Why is my Verizon unlimited data so slow

Every cell phone provider promises fast coverage whether you have Wi-Fi availability or not. But, if you have Verizon, you might have noticed that the network is slow and are wondering: why is Verizon so slow?

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about Verizon’s slow coverage, so I decided to dig a little deeper on the matter. Here are the top ten reasons why you’re noticing slower coverage from Verizon!

Why Is Verizon So Slow?

There are several reasons why Verizon is slow, like having 5G turned on, being over your allotted data limit for the month, and Verizon network outages. Also, running a VPN and apps in the background can slow down your device. It’s easy to find why Verizon is slow by pinpointing these common problems!

Do you want to know the other reasons why Verizon is so slow? I’ll get into all of the explanations below, so read on!

1. You’ve Turned On 5G

One reason your Verizon service might be slow is that you have 5G turned on, which can slow the speed of mobile data (due to limited coverage).

Furthermore, Verizon uses dynamic spectrum sharing, known as DSS, for 5G. Also, DSS reuses part of the 4G network, so it’s not full-blown 5G and can slow down your device!

2. You’re Over Your Data Limit

If you’ve noticed your Verizon network is slow, you might want to look at your data limit and see if you’ve gone over your allotted data cap.

Once you’ve gone over your limit for the month, Verizon will throttle you, meaning you’ll be browsing with much lower speeds until your data cap resets for the next month.

3. Too Many Devices On Your Internet Connection

You can experience a slowdown on Verizon and most other networks if you have a lot of devices running on your Internet connection.

Additionally, if you live with more than two other people, you must consider how many devices everyone else has on your Internet connection.

4. Your Phone Needs Rebooted

It’s often said to turn something off and back on to fix problems, and that’s also true if you’ve noticed your Verizon speed is slow.

With that, you should do a complete reboot of your mobile device, whether a smartphone or tablet, to see if that’ll fix the problem.

Generally, it’s a good idea to reboot routinely for optimal performance regardless of the device you’re using.

5. Network Outages

Verizon may be one of the best mobile carriers in the United States, but it can suffer from network outages just like any other provider.

Fortunately, it’s easy to track down network outages thanks to the Verizon support page, where you can look for outages or report them.

Also, websites like Downdetector are helpful in trying to see if a network outage has occurred on Verizon.

However, you can always use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to see if anyone else is having trouble with the Verizon service.

6. Apps On Your Device

Some apps are known as data hoggers, and if you have any of these apps running on your device, you’re going to experience a slow down with your Verizon service.

Further, it’s pretty simple to check if any apps are hogging the bandwidth by going into your phone settings.

On iOS, click “Settings” and then “Cellular” to see a list of apps that can access the data.

If you’re on Android, go to “Settings” and then “Network and Internet,” where you want to look for “Mobile Network” so you can click on “App Data Usage.”

Next, this will bring up your list of apps, and you can click apps to see how much background data that particular one’s using and disable it from running in the background.

7. You Turned On Your Data Saver Mode

When you’ve noticed that Verizon is slow, check your device to see if data saver mode or low data mode has been turned on, either accidentally or on purpose.

Additionally, this mode will slow down your Internet connection and make it difficult for you to surf the Internet as fast as you usually do.

If you’re running on Android, just head to “Settings” and then click on “Network & Internet,” which is where you’ll find the Data Saver option. Then, make sure you turn this setting off.

On the other hand, you can check the data saver function quickly on iOS devices by going into “Settings” and then looking for “Cellular,” where you’ll see “Cellular Data Options.”

8. You’re Running On A VPN

Thousands of people use VPN every day, but did you know that having the VPN turned on can slow down your service on a mobile device?

So, if you’ve noticed your Verizon connection is slow and you run a VPN, try disabling your VPN for a while to see if that will improve your speed.

9. Apps Are Buggy And Need Updates

If you noticed that Verizon is slow while running some apps but not others, it could mean there’s an issue with the apps.

Furthermore, you should check for app updates that might address bugs and other issues affecting the apps’ performance.

With that, it’s a good idea to keep your apps updated regularly because of issues like bugs, which can hinder usability and slow down your connection.

10. Your Hardware Or Device Is Outdated

Regardless of whether you’re running on a mobile device or a computer, one reason Verizon might be slow is that your device or hardware is simply outdated.

If you’ve had the device for several years, it shouldn’t be a surprise when it begins acting up, including freezing or being generally slow to load.

Additionally, older devices are often last to receive system updates or don’t get them at all, which can impact the performance and speed of the device.

To find out more about Verizon, you can also check our posts on how do Verizon hotspots works, if Verizon is CDMA or GSM, and why is Verizon so expensive.

Conclusion

Verizon can be slow because of Verizon network outages, which you can find out using Downdetector, or because you have an older device or piece of equipment.

On top of that, slowness can be caused by going over your data cap for the month or too many devices on the network.

Finally, if your device has several apps running in the background, that can slow down its operations. Fortunately, this is an easy fix that only takes a few minutes.

Wondering why is my Verizon internet so slow on my phone? Then you’re at the right place! Here we’ll go over the most common causes that might make your phone’s internet unusably slow and make sure to provide the correct solution.

If your Verizon phone internet is really slow, you can try to move somewhere else, check for area electricity outages and make sure that your data is not used up. Moreover, you might have configured your phone cellular settings wrong, so you’ll need to check that as well.

Besides all this there is the possibility of cellular maintenance, so let’s guess no further and inspect ALL of the possible causes.

Why Is My Verizon Phone Internet So Slow Today?

The cellular internet on your phone can be delayed on several occasions. Let’s take a look at what they would be:

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1. Cellular Maintenance

If the cellular source is impacted you may experience sudden lag.

2. No Power

If in your local area the power is temporarily down, the receiver will be working in an emergency mode leading to a delay in the cellular network.

