The issue With the introduction of the new version of the Android operating system "Android 4.4 Kit Kat", some users have found that when using giffgaff, O2 or Tesco SIM cards they no longer have access to the "
2G ONLY" mode (found in
Settings > Mobile Networks > Network Mode), but instead only have the "
4G" and "
3G" options.We've found that the "
2G ONLY" mode DOES appear if using other networks' SIM cards so the issue seems to be restricted to Android 4.4 on the O2 Mobile Network.
Affected devices We believe the only affected devices will be those that are upgraded to Android 4.4 (Kit Kat). The following is a list of devices that could get this upgrade, and therefore could be affected by this issue. Now: LG Nexus 5 [
update 18Aug14 Nexus 5 now has "2G preferred" option in normal settings which actually sets 2G only. This is part of Android 4.4.4 Kit Kat) S
amsung Galaxy S5 [added 18Aug14] Very soon: LG Nexus 4 Asus Nexus 7 Samsung Nexus 10; Expected in future: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Samsung Galaxy S4
Sony Xperia Z
Sony Xperia Z1
Motorola Moto X "End of January": HTC One HTC One Max
HTC One Mini Possible but nothing stated formally yet: Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
Samsung Galaxy Nexus
S4 Active
S4 Zoom
Huawei Ascend P2
Huawei Ascend P6
ZTE Blade V
ZTE Blade 3
Acer Iconia A1
Acer Liquid S1 It's also worth noting that the issue might not be present on those phones with an added User Interface Overlay, like Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense.
"Why would I want "2G ONLY" mode set?" For those users in a weak 3G/4G signal area, a stronger 2G signal often gives a better user experience for voice calls than a weak 3G/4G signal. In these cases forcing the phone to "
2G ONLY" will prevent the phone switching to the weak 3G signal, which can result in a better user experience. If you have good 3G signal, you likely won't need this option.
The work-around So, if you need the "
2G ONLY" option and it isn't listed in "
Settings > Mobile Networks > Network Mode" what can you do? Firstly, know that giffgaff are in talks with Google and O2 trying to remedy the issue, which should add the option back into the normal settings screens, however for those that need the "
2G ONLY" option now, there is a work-around:
NOTE: This guide takes you into a development menu that isn't usually accessible. While your phone shouldn't come to harm from following this guide, neither myself or giffgaff can take responsibility for any undesirable consequence of using this menu to alter your settings and you do so at your own risk. It's also worth nothing that changing the settings in the following guide
can switch off your data connection temporarily so if your phone is your only way of accessing these forums make sure you follow the guide carefully. First, we need to access some special hidden settings in the phone. We can access this screen in two ways: by installing an app from the Play Store, or by manually entering the menu. The app I use is called Radio Switcher. You can search for it or others like it on the store, or follow
this link to grab it directly. If you want to load up the menu without an app, it's easy - just use your phone app to dial the following:
*#*#4636#*#* You don't need to press the Call button as the hidden menu opens after pressing the last *. You will see this screen:
As you can see, the "Set preferred network type" is now "
GSM only". You are now in "
2G ONLY" mode and your phone wont try to connect to any 3G or 4G signals. To revert back just change that setting back to the default "
LTE/GSM auto (PRL)" or "
WCDMA preferred". Happy giffgaffing 🙂
