Hello Hildareyes2929,
Welcome to the community!
Sorry to hear you're having issues with your devices. As Kapable-K noted below, devices might need to be upgraded as the technology changes. I remember having to update my mom's GSM-only phone when the 2G network was getting decomissioned. More recently, the US providers decommissioned their 3G networks. As far as I am aware, Canadian providers will continue their 3G networks for the near future.
That said, I don't think your issue is related to your devices not having 5G nor USB-C. Firstly, Fido does not currently offer 5G services. Devices capable of 5G would not be able to access that network at the moment. I believe both of your devices should have all of the current compatible bands/frequecies used on the '3G' and LTE networks. Unfortunately, there will be a time when the '3G' network and possibly even LTE network will be decommissioned for newer technologies. When that happens, devices would need to be upgraded to include the later generation networks.
As well, the type of data/power connection (ie lightening vs USB-C) would have no bearing on a device's ability to make and/or receive calls.
Do you and your husband regularly restart your devices or close unused open apps? Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with iOS. However, android devices can get a little sluggish if too many apps remain open or the device had not been restarted for a long time. Additionally, it has been suggested to force stop the Phone app and then restart the device (see here).
As Kapable-K also notes, since your issue appears to happen across different mobile providers, that would suggest the issue lies with the devices. You might consider reaching out to Apple to see if they have any further suggestions to help with your situation.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hello @hildareyes2929,
Welcome to the community!
Since you said you had the issue with other carriers and now that your son got a new iPhone 15 and everything works as it should it's clear the issue is with the device and not a fault of the carriers, technology changes at a rapid pace and with the demand and reliance on cellphones in today's world the way and speed at which we need o be connect also had to advance and with that advancement and the no need for older technology carriers are forced to decommissioned older networks like 2g because the need for it is not there.
Often times phone manufacturers would deliberately make your device perform slower to get you to upgrade Apple had been caught doing that and had a major lawsuit against them.
The connection issues you are having have nothing to do with the government or the type of cable used to charge and transfer data to your device, the EU did more good for consumers in terms of these cables than anyone in North America, before every manufacturer had there own proprietary cable/connection which was just ridiculous so the EU made Micro USB a standard back then so all devices can use the same cable to charge, Apple has been the only one using a different cable and this creates more waste so the EU put an end to that which is a good thing for consumers.
