The answer is “it depends”. The first thing to check is what apps you have running in the background on your iPhone. You don’t have to buy a “dumb” phone to reduce your data usage.
Check apps running in the background
You should look at games, media player apps and apps that require a constant network connection.
You can view how much data each app is using.
- Foreground data: data the phone uses while you are actively using the app.
- Background data: data used by the phone when the app isn’t open or active.
If any apps are using a lot of background data, you need to decide how important each one is to you. For instance, news and social media apps perform frequent checks for updates in the background.
If any of those apps have a “Sync data” option, try turning it off so it only syncs when you tap to view. You may not even miss it. You may also have an option for how frequently to sync instead, so try changing this to less frequent syncing.
If you stop receiving something important, you can reverse these settings.
How to check data usage on your iPhone
Settings [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Cellular (or Mobile Data)
If you don’t want an app to use cellular data, you can turn it off for that app. When cellular data is off, apps will only use Wi-Fi for data.
If your iPhone is running out of data,
Here are 8 ways to lower your data usage.
1. Turn Background App Refresh off
Switch the setting called Background App Refresh to Off so an app will only use data when you open it, not in the background.
show me how to turn background data off
Settings [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] General [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Background App Refresh
Another option is that you can leave the overall Background App Refresh on, and instead turn off individual apps that are using too much data.
Note: These examples are for illustration only. Your operating system may display these screens and settings differently from the examples shown. In addition, the names of the selections may not match exactly.
2. Close apps you aren’t using
To view open apps, swipe up from bottom of the screen or double tap the home button.
Swipe an app up until it is off the screen to force it to close.
3. Turn on Wi-Fi
To stay connected while at home, at work, or in coffee shops and airports, turn on Wi-Fi. At home and often at work, you need to enter your network password. If you really need to be connected and there is no free Wi-Fi, you can turn mobile data back on, use it and then turn it back off. See Turn off mobile data.
show me how to turn on Wi-Fi
Settings [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Wi-Fi [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] tap the Wi-Fi network you want to join.
Secure networks will need you to enter a password. Connections that require passwords have a padlock.
Note: These examples are for illustration only. Your operating system may display these screens and settings differently from the examples shown. In addition, the names of the selections may not match exactly.
4. Turn off Wi-Fi Assist
Wi-Fi Assist on iPhones is intended to keep you connected even if you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection. It does this by automatically switching to cellular data.
Turn Wi-Fi Assist off. When off, you may not be able to stream music or movies, download attachments to email, or iMessage if you aren’t connected to a good Wi-Fi signal.
Note: Picture messaging counts toward your texting package and only requires a mobile data connection to transmit or receive. This means that you will need to switch mobile data on to send or receive pictures in a text message.
show me how to turn off Wi-Fi assist
Settings [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Cellular (or Mobile Data) [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Wi-Fi Assist, change to off
This setting is at the bottom of the list of apps.
Note: These examples are for illustration only. Your operating system may display these screens and settings differently from the examples shown. In addition, the names of the selections may not match exactly.
5. Facebook Notifications
If Facebook is gobbling up your data, there isn’t any way to change the frequency that it checks in the system settings. You need go to the settings for the app.
These are some options to start reducing data usage:
- Turn on Facebook Data Saver
- Manage Push Notifications – Push notifications will use Wi-Fi or mobile data depending on availability and your settings.
- Turn off background data usage
show me how to manage Facebook notifications
Facebook Data Saver
You can turn the Facebook Data Saver on. Note: This may already be turned on if you used the previous method to turn overall Data Saver on.
Open Facebook tap the Menu Settings & Privacy Data Saver, turn it on.
An option appears to Always turn off Data Saver on Wi-Fi. This means it will use Wi-Fi but won’t use mobile data so turn it on.
Manage Push Notifications
Manage Push NotificationsOpen Facebook [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] tap the Menu icon at the bottom of the screen [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Settings [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Notifications [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Push Notifications
You can turn off all push notifications.
Or you can tap into each type of notification and turn off the notifications you want to stop such as Timeline Posts, Friend Confirmation, Place Tags
Turn off background data usage altogether for Facebook
Settings Cellular scroll down to Facebook and turn the switch to off.
For more ways to reduce data usage with Facebook https://www.facebook.com/help/mobile-basic/656932384361200
Note: These examples are for illustration only. Your operating system may display these screens and settings differently from the examples shown. In addition, the names of the selections may not match exactly and Facebook is constantly making changes to how these settings work.
6. Videos and Autoplay
Videos take a lot of data. Many times, a video will start playing even though you are not interested and have moved on down the screen. To combat this, you can switch Autoplay off.
show me how to turn off Autoplay
Open Facebook [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] tap the Menu icon at the bottom of the screen [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Settings & Privacy [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Settings [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Media and Contacts [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Videos and Photos, turn Autoplay off
You can choose to use Wi-Fi connections only or never autoplay videos.
Other apps like Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit have settings to turn off Autoplay as well. Find them through your app account or the app settings.
Note: These examples are for illustration only. Your operating system may display these screens and settings differently from the examples shown. In addition, the names of the selections may not match exactly.
7. Visit social media less often
Facebook notification, Instagram, and Twitter can eat up your data, especially when you click on them and look up recent activity. Wait until you have a free Wi-Fi connection to see what’s happened to your friends.
8. Turn off mobile data
Stop using cellular data. Just turn it off in your phone’s settings. If you turn off cellular data you still receive phone calls and text. Please note that iMessages uses data to receive and send.
If you use iMessage, you can continue to use it after you switch the setting Use Cellular Data For iMessages to off, however you must be connected to Wi-Fi to send and receive iMessages.
show me how to turn off mobile data
Settings [icon color=”extra-color-3″ size=”tiny” icon_size=”” image=”fa-arrow-right”] Cellular then turn off “Cellular Data” for each app.
You can enable / disable Wi-FI Assist here as well. This can be useful when your Wi-Fi connection is poor or spotty and you don’t want to miss anything from this app.
Note: These examples are for illustration only. Your operating system may display these screens and settings differently from the examples shown. In addition, the names of the selections may not match exactly.
Griz Wireless Data Warning Notifications
Finally, Griz Wireless sends you notifications when you reach 75% and 90% of your monthly data allotment. This helps you stay in control and purchase more data before running out.