Tired of never knowing whether those bars of service are accurate? Put your phone into “field test” mode in a couple easy steps and turn on a numerically-precise reception indicator. First, type in the code *3001#12345#* and hit the phone icon, like you’re calling this number. Then immediately hit your phone’s power button.
You’ll get a “power off” looking screen, but just hold the home button to return to your phone’s main/home screen instead of actually powering off.
You’ll see in the top info bar that you’ve now got a precise measurement of how much reception your phone can access currently.
Here’s what the reception numbers mean (it’s not exactly self-explanatory). Basically, -40 is the strongest signal and -140 is the worst. If you see a number between -40 and -80, you should be pretty much good to go.
If your number is constantly out of this range and you’re not in a mobile dead zone for your friends on the same network, it’s possible that your hardware might be failing. Meanwhile, if you have a number within the -40 to -80 range and calls still aren’t sounding good to you, it may be trouble with the person on the other end of the line.
Don’t forget to return to the field test mode menu another time to see what other hidden options and info are lurking there.
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