How to Speed Up the iPhone 5: Overcome Apple’s Limits

News broke this week that Apple is slowing down the iPhone 5 on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, which means longer load times and can lead to longer download times.

While Apple is not yet commenting on claims it is slowing down the iPhone 5, there are tweaks that can speed up the connections on all of of the affected iPhone 5 models.

The really good news about these iPhone 5 speed tweaks is that there is no need to jailbreak the iPhone 5, which users on iOS 6.1.3 and iOS 6.1.4 can’t do, and it’s easy to undo the change if you need to go back to stock.

Joseph Brown of iTweakiOS shares a collection of iPhone 5 speed hacks to deliver faster download speeds on the iPhone 5. These updates are available for the iPhone 5 as well as other iPhones and the iPad on several carriers.

Brown publishes a collection of hacked carrier updates for the iPhone 5 on U.S. and international carriers that remove the limits Apple puts in place.

The iPhone 5 hacked carrier updates tweak the performance of the iPhone and iPad so that it can connect at faster speeds. None of these hacks will offer better coverage. These software modifications are removing limits, not adding towers to your neighborhood or helping you connect to different towers.

Check out the links below for detailed instructions, but it’s as easy as plugging in the iPhone or iPad, backing it up, pasting a code onto a command line and selecting the new carrier settings.

• Verizon iPhone Speed Hack (iPhones and iPads)
• AT&T iPhone Speed Hack (iPhones and iPads)
• Sprint iPhone 5 Speed Hack

Each link offers details instructions for that specific carrier, and the video below walks through the AT&T iPhone speed hack.

Switching back to the default iPhone 5 carrier settings is as simple as resetting the settings. First, backup the iPhone or iPad then  tap on Settings -> General -> Reset -> Erase All Content and Settings. After this completes, restore from backup and the iPhone or iPad will be back to stock.

According to iTweakiOS, the update may impact the use of HD Voice on the iPhone 5, so keep that in mind when trying this. It is unlikely that a carrier customer service rep will discover this hack when you stop in the store for a question, but it is always a good idea to restore to stock before seeking warranty service just to be on the safe side.