Why won’t my iPhone 12 pick up 5G?

If you can’t see 5G in the status bar Go to Settings > Mobile > Mobile Data Options. If you see this screen, your device has 5G activated. If you can’t see this screen, contact your network provider to confirm that your plan supports 5G . Turn on Airplane Mode, then turn it off.

iPhone 12 default 5G setting 5G is on by default with the iPhone 12 lineup, but not permanently. It uses what Apple calls “Smart Data mode ” that tries to automatically strike the best balance between 5G/LTE and battery life.

Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options . If you see this screen, your device has 5G activated. If you don’t see this screen, contact your carrier to confirm that your plan supports 5G. Turn on Airplane Mode, then turn it off.