How to force to include only LTE on Xiaomi: all the ways and nuances

Are you tired of the constant jumps between 3G and 4G on your Xiaomi when the network is lost and runs at minimum speed? Illiperhaps you need to force LTE to be streamed, online games or work with cloud services? In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to enable only LTE on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones – from standard settings to hidden engineering menus.

The problem of unstable connectivity is familiar to many: operators have not yet turned off outdated networks. 2G/3G, And the default smartphone is trying to connect to them, "to save battery," and as a result, lags, communication breaks and low speeds even where there are no batteries. LTE-Fortunately, Xiaomi has a few ways to manually set network priority, but not all of them are obvious. 10 Xiaomi 14 They have revealed nuances that even official instructions are silent about.

Important: the methods differ depending on the version of MIUI (global, Chinese, European) and the smartphone model. If your Xiaomi does not support VoLTE (LTE voice calls), forced disabling of 3G can lead to problems with outgoing calls.

Why Smartphone Switches to 3G/2G and How to Fix It

By default, Xiaomi uses Auto mode (or LTE/3G/2G), which allows the device to select a network based on:

• 📶 Signal level - if LTE weak, the phone "jumps" on 3G charge-saving.
• 🔋 Energy saving policies - in battery mode 3G consume less energy.
• 📞 VoLTE support – if the operator does not support voice calls 4G, smartphone is forced to use 3G call-in.
• 📡 Operator settings – some providers forcibly “nail” devices to the 3G roamingly.

As a result, you can observe:

• ⚡ Acute speed drops when switching to 3G (For example, from 50 Mbit / s to 2 Mbit / s).
• 🎮 Lags in online games due to high ping (in) 3G It can reach 300.+ miss).
• 📥 Interrupt file downloads or buffer high-resolution video.

The solution is one: forcefully block 2G/3G and leave only LTE.

⚠️ Note: On smartphones without VoLTE support (e.g. older Redmi models) 4X or Mi A1) post-off 3G Outgoing calls will stop working. Check your carrier's VoLTE support (see below. FAQ).

Method 1: Standard MIUI settings (the simplest method)

Most modern Xiaomi smartphones (starting with MIUI 12) have a built-in network type selection option. Instructions are relevant for models Redmi Note 11/12, Xiaomi 13/14, POCO X5 and later:

1. Open Settings → SIM cards and mobile networks.
2. Choose yours. SIM-card (if two of them).
3. Tap by Network Type (or Preferred Network Type).
4. In the list, select LTE Only (or 4G). If there is no such item, see Method 3.

If options are available on the list:

• 🔹 LTE/3G/2G (Auto: Standard mode (not stable).
• 🔹 Only LTE — perfect choice for speed.
• 🔹 LTE/3G — Compromise for calls without VoLTE.
• 🔹 Only 3G or 2G — not recommended.

Once you select LTE Only, the smartphone will reconnect to the network. Check the speed through Speedtest - if the indicator shows 4G+ or LTE, everything went well.

⚠️ Note: Some firmware (e.g., Chinese version) MIUI) After you restart, the network settings are reset. To avoid this, use the engineering menu.

Method 2: Engineering menu (for advanced users)

If the standard settings do not have LTE Only, it can be activated via a hidden engineering menu, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones, including older models (Redmi 5, Mi 8, etc.), but requires caution.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and type in the combination: ##4636## Some firmware may work: ##36446337###
2. Select Phone Information (or Phone Information).
3. Scroll down to the Set preferred network type block.
4. In the drop-down list, select LTE only (or) NR/LTE only 5G-model).
5. Press Back and restart your smartphone.

Possible values in the engineering menu:

If the network is lost after changing the settings:

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone.
• 📶 Manually select the operator in Settings → SIM cards. → Network operators.
• 🛠️ Reset the network settings (see Method 4).

Method 3: Applications for forced LTE inclusion

If standard methods don’t work, you can use third-party utilities, which are especially useful for older models (Redmi 4X, Mi 5) or smartphones with custom firmware.

Top.-3 tested applications:

• 📱 4G Only Mode (requires root) - Blocks 3G/2G system-level.
• 🛠️ Network Signal Guru – Shows detailed information about the network and allows you to manually select ranges LTE.
• 🔧 MTK Engineering Mode – for smartphones running MediaTek processors (e.g. Redmi 9, POCO M3).

Instructions for 4G Only Mode:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Provide root access (if required).
3. Choose yours. SIM-Map and activate the Force option LTE.
4. Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Note: root-access applications may disrupt the communication module if the settings are incorrect. Before using, back up through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.

💡

If you don't have root rights, try Network Cell Info Lite. It doesn't block 3G, but shows which tower you're connected to and helps you pick the best one manually.

Method 4: Reset your network settings (if nothing helps)

Sometimes the communication module fails due to setting conflicts, and resetting:

1. Go to Settings → SIM cards and mobile networks.
2. Select Network Settings Reset (or Reset Network Settings).
3. Confirm the action (you will need to enter a password / pattern lock).
4. After restarting, reconfigure LTE Only (see Method 2).

What's being dropped:

• 📶 Saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords.
• 📱 Mobile network settings (including APN).
• 🔄 Bluetooth connections.

What NOT to be dropped:

• 📁 Files, photos, applications.
• 🔐 Mi Accounts and Google Accounts.

💡

Network resetting is a last resort, and only use it if other methods have failed, as it will require resetting Wi-Fi and mobile internet.

Problems and Solutions: What to Do When LTE Fails

Even after you've set up correctly, you can have some problems, and let's look at typical scenarios and their solutions.

If, after all the manipulations, LTE has not worked:

• 🔧 Check if your smartphone supports the right ranges LTE (For example, Band 20 for MegaFon or Band 3 for MTS, a list of supported bands can be found on the Kimovil website (enter your Xiaomi model).
• 📡 Make sure the operator has no tariff restrictions (some "no-limit" tariffs throttle speeds after 50GB).
• 🔄 Update the firmware to the latest version MIUI — In new versions, bugs with the communication module are often corrected.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up LTE on Xiaomi