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AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

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AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence.

at-t-turbo-indicator-iphone-16-pro-max-v0-8hrh7w5f3w1e1.jpg.jpeg
Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476​

The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through prioritized data access, offering improved speeds and lower latency for activities like gaming and video streaming. Previously, customers had limited ways to confirm the service was enabled beyond checking technical network settings. With the new label, Turbo subscribers can easily verify when the $7 monthly add-on is active on their line.

Some users have said they aren't too happy about the longer carrier text in their iPhone's status bar, but others don't mind it since it gives them a clear visual indicator of their premium network status. AT&T says that the icon can appear sometimes when Turbo is inactive, such as when connected to Wi-Fi or when a customer's hotspot allotment is exceeded.

Article Link: AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/20/att-turbo-iphone-carrier-label-ios-update/
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Just saw the AT&T site for "Turbo" -- Smoother Gameplay, Improved video calls and enhanced wireless connection. Seems like something they should be providing ALL their customers, not just those who want to pay them EXTRA for it! Not to mention, they just RAISED their prices and now I need to spend an extra $7 on top of the price hike to not get shi**y service? I'm not liking this...
 
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So let me get this straight. The company charges customers for services that it itself considers to be of insufficient quality, so it offers a paid upgrade to bypass its own shortcomings. Brilliant.

I think I'll rather wait few months for Apple Intelligence and avoid dealing with these kinds of business practices in Europe. SMH

Just to be clear, this isn't a cheap jab at US citizens, but rather a critique of the shameful business practices of certain corporations. I very naively hope that such practices either wouldn't pass at all or would at least be prevented by regulatory changes in the EU if some company tried this. It's not like we have it all sunshine and roses here either, however, consumer protection is one area where, as one of the few things, we tend to do ever so slightly better overall. Stay strong, my friends across the pond.
 
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N0ughtsAndCr0sses said:
Soon to come to your mobile provider. 🤣🤣🤣
Click to expand...

The EU doesn't allow it. Telekom in Germany used to have a free add on that allowed certain apps not to be counted towards your monthly data allowance but they had to stop offering it because it is against EU law to prioritize services over others.

ALSO they ask the customer to pay more, just because their network is apparently not good enough to handle it? What the heck. Now that is a spin
 
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klasma said:
Reminds me of when PCs had a Turbo button.
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But this is a bizarre twist on the (already "perplexing") concept of the Turbo button. The Turbo button let you toggle between normally using the full speed of your computer or, optionally and intentionally, slowing it down for backward compatibility with older programs that struggled with faster clock speeds. You paid for a fast machine, you got a fast machine—and you could choose to slow it down if needed.

With AT&T, however, it seems that you already pay a hefty price for a fast 5G network standard, yet the '5G machine' operates slowly by default, and the company offers to fix this limitation of not having the Turbo "on" as a default—for an additional premium price.
 
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Oh wow...I thought this was just like 5G-UWB type of thing. This is a subscription add on? wow
 
System603 said:
But this is a bizarre twist on the (already "perplexing") concept of the Turbo button. The Turbo button let you toggle between normally using the full speed of your computer or, optionally and intentionally, slowing it down for backward compatibility with older programs that struggled with faster clock speeds. You paid for a fast machine, you got a fast machine—and you could choose to slow it down if needed.

With AT&T, however, it seems that you already pay a hefty price for a fast 5G network standard, yet the '5G machine' operates slowly by default, and the company offers to fix this limitation of not having the Turbo "on" as a default—for an additional premium price.
Click to expand...
Yeah, my point was that you don't get faster speeds with the Turbo, you get slower speeds without it.
 
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