iOS: About the Cellular Data setting

Summary

Learn about the Cellular Data connection setting on your iPhone or iPad (Cellular Models).

Products Affected

iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models), iPhone

Cellular data is used for data communication in cellular networks. It does not affect your ability to make or receive phone calls or to use Wi-Fi networks for Internet connectivity. If you turn off cellular data, you will be unable to:

  • See the cellular data icons in the status bar (for example, LTE or 3G).
  • Send or receive MMS messages. However, you can still send and receive SMS and iMessages if you're connected to a Wi-Fi network.
  • Retrieve or listen to new Visual Voicemail messages. To retrieve these messages, enable Cellular Data.
  • Use Personal Hotspot.

You can adjust this setting by going to:

  • iPhone: Settings > General > Cellular
  • iPad: Settings > Cellular

Additional Information

You can also enable or disable cellular data for certain iOS features from this setting:

Depending on your carrier and iOS device model, the Enable 3G option may not appear in Cellular settings.

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