Apple officially brings 5G to iPhone with iOS 16.2 RC in the second most populous country

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Apple on Wednesday released iOS 16.2 RC to developers and beta users ahead of the official release of the update expected sometime this month. As we know, the update adds new features like Apple’s Freeform app, new HomeKit architecture, and Apple Music Sing. But under the hood, iOS 16.2 also enables support for 5G networks for iPhone users in India.

iPhone users can now experience 5G in India

Until now, iPhone users in India were unable to connect to 5G networks in the country due to lack of support in iOS. The Indian government pushed Apple to enable 5G support in India, and the company confirmed in November that it would do so with a software update. Now with iOS 16.2 RC, Apple has finally enabled 5G for iPhone in India.

Although the official release notes for iOS 16.2 make no mention of 5G support in India, iPhone users who have installed the update have already been able to confirm the change (via Aaron Zollo). After installing the update, users can enable 5G in the iPhone Settings app to take advantage of the faster network with lower latency.

Of course, connecting to a 5G network in India requires a compatible iPhone and carrier. iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 users will be able to connect to 5G networks in India, as well as iPhone SE 3 users. The feature will be supported by customers of Airtel or Jio carriers so long as they are subscribed to a plan that supports 5G networking.

It’s worth noting that India represents a growing market for Apple. The company touted strong growth in the country during its quarterly earnings report last week. One of Apple’s reseller partners in India also recently reported strong profit growth due to high demand for iPhone and MacBook orders.

India’s biggest Apple and IT products distributor Redington Ltd on Thursday reported a 26% jump in September quarter profit on the back of buoyant domestic demand for phones, laptops and software.
Consolidated profit for the three months ended Sept. 30 climbed to 3.87 billion rupees ($46.76 million) from 3.07 billion rupees a year ago, the company said in an exchange filing. The iPhone reseller’s quarterly revenue rose to 190.51 billion rupees from 152.87 billion rupees a year ago, per the filing. Apple, its single largest vendor, accounted for 27% of the revenue.