Martín, a technology expert from the YouTube channel Tecnonauta, said he always relies on one trick when he loses phone coverage outside the city: turning off 5G in his phone's settings.
Losing signal at the worst possible moment is one of the most frustrating everyday problems, especially when travelling or heading out to the countryside. In an age of constant connectivity, watching the signal bars vanish from the screen can leave people feeling suddenly cut off. Martín said getting internet access back in these tricky areas can be far simpler than it looks.
Why 5G loses signal outside cities
Modern 5G networks allow extremely fast downloads in the middle of large cities, but the technology has a major weakness once users leave built-up areas. Martín said 5G is very fast but has an important physical drawback: it is a very short-range network.
Because it needs a large number of nearby antennas to deliver a strong signal, 5G coverage fades quickly once a user moves away from densely populated areas. Phones are set by default to search for the newest connection available, so they keep trying to latch onto a near-nonexistent 5G signal, which makes the internet run extremely slowly or cuts it off altogether.
How to change the network settings
To fix this and get a stable connection back, Martín recommends changing the device's settings manually. He said users need to go into their phone's settings, then mobile networks, then network mode, describing it as a quick trip through the phone's menus that takes only a few seconds regardless of the phone's brand or model.
Inside that menu, most phones today are set to give priority to the newest available network. Martín said the fix is to switch manually to 4G. Doing so stops the device from hunting for a weak 5G signal and makes it focus on the network with the strongest presence in that particular area.
If coverage still does not return properly after switching to 4G, Martín offers a second, equally simple option. He said that if it still is not working after a while, users should switch to 3G as well.
Martín, technology expert at Tecnonauta, said dropping down to 4G or 3G makes it far more likely to get coverage, because those signals can even pass through walls.
The physical reason older networks reach farther
This temporary return to older networks has a straightforward physical explanation. Dropping to networks like 3G means using traditional wave frequencies that behave much better in open, mountainous terrain. Martín said that on these older network bands, there is normally more chance of connecting, since the signal tends to travel farther and can even pass through walls. He said an older technology becomes the best tool to get people out of a tight spot while out in nature.
Martín said this setting change lets people keep sending messages, checking maps or looking up information during a trip away from the city, but it comes with one final, essential step for when they return.
Remember to revert the setting when you return
Once normal coverage conditions are restored back in the city, keeping the manual setting in place will needlessly limit the device's speed. Martín warned, with a touch of humour, that it is vital to reverse the change. He said that once back in civilisation, people should remember to put the setting back the way it was, or they will end up browsing more slowly for the rest of their life.
