October 11, 2024
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

Posted May 7, 2011 at 12:28pm by iClarified
Spanish
These are instructions on how to replace the signal strength bars on your iPhone with a numerical representation of reception strength. (ie. numbers instead of bars).

Step One
Press to launch MobilePhone from your Springboard.
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

Step Two
Tap the keyboard tab then dial *3001#12345#*.
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers


Step Three
Your iPhone will now launch Field Test. Notice your strength bars have been replaced with a number. This number is your reception strength measured in decibels. The closer to 0dB the stronger your signal.
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

Step Four
Press and hold the Power button until the power slider appears.
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

Step Five
Press and hold the Home button until the Field Test program is terminated. Notice the signal strength numbers still remain.
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

To Switch Back to Bars
Dial *3001#12345#* again to enter Field Test mode.
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

Press the signal strength at the top left of screen to toggle between numbers and bars. Then press the Home button to exit Field Test mode.
How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With NumbersHow to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers
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Comments (58)
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Diane Shearer
Diane Shearer - April 4, 2018 at 1:43am
Doesn't work. Field test mode still shows bars.
ssiksramzuk
ssiksramzuk - May 16, 2017 at 9:25pm
Now tapping on the signal bar doesn't do anything. Did they update it, so you can't change it anymore?
Tomas Weavy
Tomas Weavy - January 13, 2017 at 11:05am
Thanks iclarified, at least you showed us how to reverse it if you don't want the numbers anymore
AfiqAzizi
AfiqAzizi - June 19, 2016 at 5:31am
How to change back to the original signal?
Breyana
Breyana - June 24, 2016 at 2:47am
I literally 30 secs. Just had this same problem!! Literally, but only thing you do is repeat the steps but instead of holding the lock button (If your iPhone is updated) you will click where it says "Back to Phone" in the very upper top left of the phone and when it goes back to the dial pad, click the signal strength numbers and it should return back to normal.
tdB
tdB - September 30, 2014 at 10:54pm
To get this to work for me I entered field test mode, then double tapped the home button to switch back to the dial app. I entered the code again which brought me back to the field test app. I then held the power sleep button until the slider appeared. Then held the home button to return to the normal app desktop. The -xxx dB stayed.
emstuntz
emstuntz - September 20, 2014 at 6:49pm
Works fine on iOS 8 :)
bubba153
bubba153 - May 7, 2014 at 4:53am
Never mind. It was Siri. Apparently the Siri screen was interfering with the Field Test app closure. Turned Siri off briefly, and it worked perfectly. I can now use either the numeric meter or the dots, and can toggle between them. Thanks!!
bubba153
bubba153 - May 6, 2014 at 10:46pm
iPhone 5s with iOS 7.1.1 not jailbroken (Verizon) Field Test runs fine. However, I can't get it to make the numeric change lasting. Tried the power button, then the home button, and also tried the power button AND home button (forcing a reboot). When the phone reverts to the home screen, the numeric value displays for the briefest instant, then reverts to the dots (and doesn't toggle). Dunno' if the fact that the home button brings up Siri has anything to do with this or not..... Any ideas? I'd like to use the numeric value rather than the dots.
bubba153
bubba153 - May 6, 2014 at 10:45pm
iPhone 5s with iOS 7.1.1 not jailbroken (Verizon) Field Test runs fine. However, I can't get it to make the numeric change lasting. Tried the power button, then the home button, and also tried the power button AND home button (forcing a reboot). When the phone reverts to the home screen, the numeric value displays for the briefest instant, then reverts to the dots (and doesn't toggle). Dunno' if the fact that the home button brings up Siri has anything to do with this or not..... Any ideas? I'd like to use the numeric value rather than the dots.
Brandon
Brandon - April 5, 2014 at 6:26am
Worked Great on iOS 7.1 on my UnJailBroken iPhone 4S! Make sure to hit send after *3001#12345#* .... Then Go to power down screen and finish by holding Home until Field Test disappears. And the magic of it is if you tap the signal indicator, it toggles between dots and numbers !
Pravin
Pravin - April 8, 2014 at 4:43am
Thanks for the info. But does it work after closing the field test ? I mean on the homescreen ? Thanks again
Max E.
Max E. - February 5, 2014 at 3:53am
If you are having trouble getting it working on iOS 7.1 b5, enter the field test mode and hold down the power and home buttons together until the phone restarts.
TheKeywork
TheKeywork - January 1, 2014 at 3:27pm
It works fine in iOS 7. What the article doesn't make clear is that you have to hit Send to launch field test mode. if you enter the numbers but don't hit Send, you can still change for numbers to bars and back, but your selection won't persist unless you hit Send and see the field test menu. Then change to bars(dots) or numbers, hold power till the slider pops up, then Home to exit.
Bero
Bero - December 9, 2013 at 2:20am
I couldnt make it work with IOS 7.4 oPhone 5s :(
Isaac Jensen
Isaac Jensen - November 4, 2014 at 9:26pm
If anyone of you having trouble changing the bars to numbers try opening field test and hold the home button and sleep button at the same time and keep holding until the Apple logo appears then unlock your iPhone and BOOM!!! It shows numbers and the best thing is that when you tap on the numbers, it turns back to bars, do it again, and it turnns back to numbers
Brendan
Brendan - October 4, 2013 at 3:21am
It works on the iOS 7.0.2
Max_E
Max_E - September 20, 2013 at 11:19am
This is broken in iOS 7.0. They are forcing us to have the dots.
TS
TS - August 26, 2013 at 10:32pm
what if it doesnt seem to work at all and stays on searching?
Jens Pedersen
Jens Pedersen - May 1, 2013 at 3:27pm
Even works on a non jailbroken Iphone 4s, nice! i did not know that :)
CoryD81
CoryD81 - October 19, 2012 at 2:58pm
Just go to settings and Erase all settings, worked for me and I had the problem some of you did not being able to JUST have bars back. I had to toggle them back in each app or screen, but even after trying Mike's advice it didnt work. Setting reset was what did it for me! Now I just have to go back a repersonalize some things which isnt too big of a deal
mike sanders
mike sanders - September 22, 2012 at 4:37am
simple instructions thanks I wasn't happy with the numbers now back to bars ono.
NissanTuner
NissanTuner - June 15, 2012 at 5:18am
Still works on iOS 6.0b1! Also, to change back and forth I just has to tap on the numbers/bars.
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