Your iPhone is full of hidden gems, including a secret menu. This menu can only be accessed by entering special codes and is known as Field Test mode. And no, you don’t have to have the latest iPhone 14 for it.
The hidden menu can show you a lot of practical information, such as how strong your iPhone’s signal actually is right now. You can also see if your calls are being transferred. So the menu gives you useful insights into your smartphone.
Here’s how to open the secret iPhone menu
To access these secret features, all you have to do is enter a series of numbers and letters through your iPhone’s call screen. Open your iPhone’s default phone app, where you can enter a number to call someone.
Do not enter a phone number here, but the following combination of characters: *3001#12345#*. Then tap the green button with the telephone inside. The secret menu will now open automatically. Under the various headings you will find a lot of useful information. Note: Exactly what data you will see depends on your provider.
This is what the abbreviations mean
For example, open Serving Cell Meas under LTE. Here are a lot of different abbreviations that can give you a good idea of your iPhone’s signal strength. What the abbreviations mean, of course, we’ll explain to you.
For example, rsrp stands for reference signal received power. If this value changes, you’ll see it reflected in the signal strength bars in the upper right corner of your iPhone. No bar equals -125, one bar equals -121 to -124, two bars equals -106 to -120, three bars equals -91 to -105 and four bars equals -90 and above.
Then there is sinr, or signal-to-interference-noise-ratio. This value allows you to see the degree of interference from nearby jammers. There is also rsrq, which stands for reference signal received quality. With this you can measure the quality of the signal.
Rssi or received signal strength indicator also shows the signal strength, but does not take into account noise and any interferences. When you are done with the secret menu, you can easily exit the Field Test mode by swiping up from the bottom of your screen.