The iPhone has been 5G-capable since 2020 with the iPhone 12, but was excluded from Digital Nasional Bhd's (DNB) list of supported devices until the update to iOS 16.2. — Photo by Frederik Lipfert on Unsplash
With the update to iOS version 16.2, Apple has finally brought 5G network access to its Malaysian users.
To enable 5G connectivity, make sure that the device has support for 5G (all models from the iPhone 12 onwards should be 5G-capable) and has been updated to iOS version 16.2, which will add the option to enable 5G under "Voice & Data" in the settings menu.
Simply open the settings app, navigate to "Mobile Data" and select "Mobile Data Options", then tap on "Voice & Data".
If the device is already on iOS version 16.2 and is using a compatible telco, the options for 5G On, 5G Auto and 4G will be shown. 5G On keeps the device always connected to 5G when available, while 5G Auto reverts the iPhone to 4G/LTE to save battery life when 5G does not provide a noticeably better experience, according to Apple.
Just make sure that the device is already using a data plan that includes 5G, otherwise even with the option enabled, the device will still be stuck on 4G/LTE.
It is worth noting that these options will only be available to users that have subscribed to Celcom, Digi or U Mobile, all three of which are Apple telco partners.
Maxis, which is another of Apple’s partners, has not finalised the 5G access agreement with Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) as of publication, but expects to complete the approval process by January 2023.
While 5G rollout in the country has been in progress since the latter half of 2021, with telcos starting to offer both postpaid and prepaid plans that feature 5G back in October this year, support for iPhones had previously been up in the air.
The iPhone has been 5G-capable since 2020 with the iPhone 12, but was excluded from DNB’s list of supported devices until the update to iOS 16.2.
DNB's update to its list coincided with the push to iOS 16.2. Apple devices currently listed on the website are the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone SE Gen-2, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
iOS 16.2 also brings the new Freeform app which functions as a collaborative canvas that can be shared by up to 100 users across iPhone, iPad and Mac, a karaoke feature with Apple Music Sing, and its much-discussed end-to-end encryption on iCloud.
