What apps are sucking most data on your iPhone, and how to identify them

No doubt you’ve got loads of apps chilling on your iPhone, and it’s key to stay in the loop about what they’re all up to. One part of that is keeping an eye on how much chatting each app is doing with the outside world. We’ve talked about checking data usage on Android before, but now let’s zoom in on iPhones.

Keeping an eye on your phone’s data usage is pretty important for a couple of reasons. First off, even though unlimited data plans are more common now, remember that many of them throttle your speed once you hit a certain limit each month. Plus, if you’re on a limited plan and your apps chew up all your data while you’re not connected to Wi-Fi, it could end up hitting you in the wallet, especially if you’re traveling abroad.

Also, there’s the whole privacy thing to consider: when you check out your phone’s data usage stats, you might notice some apps are slurping up way more data than they should be for what they do. It’s another way to catch any sketchy app behavior that needs a closer look.

Before you start tinkering with these settings, it’s a good idea to scope out the specifics of your data plan so you know where your boundaries lie. Usually, you can do this online or via an app provided by your carrier. Just hit them up to get the lowdown.

Also Read: Why Apple and Samsung’s dominance in smartwatch market isn’t healthy

How to check app data usage on iPhone?

To check out how much data your apps are gobbling up on iOS, head into Settings and tap on Cellular. Right up top, you’ll see a switch to toggle cellular data on or off. Flip it off, and your apps won’t be able to hit the web unless you’re on Wi-Fi. (But don’t worry, calls and texts will still come through.)

• Hit up Cellular Data Options to toggle Data Roaming on or off. This decides whether you can use cellular data when you’re outside your usual carrier’s network, like when you’re traveling abroad.
• Scroll down on the Cellular screen to check out how much cellular data and roaming data you’ve burned through in the “current period,” which basically means since you last manually reset these stats.
• Right beside each app you’ve got on your phone, you’ll see how much data it’s gobbled up or spit out during this current period. You’ll find the biggest data hogs sitting right at the top of the list. If you want to shut down cellular access for certain apps, just flip the toggle switches to the right.
• Tap on System Services to check out how much data the iOS system itself is chomping through. This includes stuff like push notifications and software updates.

Scroll all the way down past your app list, and you’ll spot when these data usage stats were last cleared. If you want to reset them, maybe to keep tabs on your usage for a day or a week, just tap Reset Statistics.

How to activate Low Data Mode on iPhone?

Besides cutting off individual apps’ access to cellular data or shutting it down altogether, iOS offers another trick to help you keep your data usage in check when you’re not on Wi-Fi: Low Data Mode.

According to Apple, Low Data Mode puts a halt on automatic updates and “background tasks” when you’re off Wi-Fi, though they’re not super clear on what exactly those tasks entail. They do mention one tradeoff, though: FaceTime calls might get a lower bitrate.

• From your iOS Settings, go to Cellular, then hit up Cellular Data Options.
• Tap on Data Mode to locate the Low Data Mode option.

The choices you get next to Low Data Mode will differ based on your network. For instance, you might spot an option to let more data through on 5G. This means your iPhone will opt for a speedier 5G connection instead of Wi-Fi, if it’s up for grabs.

And remember, there’s always airplane mode if you want to be 100% certain that apps aren’t sneaking any data over cellular networks or Wi-Fi. Just swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open the Control Center, then hit the airplane icon to toggle airplane mode on or off.

Also Read: Will Apple Vision Pro work for you if you have glasses or contacts?

Apple to enable NFC tech for third-party apps

Apple is willing to let other wallet and payment services access its NFC chip in the EU. This decision will end Apple’s exclusive control over the NFC chip for Apple Wallet and Apple Pay. The tech giant from Cupertino made this proposal in response to the European Commission’s antitrust investigation.

The commission has put up an online post seeking opinions on Apple’s promises. Notably, Apple is suggesting to open up its NFC payment tech on its devices to resolve the antitrust accusations and steer clear of a potential big fine. Let’s check out the latest news on Apple’s NFC payment situation.

The EU Commission accused Apple of preventing access to its tap-and-go mobile payment systems based on NFC. This made it tough for third-party mobile wallet and payment solution developers to provide alternative payment choices on iPhones and Apple Watches. The antitrust investigation by the EU Commission alleges that Apple is anti-competitive in the realm of Apple Pay and Wallet, and this has been an ongoing issue for a few years.

Apple stated that it will grant access to mobile payments, banking, and digital wallet apps operating in the European Economic Area (EEA). This will allow users to choose the app they want to use for making payments. In 2020, the EU Commission kicked off an antitrust campaign against Apple for having exclusive control over NFC chips in iPhones and the Apple Watch.