How to Turn Off Cellular Data for WhatsApp on an iPhone

Easy ways to turn off cellular data for WhatsApp on an iPhone so it doesn't use mobile data

Last Updated: April 29, 2024 Fact Checked

Do you want to turn off cell data for WhatsApp? This can be particularly useful if you're on a limited data plan and plan to use WhatsApp purely on Wi-Fi. To turn off cellular data on WhatsApp, open your settings and tap Cellular. Select WhatsApp, and then toggle it off. This wikiHow article will walk you through the different ways you can turn off or limit cellular data on WhatsApp for iPhone.

Quick Steps

Open Settings .
Tap Cellular .
Tap WhatsApp .
Toggle off WhatsApp .

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Turning Off Cellular Data for WhatsApp

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This is the gray cog icon on your home screen that may be in a folder labeled "Utilities." ^{[1]
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It's next to an icon of a cell tower. ^{[2]
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You may need to scroll through the list to find WhatsApp.
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Tap the switch next to "WhatsApp" to toggle it off

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. It will turn white once it's off. Now WhatsApp can't use your cellular data, meaning that you'll only be able to send or receive messages over a Wi-Fi connection. ^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Low Data Mode on WhatsApp

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1
Open WhatsApp. This app icon features a white telephone receiver on a green background.
- This method does not completely turn off cellular data but lowers it instead. You can still use WhatsApp without Wi-Fi, but the quality of pictures in your messages and phone calls will be decreased.
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It's usually the last item on the menu. ^{[4]
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This menu option is next to a broken circle icon near the middle of the menu. ^{[5]
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4
Tap the switch next to "Low data usage" to toggle it on

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. You'll see this toggle under the "Call settings" header. A green switch means the feature is active. You'll be able to use WhatsApp without a Wi-Fi network, but the quality of your calls and the pictures in your chats may not be the quality you like. With this mode activated, you will still spend mobile data when receiving and sending messages and media.
- To disable this mode, repeat these steps and tap the switch off. It'll be grey or white to indicate that the feature is off.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Limiting Auto-Downloads

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1
Open WhatsApp. This app icon features a white telephone receiver on a green background.
- This method will still let WhatsApp use cellular data, but your background downloads (like the pictures sent in your chat messages) will not download until your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
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It's usually the last item on the menu. ^{[6]
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Research source}
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This menu option is next to a broken circle icon near the middle of the menu. ^{[7]
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Research source}
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4
Tap to unselect everything then tap OK . Since you don't want WhatsApp spending precious data to download and show you things like photos, videos, and audio clips while you're on the go, tap to unselect them. These will instead download and display in our chat messages when you're connected to a Wi-Fi network. ^{[8]
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- You can always return to these settings to re-enable them.
- When you get a picture in a chat and you're not connected to Wi-Fi, your phone will no longer automatically download it. However, you will see a placeholder image that you can tap to force the image to download over your mobile data connection.

Common Questions: Disabling Cellular for WhatsApp

What happens if I turn off mobile data for WhatsApp on my iPhone?

When you disable mobile data for WhatsApp, you won't be able to send messages or calls outside of Wi-Fi. The app may still open, but you'll need Wi-Fi to reload and refresh messages.

Can I use WhatsApp without the Internet?

You can only use WhatsApp without Wi-Fi if you have cellular data enabled. Otherwise, the app won't reload or refresh.

How do I turn cellular data back on for WhatsApp?

To enable cellular data for WhatsApp, go to Settings > Cellular > WhatsApp > toggle on WhatsApp .

Tips

You can also disable notifications for WhatsApp in the WhatsApp menu by tapping "Notifications" and sliding the "Allow Notifications" button to the "off" position. ^{[9]
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How to Turn Off Cellular Data for WhatsApp on an iPhone

Quick Steps

Steps

Turning Off Cellular Data for WhatsApp

Using Low Data Mode on WhatsApp

Limiting Auto-Downloads

Common Questions: Disabling Cellular for WhatsApp

Tips

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