How to stop killing your data plan when using Music for iPhone and iPad
- aug
- 24
How do I keep Music from eating my cellular data plan? The Settings app can help!
If you're on a tight data plan, you're likely often concerned about going over your limit. Thanks to iOS 10, you can control when the Music app uses cellular data, how high-quality those streams are, and how to restrict it to Wi-Fi. Here's how.
Apple's 2016 software updates — iOS 10, watchOS 3, tvOS 10, and macOS Sierra — are currently available as closed developer previews or as public betas for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. (Sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch or tvOS this year.) While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from the developer previews, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release this fall.
- How to disable cellular data for the Music app
- How to disable cellular data for music downloads
- How to disable cellular data for music streaming only
- How to disable cellular data for high-quality streaming
How to disable cellular data for the Music app
- Launch the Settings app.
- Select the Music setting.
- Tap on Cellular Data.
Flip the On/Off switch next to Cellular Data to the Off (grey) position.
This will block the Music app from using any data at all; from here on out, it will only be able to connect over Wi-Fi.
How to disable cellular data for music downloads
- Launch the Settings app.
- Select the Music setting.
- Tap on Cellular Data.
Flip the On/Off switch next to Downloads to the Off (grey) position.
To reenable cellular data, just follow these same steps, but flip the On/Off switch to the On (green) position.
How to disable cellular data for music streaming only
- Launch the Settings app.
- Select the Music setting.
- Tap on Cellular Data.
Flip the On/Off switch next to Streaming to the Off (grey) position.
To reenable cellular data, just follow these same steps, but flip the On/Off switch to the On (green) position.
How to disable cellular data for high-quality streaming
- Launch the Settings app.
- Select the Music setting.
- Tap on Cellular Data.
Flip the On/Off switch next to High-quality streaming to the Off (grey) position.
To reenable high-quality cellular data, just follow these same steps, but flip the On/Off switch to the On (green) position.
Questions?
Let us know in the comments!