Any time your phone receives or sends information over the Internet, you’re using mobile data. Mobile data lets you shop online, stream cat videos and check the name of that one actor after the movie you just watched is over. A lot of big wireless carriers push everyone into a one-size-fits-all data plan, but knowing how much data you use can help you pick the best wireless plan for you.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to check data usage on iPhone and toggling different data features on and off to help you use data the way you want to. Because, like one-size-fits-all jeans, one-size-fits-all data just doesn’t make any sense; everyone uses their mobile data in different ways.
How to check data usage on iPhone
To check your iPhone data usage, here’s what you need to do:
- Open Settings
- Tap Cellular, Cellular Data or Mobile Data (depending on your iPhone model and iOS)
- Check out your data usage, including roaming data, total data used and data usage by apps
This screen will also show your data usage for your current billing period; however, sometimes it doesn’t automatically refresh when the period ends.
To reset your data usage counter, here’s what to do:
- Open Settings
- Tap Cellular, Cellular Data or Mobile Data (depending on your iPhone model and iOS)
- Scroll down and check out the date after Last Reset–if the date isn’t right, go ahead and tap Reset Statistics
How to turn off data on iPhone
Running low on data or ready to hop on Wi-Fi? Here’s how to turn off cellular data on iPhone:
- Open Settings
- Tap Cellular, Cellular Data or Mobile Data (depending on your iPhone model and iOS)
- Swipe the switch to the right of Cellular Data to turn it off
Need to switch your data settings quickly? You can also just turn on Airplane Mode by swiping down on your phone and tapping the airplane symbol. Yeah, even when you’re not in an airplane. Crazy, right?
As we mentioned earlier, using cellular data is great because you can use different functions on your phone on the go; but if you’re running low on it, that’s where Wi-Fi comes in. Not sure what the difference is between Wi-Fi and cellular data? Suffice it to say Wi-Fi allows you to stream, shop, talk and text, etc. without using up any precious data.
How to turn off app data
While you’re using your apps, you probably don’t think about how much data Netflix, Instagram or YouTube use – luckily we’ve got these handy articles to tell you. If you find you’re using too much data figuring out where the best parking spot is on Google Maps or curating the best workout playlists on Spotify, it might be best to just turn it off.
Here’s how to turn off app data:
- Go to Settings
- Tap Cellular, Cellular Data or Mobile Data (depending on your iPhone model and iOS)
- Under Cellular Data, check out the list of the apps on your phone and decide which you want to turn off or on
How to turn off Low Data Mode (or turn it on)
To turn Low Data Mode, which is a feature that tells the apps on your phone to send/receive less data, on or off, here’s what to do if you’re using Wi-Fi or cellular data:
For Wi-Fi:
- Go to Settings
- Tap Wi-Fi network name
- Scroll to Low Data Mode
- Turn it off or on
For cellular data:
- Go to Settings
- Tap Cellular Data Options
- Turn it off or on
While Low Data Mode is not meant to be on 24/7 (since most functions will be disabled or run at poor quality), it can help you conserve data by pausing things like automatic downloads, or by slowing loading times or reducing video quality, in addition to disabling background app refresh.
How to turn off Wi-Fi Assist
Wi-Fi Assist is a feature your cell network can use that will automatically switch to cellular data if your Wi-Fi connection is spotty. Sounds good…but it can also eat up your data.
Here’s how to turn off Wi-Fi Assist:
- Open Settings
- Tap Cellular
- Scroll down and turn off Wi-Fi Assist
Now that you know how to save all that data…
Why not put it to the test with a new phone plan? We’ve got a phone plan that suits whatever kind of data you need, whether you need a fox ton or not-so-fox-ton.
