How to Enable China Unicom 4G on iPhone 5
If your iPhone 5 only shows 3G with a China Unicom SIM card, don’t worry. This guide explains how to enable China Unicom 4G without jailbreaking, using a telecom SIM card and the same method used for iOS 8.3.
Did your newly purchased iPhone 5 only show 3G after inserting a China Unicom SIM card? Don’t worry—I’ll show you a simple trick to fix it.
No jailbreak required. The method is the same as on iOS 8.3: using a China Telecom SIM card can activate China Unicom 4G.
Preparation
1 China Telecom SIM card, either 3G or 4G will work. If you don’t have one, you can borrow one from a friend.
1 iPhone 5
1 China Unicom SIM card with 4G service already activated
First, insert the China Telecom SIM card without restarting the phone. Wait about 20 seconds until it shows “No Service.” Then go to Settings - Cellular - Cellular Data Options - Roaming, and turn off both switches there.
Then remove the China Telecom SIM card and insert the China Unicom SIM card directly. There is no need to power off the phone during this step; the editor swapped the cards directly without shutting it down.
Wait 2–5 minutes, then check whether the 4G signal has appeared. Tested successfully on iOS 10 and iOS 9.
