How to Turn Off Data Saver on iPhone

If you are worried about your iPhone racking up a huge data bill, you may want to turn off the data saver feature on your device. This will stop apps from streaming data in the background, which can slow your phone down and eat up your data plan.

In iOS 13, Apple introduced a Low Data Mode feature that helps users conserve data by restricting background network use and saving both cellular and Wi-Fi data. This can be useful if you are in an area where data speeds are low or if your cellular plan has a limit on how much you can use each month.

Turn off Wi-Fi Assist

The Wi-Fi Assist feature in iOS switches your phone to cellular data when the Wi-Fi connection is poor. It’s a great way to keep your iPhone connected when you’re traveling, but it can also use up your cellular data plan.

The feature aims to compensate for a common issue with cellular data connections: They’re slower than Wi-Fi connections. This can mean that if you’re browsing or streaming video on YouTube or using Google Maps while away from home, you’ll experience dropped connections to the internet.

To fix this, iOS 9+ automatically switches your iPhone to cellular data if the Wi-Fi network isn’t reliable. This is a great feature to have if you regularly travel and need fast internet connections, but it can be overkill for many people.

You can also turn Wi-Fi Assist off manually to avoid having it eat up your data plan. This will save you money and give you more control over your smartphone’s data usage.

If you want to disable Wi-Fi Assist, simply open the Settings app and go to Cellular or Mobile Data (depending on where you live). Then scroll all the way down and tap the toggle for Wi-Fi Assist.

It’s important to note that Wi-Fi Assist only activates if you’re actively using an app that requires a strong internet connection. It won’t work with apps that download content in the background or with third-party apps that can consume large amounts of data.

If you’re a frequent traveler and have a limited data plan, it’s a good idea to disable this feature altogether. However, most data plans limit the amount of cellular data you can use, so you’ll still be using up your monthly allowance even with this option off.

Turn off Background App Refresh

Many iPhone users rely on background app refresh to keep their apps up-to-date and functioning smoothly. This is a handy feature, but it can also use your battery and data to a significant extent. That’s why it’s important to know how to turn it off if you want to save your battery life or avoid using data to a greater degree.

On Apple devices, you can disable background app refresh for any app by opening the Settings app and tapping General about halfway down. Then tap Background App Refresh to see a list of apps that have the feature enabled, and you can toggle it off for those that don’t need it.

You can also decide whether to enable it on Wi-Fi or cellular data, and you can choose how much it uses if it’s on cellular data. It’s a good idea to turn it off for most apps if you don’t need it, but it’s worth keeping it on for some important apps that can update content in the background without draining your phone’s battery or data.

Disabling it will prevent your apps from downloading new content in the background, but they will still be able to check for updates and send notifications when needed. That’s not a bad trade-off, though it can be annoying when you’re using an app that relies on updated content.

Turn off Automatic Downloads

Some iPhone apps and services automatically download content such as music, books, updates and apps to your device. These downloads can consume a lot of data, making it more expensive to use your iPhone. If you want to stop these downloads, there are a few simple steps you can take.

You can turn off Automatic Downloads by going to Settings on your iPhone. Tap the “iTunes & App Store” button and then find the Automatic Downloads setting.

When you have this setting turned off, apps and services will no longer download content on your device without your permission. This will prevent you from incurring extra data charges.

This is an easy and free way to limit your data usage, which can be particularly important if you are using a limited data plan. It will also help you control which apps and services are downloaded when the wifi connection is weaker or when you are not on a cellular network.

One of the main reasons people turn off Automatic Downloads is to avoid getting charged excessively for data usage. These downloads can be very large, and they could easily reach your data cap if you do not have an unlimited plan.

Another reason people disable this feature is to optimize storage space on their iPhones. By turning off Automatic Downloads, you will have to choose which apps and files to download and when to install them. This will ensure that your storage is optimized and not filled with unused apps and files.

Turn off iCloud Photo Library

The iCloud Photo Library is an optional feature that automatically backups and syncs photos and videos across all your devices. It’s an excellent option if you’re traveling and don’t want to worry about losing any photos on your iPhone while you’re away.

However, if you want to turn off the service, it’s important to know how. Apple has two ways to do it: the first way will prevent any photos from being removed from one device, but not all photos will be deleted from other devices, whereas the second will remove all iCloud Photos from all your connected devices.

To turn off iCloud Photo Library on an iPhone, you’ll need to access Settings. Tap on your name present at the top followed by iCloud, then tap on Photos and disable the toggle. On Mac, you’ll need to open System Preferences and turn off the switch for iCloud Photo Library.

Before you begin, be sure to make a full backup of your data to ensure that nothing gets lost in the process. FoneGeek makes it simple to do this, as you can back up all of your data with just a single click and restore it to any iPhone or Android device without any loss of files.

If you’re on a Mac, you can also disable iCloud Photos by clicking on Optimize Mac Storage and choosing the Download Originals option instead. This will download all of your iCloud Photos and keep them safely downloaded on your computer for easy retrieval in the future. You can even re-enable the iCloud Photo Library feature at any time. To learn more, check out our full guide to iCloud Photos on Mac.

Turn off iCloud Backup

iCloud Backup is one of the many services Apple provides to keep your data in sync across all of your devices. It’s a great way to make sure your important photos, videos, and files are always safe should something happen to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Unfortunately, iCloud backup can take up quite a bit of storage space, especially if you use it to back up multiple iOS devices. So it’s a good idea to reduce the amount of data being backed up.

To check which apps are using up the most iCloud backup storage, launch Settings on your iOS device and tap your profile at the top. Then, scroll down to the iCloud section.

You’ll see a list of your apps, and you can enable or disable app data backup for any you don’t want. You can also change the size of your iCloud backup to reduce the amount of storage it takes up on your iOS device and Mac.

If you’re not sure how much iCloud storage space you’re using, you can use the Manage Storage feature in Settings to view all your storage. You’ll also get a breakdown of what’s taking up the most space, including iCloud backups and iCloud Photo Library.