Your iPhone can also connect to the cellular data network—the same network you connect to with other mobile phones. Here are things to consider about Cellular Data Connections:
■ Wider availability than a Wi-Fi connection—you can connect to 3G in a car or away from a city, whereas Wi-Fi is not typically available in these locations.
■ Extra monthly service fees for access to the Cellular Data network
■ In the US, AT&T charges about $15 for 200MB per month and about $25 for 2GB of monthly data.
NOTE: Check with your local wireless carrier for iPhone data plan pricing in your country.
Select and Monitor Your Cellular Data Usage
When you purchased your iPhone, you had to select a cellular data plan from your wireless carrier. For the iPhone in the US, this is currently AT&T. If you selected one plan and wish to try another plan, contact your carrier—you may be allowed to switch data plans.
TIP: Saving Money on Data Charges
You might be able to save yourself some money with cellular data plan charges by doing the following:
■ Always use Wi-Fi when possible.
■ Start with the lower cost cellular data plan ($15 for 200MB).
■ Monitor your cellular data usage throughout the month to make sure you are not going to exceed the lower cost data plan.
You may find that you can live with the lower cost plan if you use Wi-Fi for most of your data needs.
To check your current cellular data usage, look in your Settings icon.
1. Tap the Settings icon.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Usage.
4. Swipe up to see the section below Cellular Data Network at the bottom.
5. Your total data usage will be the sum of the Sent and Received. In the image shown here, the total data usage is approximately 346 MB (19.7 + 326 megabytes).
6. If you want to clear out the statistics, tap the Reset Statistics button at the bottom of the screen.
NOTE: The iPhone will notify you when you have 20%, 10%, and 0 left on your monthly data plan and you’ll have the option of renewing that plan or upgrading to a higher data plan, if available.
How to Switch Between 3G and 2G Networks
There may be times that you want to turn off your 3G radio and only use the slower 2G connection. One reason might be that you do not need the speed of 3G, and you want to make your battery last longer. Another reason might be that you are in an area that has only 2G connectivity. The 2G connection, which shows up as the letter E next to your wireless carrier in the status bar, uses less battery power than the 3G connection.
1. Tap the Settings icon.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Network.
4. Set the switch next to Enable 3G to Off.
5. When you do this, you will see the 3G in the status bar change to an E.
6. To re-enable 3G, simply turn the switch back On.
