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iPhone Text Effects: Tips and Tricks
March 18, 2025
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Michigan’s known for its auto plants, rock ‘n’ roll, and college football, but not so much for its cell phone coverage. While the Big Three of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon offer strong 4G LTE coverage in the state’s urban areas, the Great Lake State has spottier coverage in the rural areas up north, with especially limited 5G coverage.
AT&T offers the best coverage in Michigan, with both the largest 4G LTE network (covering 52% of the map) and 5G network (covering around 32%) in the state. However, coverage can vary from town to town and region to region, so we recommend looking at our maps before deciding on which cell phone carrier to sign up with.
Whether you live down south, in the urban hubs of Detroit and Grand Rapids, up by Traverse City, or even further out on the Upper Peninsula, we’ll help you make sense of the coverage data so you can find the carrier with the best coverage for your neighborhood.
Table of contents
What We Like
- The state’s densely populated areas (including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren City, and more) have reliable coverage from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon
- AT&T has the most 4G LTE in the state, covering 52% of the map
- AT&T also offers the most 5G coverage, with high-speed service that reaches nearly 32% of the state
What We Don't Like
- 4G LTE coverage can be found throughout much of the state, but signals will be weaker away from metropolitan hubs
- 5G coverage is limited to urban areas and is spottier in rural areas, including the Upper Peninsula
Verizon has the second-largest coverage map in Michigan, reaching a little under half of the state’s landmass. Like AT&T, its coverage is strongest in the urban areas in the state’s lower half, with spottier service in the north.
Verizon 4G Coverage in Michigan
Verizon’s 4G network covers 47% of the state, with the most reliable service in the metro areas of Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Flint, and Detroit. Verizon’s coverage gets spottier up north, though there is still strong reception in Marquette, Escanada, Sault Ste. Marie, and Traverse City.
Want to see what kind of 4G coverage Verizon offers in your neck of the woods? Check out our interactive map below.
Verizon 5G Coverage in Michigan
Verizon’s 5G coverage in Michigan is rather limited, with a total footprint of just 11% of the map.
It’s primarily located in the state’s southern metropolitan areas, including Detroit and Grand Rapids, though even those densely populated regions have significant dead zones. The good news is that over half of that 5G network includes Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband, which offers extra fast service and minimal lag.
AT&T has the best coverage in Michigan, operating both the largest 4G LTE and 5G networks in the state. Its strongest coverage areas are near the urban areas in the southern half of the state, though the carrier also provides the most service to the state’s rural areas.
AT&T 4G Coverage in Michigan
AT&T provides 4G coverage to over half of the Michigan landmass, a feat that its primary competitors (T-Mobile and Verizon) have yet to accomplish. AT&T’s 4G service is particularly strong in the southern half of the Mitten, with solid pockets near the metropolitan areas of Mount Pleasant, Saginaw, Flint, Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit. There are zome dead zones further north, though, especially on the Upper Peninsula. Yoopers in more densely populated areas like Houghton, Marquette, Iron River, and Munising will have reliable service, but those living closer to Ottawa National Forest and Escanada River State Forest will be lucky to get any service at all.
Interested in seeing what kind of 4G service AT&T offers in your neighborhood? Enter your address in the interactive coverage map below.
AT&T 5G Coverage in Michigan
AT&T operates the largest 5G network in the state, though that’s not quite as big as it may sound: AT&T’s 5G covers just 32% of the state and is mostly confined to urban areas, with the strongest coverage in Ann Arbor, Flint, Sarnia, and the greater metropolitan Detroit area. That being said, over two thirds of that 5G coverage is AT&T 5G+, which offers high-speed service and minimal latency.
T-Mobile doesn’t operate the largest wireless networks in Michigan, though the carrier’s 4G and 5G coverage is still solid, with reliable service available in the state’s most densely populated areas.
T-Mobile 4G Coverage in Michigan
T-Mobile’s 4G network covers over 33% of Michigan, which is the third-largest behind AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks. Similar to AT&T and Verizon, T-Mobile’s best coverage is in the state’s bottom half, though it does have solid coverage in some areas of the Upper Peninsula, including Marquette and Houghton.
T-Mobile 5G Coverage in Michigan
T-Mobile’s 5G network is the second-largest in Michigan, covering almost 27% of the state, though its mostly limited to urban hubs. More than half of that 5G service includes T-Mobile’s 5G Ultra Capacity spectrum, which offers lightning-fast speeds and limited latency.
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile may be the largest cell phone carriers in the country, but they’re not the only ones. There are plenty of smaller carriers, called MVNOs, that operate on the Big Three networks and provide discounted coverage to their customers.
If you don’t need all the luxuries of an unlimited data plan, then an MVNO (like Mint Mobile or Boost Mobile) might be the best way for you to score access to the AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile network for cheap. You can check out some of the most popular MVNOs below:
Boost Mobile
Metro by T-Mobile
Networks they use
Metro by T-Mobile
Networks they use
Optimum Mobile
Spectrum Mobile
Cox Mobile
Straight Talk
Networks they use
Cricket
Networks they use
Visible
Networks they use
Google Fi
Networks they use
Xfinity Mobile
Mint Mobile
Things to Know about Cell Phone Coverage
Cell Phone Coverage Speeds
When it comes to cell phone coverage, you don’t just need a cellular signal—you need that signal to provide adequate speed. That’s why it’s important to distinguish between 4G and 5G coverage in your area. In general, 5G provides faster speeds and greater reliability than 4G. However, that’s not always the case, as there may be instances when the speeds of these respective coverage types are actually quite similar.
How to Get the Best Cell Phone Coverage
There’s more to getting the best coverage than just signing up with the carrier that offers reliable service in the places you spend time. These include:
- Your phone: The newer and more cutting edge your device, the more likely you’ll be able to tap into the fastest speeds. Some older phones don’t have the built-in technology to connect to the fastest 5G bands, resulting in slower service. The newest 5G devices, like the Apple iPhone 16 or Samsung Galaxy S24 series don’t have this problem.
- Your software: It’s important to make sure your software is up to date, as an out-of-date operating system can translate to an inability to connect to the fastest network speeds.
- Your cell phone plan: Depending on the mobile plan you have, your data may experience deprioritization during times of network congestion. If this is consistently happening to you, it may be worth investigating whether you can sign up for a plan that includes more premium (i.e. un-deprioritized) data.
- Your location: Certain types of coverage, like high-band 5G, has difficulty penetrating solid materials, like concrete walls. As simple as it may sound, moving to an unobstructed location may help you connect to these fast networks more reliably.
Our methodology
We sourced our cell phone coverage metrics from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which collects data voluntarily submitted by the four major national carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, UScellular). Read More
The FCC incorporates standardized propagation model assumptions into its data, and notes that a user’s actual experience may vary based on end-use factors like network congestion and terrain. Read Less
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which carrier has the best coverage in Michigan?
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AT&T has the best coverage in Michigan, with a 4G LTE network that covers 52% of the state and a 5G network that covers over 32%. Both of those networks are the largest in the state and offer customers the most consistent and reliable coverage.
How do I find the best network coverage in my area?
You can find the best network coverage in your area by entering your address in our 4G and 5G coverage maps, which will show you the carriers offering service in your neighborhood, along with the strength of those carriers’ signals.
Is 5G available in Michigan?
Yes, 5G is available in Michigan. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all operate 5G networks in the state. AT&T’s is the largest, covering over 32% of the map.
Learn More Network Coverage Maps
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