iOS lags behind Android in this feature

       Recently, Google pushed an OTA to Pixel 6. In addition to patching bugs, it also quietly inserted the 'disable 2G' function.

　　It did not appear in the official upgrade catalog, but was written into the Android 12 release notes, aimed at developers rather than the general public.

　　Maybe because the Pixel user base is not large, simply adding a 2G network switch did not cause much stir. Even when I asked a colleague who uses Pixel 6 Pro as his main backup phone, he was a little surprised.

　　But the appearance of this switch caused the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to celebrate it, and it wrote a letter of praise to Google on its website.

　　The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been calling for the discontinuation of outdated 2G cellular standards since 2020, and Google's Android system is the first mobile operating system in more than a year that allows users to completely disable 2G networks. For this, EFF even wanted to make a pennant for Google.

　　At the same time, EFF also launched a support campaign on Twitter, the target of which is naturally another major mobile operating system iOS. It hopes that Apple will add a 2G network switch to iOS like Google does.

　　Please turn off the 2G network.

　　When formulating the 2G communication technology standards, relevant agencies did not take into account some risk scenarios. As time passed and new communication technologies were upgraded, two major problems emerged in the 2G cellular network standards.

　　First, weak encryption is used between the device and the signal tower, which can be cracked in real time by attackers and used to intercept calls and text messages. Second, there is no identity verification between the signal tower and the mobile phone. When a fake base station appears, the mobile phone cannot distinguish it, and the data information is intercepted.

　　These security vulnerabilities have been fixed in 4G networks, but in some special scenarios, smartphones will automatically switch to 2G networks, and the vulnerabilities will appear in the public eye. Now many fake base stations will also take advantage of this feature to force the connection of surrounding smartphones to drop to 2G and conduct network intrusion.

　　　While commending Google for taking action, EFF also recommends that users proactively turn off the 2G switch that is turned on by default to block potential dangers.

　　In addition to Pixel, some new Samsung phones have also added corresponding switches in the system, but the new Android phone I have does not have the relevant option.

　　Google also pointed out in the Android 12 release notes that this switch requires the Android 12 system and Radio 1.6 HAL (hardware abstraction layer), the latter of which will not be updated with the upgrade of the Android system.

　　In response to this, ArsTechnica directly recommends buying a new Android phone with Android 12 pre-installed, rather than an old product that can be upgraded to Android 12. However, I don’t think it’s difficult for domestic customized Android systems to add a switch to 2G. For Apple, which has global control over software and hardware, adding a 2G switch is not a difficult task.

　　2G has started to be phased out of the network, would it be redundant to add a switch now?

　　Regarding the 2G network, it actually became a hot topic in 2019. The three major operators have successively shut down the 2G network, which has resulted in some devices being unable to make calls.

　　To this end, China Unicom also responded. Simply put, it will gradually shut down the 2G network to release corresponding network resources for 4G network upgrades and 5G network layout.

　　　Not only China Unicom, but also China Telecom and China Mobile are gradually releasing the frequency bands of 2G and 3G networks, gradually stopping related network services, and fully turning to 4G and 5G.

　　Looking around the world, the withdrawal of 2G and 3G is also a general trend. AT&T in the United States stopped providing services for its 2G network as early as January 1, 2017. In addition, many operators in Canada, South Korea, Japan and other countries are shutting down their 2G networks and withdrawing 2G users as planned.

　　　　However, some European countries and regions will continue to operate 2G networks until 2025. In Africa, where network technology is relatively backward, operators have no plans to shut down 2G networks for the time being. However, according to reports, many areas have no 2G and 3G services.

　　For example, in developed countries and regions, even if a 2G switch is not set up in the system, there may not be corresponding 2G network services, and the related risks naturally do not exist.

　　It seems that EFF should call on operators to speed up the shutdown of 2G services. In fact, in addition to being used for feature phones to make calls, 2G networks are also widely used in the Internet of Things.

　　In addition to clearing out a large number of 2G users, it is also imperative to upgrade the corresponding IoT industry equipment. This is also one of the reasons why some European operators shut down 3G first and keep 2G online until 2025.

　　Therefore, shutting down 2G network services is more like a process than simply turning off the power. Accordingly, adding a 2G network switch to the smart device and turning it off is faster than appealing to the operator. And in this process, the 2G network switch is not redundant.

　　Not only operators, but also mobile phones are bidding farewell to 2G and 3G

　　In fact, as operators gradually stop 2G and 3G networks, smartphones are also beginning to say goodbye to 2G and 3G networks.

　　The iPhone 13 series sold in China no longer supports China Telecom's 2G and 3G network standards. Similarly, feature phones that once focused on 2G networks are also gradually upgrading to 4G.

　　Some of Nokia's new feature phones have gradually added support for 4G VoLTE, with the aim of meeting the replacement needs of some old feature phone users after the 2G network completely stops service.

　　Both the equipment side and the operators are gradually phasing outdated and insecure network standards. The current 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G "four generations living together" may be completely broken in the next two years, and future devices will gradually reduce their support for 2G network bands.

　　Although the Electronic Frontier Foundation's call for adding a function to disable 2G can protect the public from 2G cellular network vulnerabilities at a basic level, the speed at which operators and devices bid farewell to 2G networks may mean that 2G networks will become history before this switch becomes public knowledge.