How to turn off cellular data on your iPhone in 3 ways, to preserve your data when it’s running out

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iPhone XS MaxHollis Johnson/Business Insider

  • 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. 

data 1Dave 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.

data 2Dave 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.

data 3Dave 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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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Dave Johnson)

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