What Does Adding a Cellular Plan Mean on an iPhone?
Adding a cellular plan on an iPhone allows for the addition of another line of service for work or travel, which can be done either through scanning the QR code from your carrier’s app or through the provider’s website.
Once you’ve added the cellular plan, label it so you can easily identify it on your phone.
Adding a cellular plan
What Does Adding a Cellular Plan Mean on an iPhone?
Adding a cellular plan to your iPhone means signing up with a carrier and choosing their service. From there, you have various data plans available for use on the phone – from pre-paid data plans to family plans with up to 500MB of usage per month depending on which mobile carrier you select.
Once you’ve selected your cellular plan, setting up an eSIM line on your phone can save money on data usage. This is particularly useful if you travel frequently and wish to use your device abroad without paying for international roaming fees.
Setting up an eSIM on your iphone is as easy as following the instructions from your carrier. Scan a QR code or enter an activation code and voila! Your new eSIM is ready to connect to the mobile network! Plus, you have the option to turn off cellular data usage on the device and avoid overage charges by opening Settings > Cellular > selecting your newly installed eSIM line under CELLULAR PLANS.
Adding an eSIM
An eSIM on an iphone allows you to add another cellular plan without changing the physical SIM card in your phone. This can come in handy when traveling internationally and needing to utilize a local data plan while abroad, for instance.
Saving money with an eSIM plan helps you avoid having to buy a separate physical SIM card for each carrier you use. Furthermore, these plans typically offer more features than traditional SIMs, making them more convenient in the long run.
Apple has begun supporting eSIM on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR; more carriers are expected to follow suit soon enough. You can activate an eSIM on your iPhone by going to Cellular > Settings and selecting “Add Cellular Plan.”
Once you do this, you will be presented with the option to enter a new mobile number. This number will appear as a separate line in Settings under Cellular and can be used both for calls and data usage.
An eSIM can also be used for FaceTime and iMessages; however, it’s essential to note that you must only use one cellular plan at a time for these services.
With the launch of iOS 12.1 beta, Apple’s latest devices are now capable of adding an eSIM, or embedded SIM, to their device without needing a physical SIM card. This feature is expected to become increasingly popular as more carriers support it.
At present, this feature is only available on iPhone XS, XS max, and XR; however it should soon be available across other phones as well as Apple’s watch lineup. According to Canstar Blue, several telco providers are beginning to offer eSIM capabilities, including Telstra, Vodafone, and Optus – the ‘Big 3’ of mobile network operators.
Existing Verizon customers can easily add an eSIM to their phone by downloading the My Verizon app and following on-screen instructions. New customers, however, will require contact with a customer service representative to complete the process; however, most will have their eSIM activated within a few hours after activation.
Turning off cellular data usage
One of the best ways to save money on your mobile phone plan is to turn off cellular data usage. This will keep your monthly data allotment within plan limits, eliminating any extra charges for extra usage.
You can find this feature in the Settings app, where you can also see which apps are using up the most cellular data and their current data consumption. This helps identify which applications may consume most of your monthly allowance quickly so you can prioritize them appropriately and disable their access to cellular data.
The Mail app, for example, consumes a significant amount of cellular data. You can reduce this usage by turning off “Push” and setting the app’s fetch cycle to manual (meaning it only checks for new mail when opened). Moreover, you can prevent iCloud Drive from using data by turning this option off in its respective section of settings.
This is an effective way to conserve cellular data, especially on iPhone 6s and later models. When this option is turned off, iCloud Drive will only back up files when connected via Wi-Fi or another carrier’s network.
Another way to save cellular data is by disabling Apple’s Wi-Fi Assist feature on your iPhone. This ensures your favorite applications launch immediately and don’t get stuck waiting for a connection, but it consumes an immense amount of data; to disable it, open Cellular > Settings and scroll all the way down until Wi-Fi Assist appears.
However, this may not be as straightforward as it seems; if your Wi-Fi connection is particularly weak or spotty, it may be difficult to avoid exceeding your data limit. That’s why it is so essential to regularly monitor cellular data use through either your carrier dial option or app, and make sure Wi-Fi is always turned on – this will help ensure you stay within your monthly allotment and is an excellent habit for any iOS user to establish.