APN or Access Point Name is a gateway between your mobile network service provider and the public internet. Each mobile carrier has its unique APN, which is automatically configured on your phone as soon as you put in your SIM card. Your mobile network operator uses the APN settings to connect to a secure gateway, assign your device an IP address, and connect it to the internet.

Most of the time, users don’t need to interfere with their device’s APN settings. However, if your device is getting a shoddy network connection or slow network speeds, you can change the APN settings on every smartphone, from budget Android smartphones to iPhones, to resolve these issues. This guide explains what an APN is and how you can customize it to solve network issues on your phone.

Why APN is crucial for your smartphone network functions

APN is important, as it facilitates the selection of IP addresses, applies suitable security measures, and ensures that your device adheres to carrier-specific network requirements. Put simply, without correct APN configuration, your device can’t create a secure connection to the public internet, and you won’t be able to access mobile data.

You don’t have to change the APN settings as your device automatically generates these settings as soon as you put in a SIM card (or activate eSIM) most of the time. If you buy a carrier-locked device, it’s possible that you cannot change APN settings on your phone.

But if your APN settings are not locked, there might be instances when changing APN settings can be beneficial for you. For example, if you are traveling abroad or changing your phone’s carrier, sometimes the correct APN settings might not port on your device. If that happens, your device will not get mobile internet data. In such cases, you can manually enter the correct APN settings to mitigate the issue.

Understanding APN setting terminologies

When you change APN settings on your smartphone, you will see a page with several fields, as shown in the screenshot. Here are some of the terms that you need to understand:

• Name: Name of the mobile carrier.
• APN: This is where you enter your MNO (mobile network operator) APN address. For example, if your mobile is on T-Mobile, you will enter fast.t-mobile.com.
• Proxy: Proxy is an optional field that specifies the address of a proxy server. Generally, this field is left empty. However, you can enter a custom proxy to redirect your mobile network through custom servers.
• MMSC: Multimedia Messaging Service Center settings allow you to send MMS messages. However, since RCS messaging is replacing SMS and MMS services, this might become redundant in the near future.
• MCC and MNC: Mobile Country Code and Mobile Network Code are used together to identify a mobile network operator.

To change APN settings on your phone, you need to find the correct APN settings. You can find the APN settings for your mobile carrier on its website. Here’s an example of APN settings for T-Mobile, which you can check by clicking on the link.

• Name: T-Mobile
• APN: fast.t-mobile.com (for LTE devices) or epc.tmobile.com (for non-LTE devices)
• Proxy: <Not set>
• Port: <Not set>
• Username: <Not set>
• Password: <Not set>
• Server: <Not set>
• MMSC: http://mms.msg.eng.t-mobile.com/mms/wapenc
• MMS proxy: <Not set>
• MMS port: <Not set>
• MMS protocol: WAP 2.0
• MCC: 310
• MNC: 260
• Authentication Type: <Not set>

How to change APN settings on your Android smartphone

Now that you know how to find the APN settings for your mobile network provider, let’s see how you can change APN settings on your Android smartphone. We use a Samsung device, so the steps might vary slightly if you use a non-Samsung Android smartphone.

1. Launch the Settings app on your phone and open the Connections settings.
2. Tap Mobile Networks settings.

3. Tap the Access Point Names setting to open it.
4. You’ll see your existing APN settings on this page. To add a custom APN, tap the Add button in the upper-right corner.

5. Enter the custom APN settings and use the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner to save the changes.

How to change APN settings on iPhone

If your mobile operator allows it, you can change the APN settings on your iPhone using the steps below.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and tap Cellular.

2. Tap Cellular Data Network and enter the APN settings.

In older iPhones, you might find the APN settings by going to Settings > Mobile > Mobile Data Network or Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options > Mobile Data Network.

If your device doesn’t show APN settings by following these paths, contact your network provider.

Enjoy fast mobile data speeds and troubleshoot network issues

APN is a necessary feature that allows your smartphone to connect to the public internet. It works without issues most of the time, and you don’t have to pay attention to it. However, if you experience connection issues and low internet speed, it might be worth checking out.

We hope this guide helps you understand APN. We also recommend checking out our guide on troubleshooting your Android device if you experience overall system sluggishness.