Why Is Your Verizon Internet So Slow? Speed It Up In 8 Easy Steps
Have you ever wondered why is your Verizon internet so slow? Working with a slow data connection on your phone, whether on an iPhone or an Android device, is extremely inconvenient. When you’re trying to watch a video or check Facebook on your phone, it’s easy to become frustrated when the service doesn’t meet your expectations.
Most of the time, a slow data connection is caused by location or network congestion. It can also last for hours or even days at times. Before contacting your mobile carrier’s technical support, try the following simple steps to see if they resolve your slow mobile data issues.
1. RESTART YOUR PHONE
This may appear to be a cliche solution, but it frequently works. Restarting your phone should improve sluggish cellular data speeds, particularly if you haven’t turned it off in a while.
If you’re in a hurry, you can try first putting your phone in airplane mode. However, a complete restart is always a good idea.
Restarting your phone is simple. Follow these steps for your device:
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- On an iPhone without a Home button, press and hold the side button along with either the Volume up or Volume down button until the Slide to Power Off option appears. After turning off your iPhone, press and hold the side button again to turn it back on.
- If you have an iPhone with a Home button, simply press and hold the side button (usually on the right side of the phone, or the top of older devices) until the message Slide to Power Off appears on the screen.
- To restart most Android phones, simply hold the Power button until the power options appear on the screen, then tap Restart. If you don’t see Restart, choose Power off, then Power again to restart your phone.
It’s a good idea to turn off your phone for a few minutes before turning it back on, regardless of device.
2. MOVE TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION
A variety of physical factors can contribute to slow LTE or other mobile service. Weather, network congestion, and even solar activity are examples of these. However, geography and buildings are two of the most important.
If you’re in a remote area or surrounded by natural barriers (such as hills, mountains, and valleys), your signal will most likely be poor. If the landscape around you resembles one of these extremes, try to relocate to a more even-leveled location.
The same is true when you are inside a building. If you’re in the middle of a densely populated urban area with full bars on your device, you might be wondering why your data becomes so slow when you enter certain structures.
Being underground, or in a structure surrounded by concrete, such as a basement, can have a negative impact on your data signal. If you’re experiencing data speed issues that started only in one location, try moving.
You might have to leave the building or drive a few miles away. While this is inconvenient, it is a good way to troubleshoot your speed problem.
If you contact tech support, they will most likely ask you to complete this step. Unfortunately, current network technology does not provide complete coverage in all areas, so location remains an important consideration.
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3. UPDATE AND DISABLE NETWORK-HEAVY APPS
A troublesome app can sometimes cause problems by hogging your data connection, slowing it down and leaving less bandwidth for other apps. In this case, you’ll need to do some investigating to determine what, if anything, is consuming your bandwidth.
If something is wrong, you can either disable or uninstall the app’s access to your cellular data connection. When your iPhone’s internet connection is slow, go to Settings > Cellular and use the list to block any app from accessing your cellular data connection.
This can be found in Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network > App data usage on Android. To prevent an app from using data in the background, tap it and then slide the Background data slider off.
You should also keep an eye out for app updates. App developers constantly release updates to address bugs, which may include fixes for slow network performance or excessive bandwidth usage. If you need assistance, see how to update apps on iPhone and how to update Android apps.
4. DISABLE DATA SAVER OR LOW DATA MODE
Modes for reducing data usage are available on both Android and iPhone. These are useful if you only have a limited amount of data, but if you enable them by accident, they can make your mobile connection appear slow. Disabling these modes will allow you to see if everything feels faster.
Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data Saver on Android. If you have an iPhone, look in Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options for a setting called Low Data Mode.
If you’re concerned about how much data you’re using, remember to turn these back on after a while. You should be able to tell whether or not this setting is slowing down your mobile data.
It makes some compromises, such as not loading images until you tap them or pausing background sync until you open an app.
5. REMEMBER YOUR DATA CAP
Remember that you most likely have a mobile data cap of a few to several dozen gigabytes. If you exceed that limit, your mobile carrier will typically slow your connection (in lieu of expensive overages).
Even those on ostensibly “unlimited” plans will typically experience throttling or “deprioritization” during times of network congestion, particularly after reaching a certain limit. This could be the reason for your slow mobile data.
If you’ve used up your allotment, you’ll have to either wait until your bill cycle resets or buy more high-speed data. It’s a good idea to know how much data you can use before your carrier throttles your connection speed.
If you’re unsure, log in to your account via the company’s mobile app or website. Then, if you need to cut back on data consumption, use our tips for reducing your mobile data usage.
6. CHECK FOR NETWORK OUTAGES
Despite the fact that mobile carriers like to brag about their dependability, outages happen all the time. These outages frequently result in reduced speeds or even lost connections.
If you’re still experiencing slow mobile data after trying everything else, it’s a good idea to check with your carrier for outages before calling in. If you can connect to Wi-Fi, you can conduct some research. Check out a website like Down detector.
If the problem is widespread, it is likely that others have already reported it. You’ll notice a significant increase in recent reports of outages with your carrier, and you can use the heatmap to see which areas of the country are experiencing issues.
You can also use social media. Twitter is a good place to look for connection issues because people frequently tweet about them. Furthermore, contacting your mobile carrier’s support Twitter account is likely to result in a quick response.
This also allows you to do something else while waiting, rather than wasting time on hold while calling your carrier’s support number.
7. RESET YOUR PHONE’S NETWORK SETTINGS
Resetting your network settings usually resolves a slow mobile data connection, but it is a more drastic measure. This restores everything related to networking to its default state.
This includes unplugging your Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth devices, and other similar devices. It’s not the end of the world if you lose these, but you’ll have to reconnect to saved Wi-Fi networks and re-pair your Bluetooth devices later.
To reset iPhone network settings, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. If you have a passcode, your phone will prompt you for it before restarting to perform the operation.
Reset network settings on an Android phone can be found in Settings > System > Advanced > Reset options > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth. Depending on your phone’s manufacturer and Android version, this may be in a different location.
If you can’t find it, try searching for it in the Settings search bar. Resetting the network settings on an Android phone does not usually necessitate restarting the device. However, it’s not a bad idea to try again.
8. CALL YOUR CARRIER’S SUPPORT
If none of these steps resolve your slow data, it’s time to contact technical support. Contact your mobile carrier via its support number, which can be found via the mobile app or a quick Google search.
Keep in mind that the technician on the other end of the phone may ask you to repeat some of these steps. You may wish to refuse because you have already completed them, but it is the employee’s responsibility to go through a list of troubleshooting steps to determine what works and what does not.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully, you will be able to increase the speed of your mobile data without having to contact your carrier. However, if none of the above work, the problem may be something on your provider’s end that you are unable to resolve.
That’s why, if you’ve exhausted all other options, it’s a good idea to call. Keep in mind that a slow data connection is only one component of a larger issue. If your phone is still slow on Wi-Fi, you’ll need to look into other options to improve Wi-Fi performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Verizon cell phone internet so slow 2020?
Heavy network usage is one of the causes of slow mobile data. Your cell phone plan’s data speeds will be slower. An out-of-date operating system or a cell phone.
Why is Verizon cellular data so slow?
Slower speeds result from increased data demand (either more data usage or more customers). Consider it like increased traffic on a highway. Because Verizon and AT&T have nearly double the number of subscribers as T-Mobile and Sprint, changes in their offerings have a greater impact on their networks.
At what point does Verizon unlimited data slow down?
To ensure a quality experience for all customers, we may prioritize smartphone and Mobile Hotspot usage behind other customers during network congestion after 22 GB of data usage on a line during any bill cycle. This means that your data connection may experience a slowdown.
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