Use mobile data on your iPhone or iPad

Find out how much mobile data you're using, and how to turn mobile data on or off for all apps or individual apps.

Turn mobile data on or off

To turn mobile data on or off, go to Settings, then tap Mobile Data or Cellular. If you're using an iPad, you may see Settings > Mobile Data.

iOS 18 settings menu displaying mobile options

Depending on your network provider and device, you may have additional options listed under Mobile Data Options:

  • Enable LTE, 4G or 3G: you can select what type of network connection to use for voice and data. Find out more about these options. Find out about data options with 5G on your iPhone or iPad.

  • Turn Voice Roaming on or off: with CDMA networks, you can turn off Voice Roaming to avoid charges from using other providers' networks.

  • Turn Data Roaming on or off: when you're travelling internationally, you can turn off data roaming to avoid roaming charges. If you have an international data plan, you may need to keep Data Roaming on. Find out more about travelling internationally with your iPhone or iPad.

Depending on your network provider, data roaming may be used if you travel domestically. Contact your network provider for more information about your data roaming policy or other mobile data settings. You can turn mobile data on or off to limit apps and services from using the mobile network to connect to the internet. When mobile data is turned on, apps and services will use your mobile data connection when Wi-Fi isn't available. As a result, you may be charged for using certain features and services with mobile data. Contact your network provider for more information about possible charges.

View how much mobile data you're using

To see how much mobile data you've used, go to Settings > Mobile Data or Settings > Cellular. If you're using an iPad, you may see Settings > Mobile Data.

iOS 18 settings menu displaying mobile data options

  • Scroll down to find out which apps are using mobile data. If you don't want an app to use mobile data, you can turn it off for that app. When mobile data is turned off, apps will only use Wi-Fi for data.

  • To see the mobile data usage for individual System Services, go to Settings > Mobile Data or Settings > Cellular. Then tap System Services in the list under Mobile Data. Mobile data can't be turned on or off for individual System Services.

  • You can view the data-usage statistics for an app from a current period, or view app data statistics for apps that used data when you were roaming. To reset these statistics, go to Settings > Mobile Data or Settings > Cellular, then tap Reset Statistics.

  • When you're using an iPhone with Dual SIM, you can see how much mobile data you've used with your selected mobile data number.

To get the most accurate mobile data usage from a current period, contact your network provider.

Get help

  • Find out what to do if you still can’t connect to a mobile network.

  • If you're using an Exchange ActiveSync account, it may continue to use mobile data even if you've turned it off for Mail and Calendar. To see the mobile data usage of your Exchange ActiveSync account, go to Settings > Mobile Data > System Services.

  • If it's activated, Wi-Fi Assist will switch to using mobile data automatically when Wi-Fi connectivity is poor. Wi-Fi Assist is turned on by default. This may result in additional mobile data usage, which could incur further charges depending on your data plan. You can turn off Wi-Fi Assist in Settings. Find out more about Wi-Fi Assist.

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