Currently, multiple connections cannot be used if you want to use the new cellular standard. With iOS 14.5 it will finally be different.
Apple’s currently integrated lock for the iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max for dual SIM operation with 5G will apparently be lifted in a few weeks. With iOS 14.5, which should appear in April at the latest, the manufacturer plans to support the new mobile communications standard with multiple phone numbers for the first time. All four current iPhones have a physical nano SIM card slot plus the option of using a digital SIM card, the eSIM. However, this is currently only possible if only LTE or 3G are used – if 5G is active, multiple SIMs are automatically not supported.
Global dual SIM support for 5G
Apple had confirmed this when the new models were released ; a US network operator then communicated that the problem would be resolved in 2020 with a software update. However, it didn’t work that fast – users will now have to be patient until spring. According to the Apple journalist Rene Ritchie, who already has the beta version of iOS 14.5 , there will be “global dual SIM support for 5G”. Apparently Apple does not limit the technology to certain markets.
In practice, this means that you could then use a 5G prepaid tariff, for example , to try out the technology first, but at the same time continue to use your regular LTE connection – with the respective phone number. Currently, however, one is forced to only use 5G, which is not attractive for all users due to the often higher price.
Not a new problem
Dual SIM locks for 5G in cell phones are not entirely new. There are similar problems with Android devices such as Google’s Pixel 5 and 4a 5G. Obviously, the implementation of dual SIM operation with 5G is more difficult than expected by the providers; Nevertheless, it is hopeful that software updates are apparently sufficient to submit the function later. However, it is not yet possible to say whether dual SIM operation is actually implemented as fully as we know it from LTE. For example, 5G also causes difficulties when roaming, which has not yet been implemented by individual network operators or only to a limited extent.
With 5G, new functions will otherwise be possible that were previously not available via LTE – for the first time, over-the-air iOS updates can now also be carried out . At Apple, these have so far been limited to WLAN. Of course, you need a sufficiently large data package to use it, some iOS updates are more than a gigabyte in weight.