3. Interference

If your phone is located underneath a large and metal object, interference is almost always the case, leading to a severe lag.

4. No Data

As you’re most likely familiar, some Verizon cellular plans have limited data, and once used up, you’re being transferred to a low priority speed.

5. Settings Issue

If you had configured the settings wrong, the cellular data might not be in use, so we’ll address this possibility as well.

READ ALSO : Can I see My Husband's Text Messages on Verizon?

Having these causes in mind, let’s check some of the quickest solutions for the issue.

How To Fix Slow Verizon Internet Easily?

It is really important to understand whether there is an electricity outage in your area or not.

In most cases whenever there is no power, the great cellular receiver near you is not fully functioning. This almost always leads to a bad cellular connection so check on that before you continue.

Solution #1. Restart Your Phone

By performing a restart on your phone you’ll definitely exclude the possibility of a glitched or temporary bugged service.

In addition, we’re taking the Verizon SIM card out of the phone so it’s best to follow the steps below:

Hold the power button of your remote until it turns OFF.
Reach inside the SIM card pinhole with a sharp object to open the compartment.
Take out the SIM card.
Turn on your phone by holding the power button.
Insert the SIM card and close the compartment.
Enter your SIM PIN number.

READ ALSO : Why is My Verizon Service Not Working? How to Fix?

Note: It is important to check whether the WiFi is turned on or not. If it is ON, turn it OFF so you can test the cellular instead of the WiFi.

Solution #2. Check Your Verizon Plan

If your Verizon plan has limited cellular data and you have used all of it, then the answer to the question “why is my Verizon internet so slow on my phone?” is clear.

If you’re using an unlimited cellular plan, skip this solution.

If your plan is limited, this is how to check how much cellular data is remaining:

Make sure that cellular data is turned ON.
Make sure that WiFi is turned OFF.
Open the Messages app on your phone.
Compose a new message to #DATA (#3282) and send it.
Verizon should return a message with the remaining cellular data.

READ ALSO : How to Restore Contacts from Verizon Cloud in Just 5 Minutes?

Tip: The alternative is to dial the #DATA (#3282) and wait for the voice message.

Solution #3. Disable Cellular Switching

The cellular data switching feature is intended to switch the cellular data between the phone numbers that the device is using depending on which number is in use.

If you have more than one SIM card in your phone there could be a conflict and you’ll need to take one SIM out and disable the switching.

Here is how to disable cellular data switching:

Open the Settings of your device.
Go to Cellular.
Locate Cellular Data Switching and turn it OFF.
Go back and turn OFF cellular then ON again.
Test.

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If that didn’t help you can check if you have shared a mobile hotspot and especially if there is somebody connected. The hotspot settings could be found within the cellular settings of your device.

Solution #4. Relieve Cellular

If you’ve got many installed applications on your mobile phone maybe some of them are eating up the bandwidth of your network leading to a severe lag.

The most important of these apps would be any VPN software which you should neutralize immediately.

Here is how to check which applications are using your cellular in the background:

For iPhone

Go to Settings and tap on Cellular
Scroll Down to find the list of applications

For Android

Go to Settings and proceed to Network & internet
Find Mobile Data and tap on App Data Usage

It is best if you entirely remote ALL applications that you’re not currently using, especially the ones requiring updates or using any internet to function.

Note: Also make sure that you’re using 4G/5G in the cellular settings because if you have selected LTE or 3G you may have a severe delay.

Solution #5. Remove Limitations

If you’re still wondering why is my Verizon internet so slow then you should check if you have unintendedly set limitations to your phone internet.

For example, if you have enabled the Data Saving Mode or Low Data Mode, the access to the full cellular speed would be restricted accordingly.

READ ALSO : How to Transfer Verizon Cloud to iCloud? Ultimate Guide

Here is where to find those settings for Android and iPhone:

For iPhone

Go to Settings and tap on Cellular
Find Cellular Data Options and open Low Data Mode

For Android

Go to Settings followed by Network & internet
Now checkout Data Saver

When you locate those settings make sure to disable them so you can test your phone’s internet speed without restrictions.

Solution #6. Reset Network Settings

As our last solution, here you’ll learn how to reset your device network settings. It’s different for Android and iOS devices so here is how to do it:

For iPhone

Go to Settings and proceed to General
Tap on Reset followed by Reset Network Settings

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For Android

Go to Settings and proceed to System followed by Advanced
Find Reset Options and tap on Reset Network

For different model smartphones the network reset settings could be labeled differently but accurate enough so you can recognize them.

Why Is My Verizon Phone Internet Still So Slow?

If you’ve tried everything and ensured that your cellular data is not all used up, then here is what else you can try:

1. Go to a Different Place

If you’re really far from the city, in a forest or somewhere without coverage you might experience cellular delay, which is normal.

2. Test on Another Device

If you’ve got another smartphone, you can put the SIM in it and test the cellular to test from more than one device.

READ ALSO : Why Won’t My Verizon Phone Make Calls & How to Fix

3. Check for Outages

Any electricity outages in your local area could be slowing your cellular data down.

4. Call Verizon

You can reach out to Verizon for additional help with the cellular issue.

The solution to a slow Verizon phone internet would be to restart your device, re-insert the SIM card, relieve data usage and remove ANY restrictions. You can also disable the cellular switching and if it is still slow reset the entire network settings.

Read Next: Why is Verizon Video Calling Not Working?

Last Thoughts

Now that we have answered the question “why is my Verizon internet so slow on my phone?” you can confidently try to resolve the issue at home.

READ ALSO : How to Restore Contacts from Verizon Cloud in Just 5 Minutes?

If, however, you were unable to restore the cellular speed, you can always reach out to Verizon for further help.

Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites.