use WCDMA (3G) only, LTE (4G) only or even both, effectively preventing the phone from using 2G, even in areas without 3G or 4G coverage.
To bring up the hidden menu,
dial *#*#4636#*#* Touch “Phone information”, then scroll down to where it says “Set preferred network type:”
Look through the options for ‘WCDMA only’ or ‘LTE/WCDMA’ (if available):
Don’t choose ‘LTE only’ as it may block the ability to make & receive calls. This option might be useful to check for such coverage or if is necessary to use 4G for a large file transfers. Note that Three uses 800MHz (LTE band 20) for 4G in some areas which is not supported by the OnePlus One and some other phones.
On some phones such as the OnePlus One, this hidden network setting must be set each time the phone is powered off or restarted, otherwise it reverts back to automatic 2G/3G/4G selection. When this happens, the hidden network selection needs to be changed to something else (e.g. GSM only) first and then back to the WCDMA or WCDMA/LTE option.
A few manufacturers have disabled the secret menu for some reason. For example, the secret menu is disabled in the lollipop Android release for the LG G2 Mini, but was accessible in its earlier android versions.
Note: If you are on the move, I recommend changing the setting back to allow 2G (GSM) access before heading off, unless you know you get good 3G coverage along the route. Otherwise calls will get cut off once the phone loses 3G coverage as this trick prevents the phone using 2G masts even for calls or texts.