What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

Using cellular data instead of Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet is the worst. Ideally, Wi-Fi would be available everywhere. But that’s simply not the case: there are certain public places that are blackout zones for it. Whether you’re traveling on an airplane or in your hotel room trying to connect, there is often only a password-protected or paywall network available. And that’s when using your phone’s cellular data becomes a necessity. But what should we be *SO* careful about when our phone is on this mode?

First let’s start by understanding exactly what it means to use cellular data.

What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

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What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

What Does It Mean To Use Cellular Data?

By turning on cellular data, you are enabling your cell service provider (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc) to use it's own internet access to connect. This uses up data from your cell plan. If you don't have cell service, you won't be able to use the internet, even with the cellular data enabled.

What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

How To Turn It On/Off

Turning your cellular data on and off is as easy as going to your iPhone Settings > Cellular > Toggle On/off Cellular Data. If you're worried about data usage, you should become familiar with these settings keystrokes, and develop the habit of turning off cellular data when you know you're connected to the Wi-Fi (at home, at work, etc.).

What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

It's OK to be stingy with it

It's perfectly acceptable to be stingy with your cellular data if you think you might go over your plan. As long as you don't need to use the internet, you'll be fine to disable it. When cellular data is disabled and you're not connected to Wi-Fi, you can only use your phone to make calls and text (but not iMessages, because that uses data).

What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

You Can Decide Which Apps Use Cellular Data, And Which Don't

What the savviest iPhone users do is modify their app settings to determine which apps can and cannot use cellular data. All you do is go Settings > Cellular > scroll down to a complete list of apps. Toggle On/Off if you want them enabled to use cellular data. For apps that you disable, you won't be able to use them when there's no Wi-Fi.

What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

Checking Data Usage

If you're wondering whether this is even something you need to worry about, the first step is to check your cellular data usage. The one thing you should never do when using cellular data is forget to check to your usage. Go to Settings > Cellular > some carriers will list the data plans and usage here, and others, like AT&T will force you to request the information and then will text it to you. Either way, you'll get a complete picture of how much data you have available for the billing cycle to avoid overages.

What happens when you turn off cellular data on iphone

  • If you have a limited amount of mobile data, knowing how to turn off data on your iPhone can help you save what you have.
  • Your iPhone will always use Wi-Fi to send and receive data when connected to it, but if there's no Wi-Fi it'll use your cellular data plan instead.
  • You can turn off cellular data in the Cellular tab of the iPhone's Settings app.
  • You can choose to completely disable cellular data or turn it off for specific apps.  
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Your iPhone will always use Wi-Fi when it's available, but when there's no Wi-Fi network to connect to, your phone can use up your mobile data fast. 

Fortunately, Apple gives you a handful of tools to manage your data usage, to avoid hitting monthly data caps, or incurring overage fees. 

You can use the iPhone's Settings app to turn off data entirely, or you can choose specific apps to disable data service. And for times when you want to quickly toggle data off for a brief time, you can turn on Airplane Mode. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999.99 at Best Buy)

How to turn off data on an iPhone

1. Start the Settings app.

2. Tap "Cellular."

3. Turn off Cellular Data by swiping the switch with that label to the left. 

The Cellular Data button is a master switch that controls whether your phone can send and receive data using your cellular service. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Remember to turn this back on when you want to be able to send and receive data using your cellular connection. 

How to turn off data on an iPhone for specific apps

1. Start the Settings app.

2. Tap "Cellular."

3. In the Cellular Data section, which may take a few moments to load, choose which apps you want to turn off cellular data for, by swiping the appropriate switch to the left. Any app with a gray switch won't be allowed to access mobile data.

You can choose which apps can send and receive data in Settings. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Every app on your phone should be listed here, and you can decide which ones you want to enable cellular data for. If you disable data for an app, it will still work properly when it has access to Wi-Fi. 

How to turn off data on an iPhone using Airplane Mode

1. Tap the bottom of the screen and slide it up to bring up the Control Center (or swipe down from the upper-right corner of your screen on an iPhone X or later)

2. Tap the Airplane Mode icon, which is shaped like an airplane. It will turn orange once it's been activated.

The Airplane Mode switch can rapidly disable cellular service when needed. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

You will not be able to use cellular services for voice calls or data as long as you remain in Airplane Mode.

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Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

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How to fix cellular data not working on iPhone?

How to fix your iPhone, iPad cellular not working problem

  • Check if your cellular data is turned on. The first thing you need to do when you find data not working on your iPhone or iPad is check if the ...
  • Turn on and off the Airplane Mode. ...
  • Restart your device. ...
  • Reinsert your SIM card. ...
  • Check your Data Roaming settings. ...
  • Check for carrier updates. ...
  • Backup your iPhone and do a Factory reset. ...

How do I ensure iPhone wont use cellular data?

  • Tap on the Settings > General > tap on Reset.
  • Select Reset Network Settings.
  • If asked, enter the passcode and confirm it.
  • Reboot the iPhone and check the cellular data performance.

How to reduce cellular data usage on iPhone?

You can reduce cellular data usage on iPhone by following the steps below:

  1. Open your iPhone’s Settings menu.
  2. Then, from the Settings, tap on Mobile Data (or Cellular Data depending on your area).
  3. From the Mobile Data page, tap on Mobile Data Options (or Cellular Data Options depending on your area).
  4. Tap on the switch for Low Data Mode to turn the feature ON. A green switch means that the Low Data Mode is active. ...

Why is my cellular data not working?

US Cellular Data not Working

  • Toggle Airplane Mode. ...
  • Reboot your Phone. ...
  • Poor Internet. ...
  • Preferred Network Mode. ...
  • SIM Problems: It could be a problem with your US Cellular SIM Card. ...
  • Mobile Data Limit Exhausted: Most mobile service providers in the United States come with limited data usage options. ...
  • Disable Data Saver. ...

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Does turning off cellular data do anything?

After turning off mobile data, you'll still be able to make and receive phone calls and get text messages. But you won't be able to access the internet until you reconnect to a Wi-Fi network.

Should cellular data be on or off on iPhone?

It's the fast data connection available, unless you're using Wi-Fi. When Cellular Data is off, you'll only see the signal strength bars in the upper left-hand corner of your iPhone. For almost everyone, it's a good idea to leave Cellular Data on.

Can I still receive texts with cellular data off?

However, if the person used regular SMS to text you, you should be able to receive it even if you are not connected to the internet.

Why do people turn their cellular data off?

If you're wanting to stay off the grid, you should turn your data off. By having it switched on, your mobile service provider could (theoretically) track your phone's location. You may have previously given apps permission to use your location data too, meaning that you're unwittingly sharing your private information.