If you’re on a cellular plan with a tight data cap, you might want some tips to save mobile data. And one of the easiest ways to reduce cellular data usage is by disallowing streaming services from using it.
In this brief tutorial, we’ll show you how to stop Spotify and Apple Music from using your iPhone’s cellular data. The steps for video streaming apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Hotstar, Apple TV, etc., are the same.
Stop Spotify from using iPhone’s cellular data
- Open the Settings app and tap Cellular. In some countries, this option is called Mobile Data.
- Scroll down the list of apps and turn off the switch for Spotify to stop it from using your iPhone’s cellular data.
You can follow the above steps for other apps as well.
Stop Apple Music from using cellular data
To prevent Apple Music from using mobile data, follow the above steps and turn off the switch for Music. Besides that, you can also do the following:
- Open Settings and tap Music.
- From under Allow Music To Access, turn off the switch for Cellular Data.
The above method also works for third-party apps. Just tap their name from the bottom of the iOS Settings app and disable Cellular Data.
What to do if an app is not showing in iPhone Settings > Cellular?
- If it’s a newly downloaded app, open it once, and then it should appear there.
- If it still doesn’t show, turn off Wi-Fi on your iPhone and use that app for a moment using cellular data. After this, it will appear under Settings > Cellular.
- Force quit the Settings app and retry.
- Restart your iPhone.
- In case nothing helps, see the other methods listed below.
Use in-app settings to use less data
Most audio and video streaming apps offer in-app choices to reduce cellular data usage. Go inside the app settings, and you should find options like Data Saver, Audio Quality, Video Quality, Streaming Quality, Download Quality, and such.
With these, you can configure that app to use less cellular data while streaming or downloading content. The app saves cellular data by simply lowering your audio or video quality. Some apps may go further and refresh less frequently or turn off autoplay to save data. Some apps, such as YouTube, also allow you to completely block downloads using cellular data.
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