【Ask Me What You Want (2024)】

Perhaps within the past year you’ve gotten a shiny,Ask Me What You Want (2024) new iPhone 13 Proor Pixel 6and wondered: Where the heckis this 5Gspeed I was promised?

While plenty of big, new smartphones support 5G (and have for a couple of years), and providers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T all offer 5G networks for their customers, it can be hard to actually find itwhile out and about. It doesn’t help that those providers have coverage mapson their websitesthat only show where 5G is theoreticallyavailable. 

The good news is that the network speed measurement tool Speedtest(Note: Mashable and Speedtest are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis) recently added a feature to its iOS app to fix this problem using data crowd-sourced from regular folks. Previously locked to Android, Speedtest coverage maps are now available for both of the biggest mobile operating systems.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Here’s how to see where you can actually find 5G near you.

How to find 5G coverage in Speedtest

First, download Speedtest from the App Store or Play Store. (It’d be weird if you didn’t do that by the time you got to this part of the article, honestly, but we all march to the beat of our own drum and whatnot.) The next step couldn’t be easier: Simply open the app and tap the “Map” tab on the lower right corner of the screen.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

You should see something like the below image by default. Without altering any settings, you’ll get a coverage map for your phone’s mobile network, showing the best possible network type (i.e., 3G, LTE, 5G, etc.) available near you. 

People in this part of Queens are registering 5G connections. Credit: Screenshot: Speedtest

Thing is, a lot of folks still don't have 5G-enabled devices. To see a more comprehensive look at mobile networks in an area, tap the bottom of the screen.

You can look at competing networks, too. Credit: Screenshot: Speedtest

Once you’re here, you can look at the coverage map for any other networks if you like. You can also change the map type from “Best” to “Most common” to see which connection type Speedtest registered most frequently. This isn't useful for finding 5G hot zones, but it's interesting, nonetheless.

Yeah, that's about right. All LTE here. Credit: Screenshot: Speedtest

As you can see in this sample of Queens, NY, LTE still reigns supreme. A simple explanation is that people without 5G phones count too, and most people still don't have one. It doesn't necessarily mean that 5G isn't working. That is likely to change over time as 5G adoption increases, but for now, most people are still locked to the last generation of mobile speeds.

SEE ALSO: Not all 5G is the same. An expert breaks it down.

Still, if you're lucky enough to have a 5G device, the "Best" layer will show you where you can find those blazing fast speeds in your city. It could be fun to go there and try to watch 4K YouTube videos. The rest of us will just have to live with 720p like we have for years.

UPDATE: May. 20, 2022, 2:50 p.m. EDT A previous version of this article stated that the "Most common" layer shows what networks Speedtest users connect to most often. It has been updated to clarify that the data pulls from non-5G devices as well as 5G devices.

Topics 5G

• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Shopping
• Deals
• Tech
• Science
• Entertainment

• Bomb Envy
• Get schwifty with this 'Rick and Morty' GIF and meme maker
• Anthony Scaramucci's memoir is already here, and oh yeah, we have excerpts
• The guy who stopped WannaCry is reportedly being detained in the U.S.
• Mary Shows Up
• Disney sued for tracking kids who play its mobile games
• This under
• Here's how to scam your way into becoming an Instagram influencer
• Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
• Yes, Vladimir Putin has gone shirtless again to remind you of his dad bod power

• 'Hack' blamed for Instagram post that briefly upended the NFL world
• Adele generously grants Elmo's plea to hang out in Australia
• A father couldn't afford a last
• Bert and Robert Rodriguez crash 'The Mashable Show' at SXSW
• Nature documentarian Sir David Attenborough is now an adorable cartoon
• Spunky self
• Father of twin daughters has come up with a hilarious way to freak out hotel guests
• The Women's Strike fizzled because Americans can't stop working
• These cute robotic cat ears will nag you to fix your bad posture
• Mashable just broke the Guinness World Record for tallest stack of tortillas and YUM

• Best Hydro Flask deal: Save $10 on a 24
• 3 things to kill before they kill your creativity
• Japanese hair gel finds the perfect spokesperson: A 'Street Fighter' character
• Google is building a killswitch that will force the internet to play by its rules
• Stablecoin bill advances in U.S. Senate as Trump critics call to end his crypto dealings
• 'Game of Thrones': What is the deal with Bran Stark?
• Do not watch the leaked 'Game of Thrones' episode. Only regret awaits
• 'The Dark Tower': Review roundup
• SpaceX's Starlink will provide free satellite internet to families in Texas school district
• IKEA now sells solar panel battery storage — and you don't have to build it yourself

• Samsung Unpacked stream is set for May 12, 2025
• Amazon Alexa update includes sexy talk for 'baby making' music
• 'The Dark Tower': Review roundup
• Swineapple is the most extra thing to happen to food since pineapple on pizza
• The best day to book your flight, according to Google
• 'Despacito' is now the most watched YouTube video of all time
• This Sunday's episode of 'Game of Thrones' has leaked to the pirating public
• Chinese chatbots are revolting against the Communist Party
• Hurricane Laura's impact lingered with nightmarish mosquito swarms
• Mow your lawn this Saturday and get a free video game about mowing your lawn