The Internet with a slow speed is the quickest way to spoil your day, especially if you don’t have access to Wi-Fi. Web pages will take an eternity to load, audio streaming will frequently stall, and it will be nearly impossible to watch films online without buffering. Moreover, many internet-dependent apps may not perform as well as they should.
Mobile data speed is influenced by several factors depending on the phone’s characteristics, operating system, location, kind of mobile data package, etc. Additionally, connecting to another device might slow down mobile data. Turn off your mobile hotspot if it’s on and see if it speeds up your connection. Another option is to remove and then reinstall your SIM card. Cell phone antenna performance might also affect connectivity. Moreover, try to update your mobile phone and check the storage capability as well. Several top tips to free up storage space on your iPhone might help you update your iPhone.
We’ll go through every potential reason for sluggish mobile data speed in this article, along with some solutions to have quicker internet.
1. Multiple Apps Using Mobile Data Simultaneously
Running an excessive number of data-hungry programs and tasks might overload your network and slow down your connection. So, if you’re watching Netflix, downloading several files, and upgrading your applications concurrently, pause some of these tasks and perform them one at a time.
2. Poor Internet Connection in Your Location
The quality and coverage of your cellular provider’s network in your area significantly impact the speed of mobile data. Checking the signal strength on your phone’s status bar is a valuable technique to assess network quality. The connection speed improves as the number of bars increases.
Additionally, it would be best if you asked other nearby users of the same network. Contact your cellular network provider to inform them about the sluggish mobile data speed if they have the same connectivity problems.
If the issue continues, you might have to change to a different provider with the better network coverage. Do your homework before switching; ask about others’ experiences and verify the network’s accessibility and speed in your area.
3. Old Sim Card in Your Phone
Using an old sim card can contribute to your mobile device’s sluggish cellular data speed. New SIM cards offer faster internet access than previous SIM cards since they are designed to enable cutting-edge cellular technologies. The most recent cellular technology is 5G; however, 4G LTE also offers fast network access.
Even if you have a high-end gadget, using an old and outdated sim card will slow down your connection. If your SIM card is more than eight to ten years old, you are more likely to have a 3G SIM card; upgrade to a 4G SIM card to access high-speed internet.
Get in touch with your service provider to verify your SIM card’s network capability. Make sure you have the SIM card’s package available if you need to submit the serial number.
4. Your Phone is not Using the Best Network Type
As we know, 5G is superior to 4G, and 4G is faster than 3G. Smartphones always utilize the best connection by default. If 5G becomes temporarily unavailable, your device will switch to a 4G connection; if 4G becomes unavailable, it will switch to 3G automatically.
If your device’s connection preference isn’t set to the best network type, you might experience slow internet speed. Or if, following a connection loss, your device cannot automatically switch back to the preferred network type.
Ensure the recommended option is chosen under Network & Internet > Mobile network > Preferred network type on your Android smartphone.
For those who have iPhones, go to Settings > Mobile Data (or Cellular) > Mobile Data Options (or Cellular Data Options) > Voice & Data and choose the best network type to have a faster connection.
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5. Using VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an excellent tool to get around geographic restrictions, safeguard your online privacy, and maintain internet safety. However, the major drawback of using VPNs is that they frequently reduce connection speed. Therefore, check whether your mobile data speed increases by disconnecting from your VPN.
6. Several Apps are Running in the Background
As mentioned above, your phone’s connection speed may suffer if apps are opened in the background and unnecessarily use mobile data. Look through your data consumption for background apps that are excessively using your mobile data.
Users of Android devices may see the data consumption of all the applications by going to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile network > App data usage. Select the app that uses excessive data, then switch off its Background data and Unrestricted data usage.
On iPhones, you can view a mobile app’s data consumption, but there is no option to limit Background Data Usage. You can only block an app’s access to your mobile data on iOS. Switch off any data-hungry app that doesn’t need internet access by going to Settings > Mobile Data (or Cellular).
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7. Network Overload
Wi-Fi and cellular connection speeds are usually faster at midnight when most people are asleep. When many people use the internet at once, your connection gets overloaded and weaker. It usually happens at busy times like holidays and work hours.
There isn’t much you can do in this situation besides alerting your network provider to the sluggish connection speed.
8. Data Deprioritization
Standard and premium mobile data packages are available from several network operators. Your cellphone provider may slow down your internet connection if you have a standard or basic data plan to give premium customers priority. This is called Data Deprioritization (or Network Deprioritization).
You can’t ensure that large, successful cellular operators don’t prioritize their network. Check your mobile data’s terms and conditions on the carrier’s website for any references to “network deprioritization” or “data limitation.” For confirmation, you might also get in touch with customer service or send them an email.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article helps you understand why your mobile data is sluggish or slow and how you may enhance it using the abovementioned methods. However, if the problem persists after attempting all of the solutions in this article, take your phone to an authorized service facility to have it checked for possible hardware damage. Remember to direct your friends to this blog next time they ask, “Why is my mobile data so slow?”
