What Does E Mean On Your Phone's Status Bar?

With 4G and 5G connections greatly available worldwide, it has become rarer for iPhone and Android users to see 3G or even an "E" letter on the signal bar of the phones. For those who have followed the transition from dumb phones to smartphones, the "E" symbol in the phone's status bar is no stranger, as it meant their device was using the EDGE connection, short for Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution. This 3G predecessor could theoretically deliver peak 384 Kbps of internet connection speed, which, in a world of BlackBerries and weird smartphones of the early 2000s, was very exciting, even though we had to wait several seconds to open a web page that wasn't optimized for tiny screens.

In day-to-day usage, speeds would actually vary between 130 Kbps and 200 Kbps, which was more than enough to download a basic text email and check the weather forecast. More absurdly, if you think about the first iPhone released in 2007, it only supported EDGE connectivity. Its successor, the 2008 iPhone 3G, was the model that supported faster connections. 

By today's standards, having an EDGE connection feels like phone death. After all, nothing will load properly, you won't be able to communicate with friends, download a picture, stream a song, or use your phone through a cellular connection. If you're seeing this "E" symbol on your phone, here's what you can do to recover 4G and 5G connectivity.

If your phone is stuck with an "E" connection, there are some factors to consider. If you're in an area with poor cellular coverage, for example, then there isn't much you can do. If you tried the basics of enabling Airplane mode and disabling it afterward, and it didn't help, then the best solution is to get Wi-Fi connectivity or keep your phone in Airplane mode. Forcing your phone to search for a stronger 5G signal that's not available will drain its battery.

On the other hand, if you usually have 4G/5G connectivity where you are but are still experiencing poor "E" internet, you can try a few other things to fix your signal. For example, on iOS, you can go to Settings, choose Cellular, select Cellular Data Options, and ensure Voice & Data is set to 5G or LTE. You can also switch to 3G, wait a few seconds, and then force it back to 5G/LTE. On Android, go to Network & Internet to see your Preferred Network Type to do the same thing.

You can also try a network reset in system settings, rebooting the phone, or ultimately calling your carrier to ensure it's not an outage or a widespread issue. Once the internet is back in action, you can run a speed test to ensure everything is working as it should.