The H+ symbol on your smartphone: what it means and what you have to do if it appears

The H+ corresponds to HSPA+ technology (High Speed ​​Packet Access Plus, or High Speed ​​Packet Access Evolved), an evolution of 3G networks that is known in the industry as a transition network or 3.5G. It appears when the highest speed signal, such as 4G or 5G, loses intensity in the area and the cell phone automatically connects to a backup 3G antenna so as not to lose the connection.

This change does not require manual activation: the operating system itself decides which network to use based on the coverage available at any given time.

Although the performance of H+ is lower than that of 4G or 5G, it is still functional for daily use. Theoretical speeds of HSPA+ can reach up to 21 Mbps download and 5.76 Mbps upload, although in practice the actual values are usually between 4 and 10 Mbps. If the phone shows only an “H” without the plus sign, the maximum speed drops to about 14 Mbps.

For comparison: 4G offers speeds between 20 and 100 Mbps, while that 5G can greatly exceed 100 Mbps, even reaching 1.6 Gbps in some cases. With H+ it is possible to send messages on WhatsApp, check email, browse web pages and use map applications, although tasks such as watching high-definition video or downloading large files will feel slower.

This change usually occurs when:

There is no button to manually remove the H+ symbol, since the operating system chooses the network based on the coverage available at any given time. Still, there are several steps that can help you regain a faster connection:

None of these steps guarantee an immediate return to 4G or 5G if your carrier’s coverage in that area remains limited, but they do increase the chances that your phone will find a faster signal available.