There’s a secret iPhone menu that can help you find better signal

Virgin Radio

21 Sep 2021, 10:31

Credit: Getty

We’ve all done it, haven’t we? Wandered around waving our phone above our head in the vain hope that raising it two feet in the air will somehow magically improve the signal. Well, it might surprise you to learn that iPhones have a secret menu which helps you see when the service in your area is getting better or worse.

This secret knowledge has been shared by a YouTuber who goes by the name of Josh Connects. In the short clip, he explains that you can access a "secret sub-menu" on your iPhone, which turns your signal bars into numbers, meaning you can see when your signal strength is improving or getting weaker.

To find this menu, Josh Connects explains that you go to your iPhone keypad and enter the code: *3001#12345#*. Then, if you press the green call button, rather than phoning this random selection of numbers and symbols, a previously hidden menu will pop up.

In the video, Josh Connects clicks LTE and Serving Cell Meas, which then shows the signal strength.

The video’s creator says: “Now what these numbers mean, they're your service strength.”

Apparently, the number at the top should be as close to zero as possible to indicate good service strength, so you can work out the best place to get a decent reception.

You can watch the instructional video here:

The video has been viewed over 4.5 million times, and many commenters have been impressed with this trick. One said: “I tried this and its AWESOME. I was so tired of lookin at the ugly bars to see if I had signal or not.”

Another said: “That’s super useful! I’ll be remembering this one. Next time my calls keep failing I can try and check if it’s the signal strength!”

Meanwhile, someone else joked: “I didn’t understand a word he said but I’m just grateful that I found a secret menu.”