10 Data Saving iPhone Hacks to Prolong Your 4G

Some apps are eating it up without you even realising

08 March, 2018
10 Data Saving iPhone Hacks to Prolong Your 4G

Some apps are eating it up without you even realising

Turn off 'Wifi Assist'

When left on, Wi-Fi Assist eats away at your data allowance by switching your phone over to 4G when your WiFi isn't strong enough - even if you think it is. Read more about it here.

To switch it off, go Settings > Mobile Data > Scroll down to the bottom > Switch 'WiFi Assist' to white.

1Turn off 'Wifi Assist'

When left on, Wi-Fi Assist eats away at your data allowance by switching your phone over to 4G when your WiFi isn't strong enough - even if you think it is. Read more about it here.

To switch it off, go Settings > Mobile Data > Scroll down to the bottom > Switch 'WiFi Assist' to white.

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Disable Background App refresh

When you go on the Cosmo app (right? RIGHT?), you know how sometimes you don't have to refresh to receive the latest news? It's because the app has been doing it for you in the background and consequently eating up your data when you're not even using it.

To turn this off, go Settings > General > Background App Refresh > Turn it off completely or see which apps are using it the most.

2Disable Background App refresh

When you go on the Cosmo app (right? RIGHT?), you know how sometimes you don't have to refresh to receive the latest news? It's because the app has been doing it for you in the background and consequently eating up your data when you're not even using it.

To turn this off, go Settings > General > Background App Refresh > Turn it off completely or see which apps are using it the most.

Uploading photos to social media

Annoyingly, it's not always convenient to wait until you've got WiFi to upload 15 photos of your late night mojitos, but it's even more annoying to get be charged £150 at the end of the month for doing so.

If you're close to going over your data allowance, your humble Facebook friends can wait.

3Uploading photos to social media

Annoyingly, it's not always convenient to wait until you've got WiFi to upload 15 photos of your late night mojitos, but it's even more annoying to get be charged £150 at the end of the month for doing so.

If you're close to going over your data allowance, your humble Facebook friends can wait.

Find out which apps are using your data

What with SO. MANY. IPHONE. FUNCTIONS. requiring 4G without you even realising, it's good to know how much data each app eats per month - and what things to turn off when you're running low. You can read more about how to do that here.

4Find out which apps are using your data

What with SO. MANY. IPHONE. FUNCTIONS. requiring 4G without you even realising, it's good to know how much data each app eats per month - and what things to turn off when you're running low. You can read more about how to do that here.

Updating apps

Using 4G to update your apps is a big problem when it comes to losing data quickly - and even worse if the app is doing it automatically without you even being aware.

To switch it off, go to Settings > iTunes and App Store > switch Use Mobile Data to off.

5Updating apps

Using 4G to update your apps is a big problem when it comes to losing data quickly - and even worse if the app is doing it automatically without you even being aware.

To switch it off, go to Settings > iTunes and App Store > switch Use Mobile Data to off.

Save anything that can be used offline

Whether it's map routes, Spotify premium or a screenshot of an online recipe, anything that can be saved and used offline is always a good choice.

To do this with Google maps, sign into your Google account and find the route you require. Pinch and zoom to select the area you want to save, touch the menu > make available offline.

6Save anything that can be used offline

Whether it's map routes, Spotify premium or a screenshot of an online recipe, anything that can be saved and used offline is always a good choice.

To do this with Google maps, sign into your Google account and find the route you require. Pinch and zoom to select the area you want to save, touch the menu > make available offline.

Find out how much data you actually need

If you keep forking out all your moolah for data and you don't know why, take a look at your contract and see what you actually need data for and how much of it is necessary. Paying an extra £5 a month could save your ass in the long run.

7Find out how much data you actually need

If you keep forking out all your moolah for data and you don't know why, take a look at your contract and see what you actually need data for and how much of it is necessary. Paying an extra £5 a month could save your ass in the long run.

Cloud uses A LOT of data

When you're out and about, syncing and backing up your files in between WiFi stops might not be necessary - especially as it uses so much 4G.

To turn it on and off, go to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive.

8Cloud uses A LOT of data

When you're out and about, syncing and backing up your files in between WiFi stops might not be necessary - especially as it uses so much 4G.

To turn it on and off, go to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive.

Downloading pictures from Whatsapp

A guilty party and you might not even know it: downloading and watching the 15 videos your sister sent you of your nephew might be cute, but it's destroying your remaining 4G for the month.

To turn it off, go Settings > Scroll down to WhatsApp > Switch Mobile Data to off. This does mean you won't receive messages unless you have WiFi, but if you're low on data it might be a necessity.

9Downloading pictures from Whatsapp

A guilty party and you might not even know it: downloading and watching the 15 videos your sister sent you of your nephew might be cute, but it's destroying your remaining 4G for the month.

To turn it off, go Settings > Scroll down to WhatsApp > Switch Mobile Data to off. This does mean you won't receive messages unless you have WiFi, but if you're low on data it might be a necessity.

Streaming

If you're wanting to listen/watch/stream anything vaguely high quality, it's gobbling through your data without a second thought - and that includes buffering. Wait for decent WiFi, peeps.

10Streaming

If you're wanting to listen/watch/stream anything vaguely high quality, it's gobbling through your data without a second thought - and that includes buffering. Wait for decent WiFi, peeps.

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