How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

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Posted May 7, 2011 at 12:28pm by iClarified

These are instructions on how to replace the signal strength bars on your iPhone with a numerical representation of reception strength. (ie. numbers instead of bars).

Step One
Press to launch MobilePhone from your Springboard.

How to Replace Your iPhone Signal Strength Bars With Numbers

Step Two
Tap the keyboard tab then dial *3001#12345#*.

Step Three
Your iPhone will now launch Field Test. Notice your strength bars have been replaced with a number. This number is your reception strength measured in decibels. The closer to 0dB the stronger your signal.

Step Four
Press and hold the Power button until the power slider appears.

Step Five
Press and hold the Home button until the Field Test program is terminated. Notice the signal strength numbers still remain.

To Switch Back to Bars
Dial *3001#12345#* again to enter Field Test mode.

Press the signal strength at the top left of screen to toggle between numbers and bars. Then press the Home button to exit Field Test mode.

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Diane Shearer - April 4, 2018 at 1:43am

Doesn't work. Field test mode still shows bars.

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ssiksramzuk - May 16, 2017 at 9:25pm

Now tapping on the signal bar doesn't do anything. Did they update it, so you can't change it anymore?

Tomas Weavy - January 13, 2017 at 11:05am

Thanks iclarified, at least you showed us how to reverse it if you don't want the numbers anymore

AfiqAzizi - June 19, 2016 at 5:31am

How to change back to the original signal?

Breyana - June 24, 2016 at 2:47am

I literally 30 secs. Just had this same problem!! Literally, but only thing you do is repeat the steps but instead of holding the lock button (If your iPhone is updated) you will click where it says "Back to Phone" in the very upper top left of the phone and when it goes back to the dial pad, click the signal strength numbers and it should return back to normal.

tdB - September 30, 2014 at 10:54pm

To get this to work for me I entered field test mode, then double tapped the home button to switch back to the dial app. I entered the code again which brought me back to the field test app. I then held the power sleep button until the slider appeared. Then held the home button to return to the normal app desktop. The -xxx dB stayed.

emstuntz - September 20, 2014 at 6:49pm

Works fine on iOS 8 :)

bubba153 - May 7, 2014 at 4:53am

Never mind. It was Siri. Apparently the Siri screen was interfering with the Field Test app closure. Turned Siri off briefly, and it worked perfectly. I can now use either the numeric meter or the dots, and can toggle between them. Thanks!!

bubba153 - May 6, 2014 at 10:46pm

iPhone 5s with iOS 7.1.1 not jailbroken (Verizon) Field Test runs fine. However, I can't get it to make the numeric change lasting. Tried the power button, then the home button, and also tried the power button AND home button (forcing a reboot). When the phone reverts to the home screen, the numeric value displays for the briefest instant, then reverts to the dots (and doesn't toggle). Dunno' if the fact that the home button brings up Siri has anything to do with this or not..... Any ideas? I'd like to use the numeric value rather than the dots.

bubba153 - May 6, 2014 at 10:45pm

Brandon - April 5, 2014 at 6:26am

Worked Great on iOS 7.1 on my UnJailBroken iPhone 4S! Make sure to hit send after *3001#12345#* .... Then Go to power down screen and finish by holding Home until Field Test disappears. And the magic of it is if you tap the signal indicator, it toggles between dots and numbers !

Pravin - April 8, 2014 at 4:43am

Thanks for the info. But does it work after closing the field test ? I mean on the homescreen ? Thanks again

Max E. - February 5, 2014 at 3:53am

If you are having trouble getting it working on iOS 7.1 b5, enter the field test mode and hold down the power and home buttons together until the phone restarts.

TheKeywork - January 1, 2014 at 3:27pm

It works fine in iOS 7. What the article doesn't make clear is that you have to hit Send to launch field test mode. if you enter the numbers but don't hit Send, you can still change for numbers to bars and back, but your selection won't persist unless you hit Send and see the field test menu. Then change to bars(dots) or numbers, hold power till the slider pops up, then Home to exit.

Bero - December 9, 2013 at 2:20am

I couldnt make it work with IOS 7.4 oPhone 5s :(

Isaac Jensen - November 4, 2014 at 9:26pm

If anyone of you having trouble changing the bars to numbers try opening field test and hold the home button and sleep button at the same time and keep holding until the Apple logo appears then unlock your iPhone and BOOM!!! It shows numbers and the best thing is that when you tap on the numbers, it turns back to bars, do it again, and it turnns back to numbers

Brendan - October 4, 2013 at 3:21am

It works on the iOS 7.0.2

Max_E - September 20, 2013 at 11:19am

This is broken in iOS 7.0. They are forcing us to have the dots.

TS - August 26, 2013 at 10:32pm

what if it doesnt seem to work at all and stays on searching?

Jens Pedersen - May 1, 2013 at 3:27pm

Even works on a non jailbroken Iphone 4s, nice! i did not know that :)

CoryD81 - October 19, 2012 at 2:58pm

Just go to settings and Erase all settings, worked for me and I had the problem some of you did not being able to JUST have bars back. I had to toggle them back in each app or screen, but even after trying Mike's advice it didnt work. Setting reset was what did it for me! Now I just have to go back a repersonalize some things which isnt too big of a deal

mike sanders - September 22, 2012 at 4:37am

simple instructions thanks I wasn't happy with the numbers now back to bars ono.

NissanTuner - June 15, 2012 at 5:18am

Still works on iOS 6.0b1! Also, to change back and forth I just has to tap on the numbers/bars.

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