The iPhone 12 lineup supports 5G, but there’s a limitation with one of the previous features Apple introduced some time ago: Dual SIM mode.
According to MacRumors, Apple does not support 5G with Dual SIM mode in the iPhone 12 or the iPhone 12 Pro at launch. That little tidbit was confirmed via document shared by an Apple employee on Reddit recently. That may be an issue for folks who rely on the Dual SIM mode on their iPhone 12, effectively allowing them to have two separate phone numbers on their iPhone. Unfortunately, at launch at least, 5G speeds won’t be supported for folks using Dual SIM mode.
Per the document:
“Does 5G work with Dual SIM?”
When using two lines in Dual SIM mode, 5G data isn’t supported on either line and will fall back to 4G LTE. If customers are using eSIM only and are on a 5G supported carrier and service plan, they’ll have 5G access.
But it sounds like Apple is working on the issue. MR states that Apple plans on releasing a software update before the end of 2020, and, with the new software, adding support for 5G when using Dual SIM mode. That’s according to an internal slide made by Verizon the publication was able to obtain. Verizon states that folks using the Dual SIM mode feature will need to remove the physical SIM card from the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro if they want to access the 5G network.
Tutorial: How to set up Dual SIM on iPhone
Technically, 5G is enabled by default on the new iPhone 12 lineup, including the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. However, this limitation with the Dual SIM mode feature may be a bit of a hiccup for some owners out there in the wild. Let’s hope Apple releases the software update with a fix soon.
Do you use Dual SIM mode on your iPhone?