Not Sure I Understand The Cellular Icon in Settings

[durango]

I guess I don't understand the usage of this setting. If I tap Settings>Cellular, I see that Cellular is turned off yet I receive cellular phone calls. Wi-Fi is turned on because I have a local network, and thus far I have done all my downloading using Wi-Fi.

Does the Cellular setting turn on automatically when I receive or make a phone call, and I just never noticed it? Or does it turn on automatically if I am away from my Wi-Fi and need to download something via the cellular network? Or must I go to Settings and turn it on if I want to download using cellular?

And the last question.......if I turn Cellular on and leave it on, will downloads then be done via cellular versus available Wi-Fi?

I hope that makes sense. Thanks in advance

 

[chscag]

The cellular setting is for data. Even if you have it off, you'll still receive phone calls on your carrier's network. With WiFi turned on and if you are always in range of a network (free or your own) you'll continue to receive data and downloads. I keep my cellular setting on since I travel outside of WiFi zones. It does consume more battery when it's on, however.

Even if you have cellular on, as long as you're within WiFi range you'll receive downloads and in some cases calls (with WiFi calling turned on). I've got a generous data plan with carry over unused data from month to month with T-Mobile so I usually just keep the cellular setting on. But like I indicated above, it does wear your battery down faster.

 

[durango]

Even if you have cellular on, as long as you're within WiFi range you'll receive downloads and in some cases calls (with WiFi calling turned on).

All of what you said made perfect sense after reading it. I only wish the manual was as clear.

The only part of your response that was a little confusing to me is the above statement. When you say "with WiFi calling turned on".....is that the same as simply having WiFi turned on, or is there another setting I'm missing?

 

[chscag]

The only part of your response that was a little confusing to me is the above statement. When you say "with WiFi calling turned on".....is that the same as simply having WiFi turned on, or is there another setting I'm missing?

Yes, I should have been more specific. There is another setting that your carrier may or may not have listed as an option. T-Mobile has an option listed under the "Phone Setting" for WiFi calling. It supposedly allows one to make calls as long as there is WiFi available even if you may be out of range of a cellular tower. An example of this is when my wife and I travel to Killeen to see friends who live 10 miles out of the city. Cellular towers for T-Mobile are scarce but as long as WiFi is available we can receive and make calls.

 

[durango]

Yes, I should have been more specific. There is another setting that your carrier may or may not have listed as an option. T-Mobile has an option listed under the "Phone Setting" for WiFi calling. It supposedly allows one to make calls as long as there is WiFi available even if you may be out of range of a cellular tower. An example of this is when my wife and I travel to Killeen to see friends who live 10 miles out of the city. Cellular towers for T-Mobile are scarce but as long as WiFi is available we can receive and make calls.

I checked my Settings>Phone and did not see this option. I'll call the AT&T store on Monday and see if they offer it. I have to say, there are very few places I travel that I can't get a signal on AT&T. In these Arkansas mountains, I do have a signal dropped occasionally when I dip down into a valley out of range of the towers.

One of my sons lives out in the country near Cleveland, TX, and I am often the only one who can get cell service at his house.

 

[chscag]

Generally, AT&T and Verizon have overall better coverage than T-Mobile. My son who is a stock broker and banker living in Atlanta uses AT&T for that reason. AT&T and Verizon plans are somewhat more expensive than T-Mobile but the coverage across the US is wider. Around here in the Dallas - Fort Worth area all carriers have good coverage.

 

[durango]

The cellular setting is for data. Even if you have it off, you'll still receive phone calls on your carrier's network. With WiFi turned on and if you are always in range of a network (free or your own) you'll continue to receive data and downloads. I keep my cellular setting on since I travel outside of WiFi zones. It does consume more battery when it's on, however.

Even if you have cellular on, as long as you're within WiFi range you'll receive downloads and in some cases calls (with WiFi calling turned on). I've got a generous data plan with carry over unused data from month to month with T-Mobile so I usually just keep the cellular setting on. But like I indicated above, it does wear your battery down faster.

I know this is a late addition to this old thread, but I just had something happen regarding the cellular setting that I want to make sure I understand.

My buddy and I both use AT&T and we both have wifi at home. So most of our text messages are sent via imessage. But on Monday he was out in his boat (no wifi) and took a picture with his iPhone, which he then attached to a message that he sent me.

But I didn't receive the message w/attachment on my iPhone until Thursday when I turned my cellular data on so that I could use my Maps app for a short trip. I assume the picture was considered to be data, thus requiring the use of cellular for him to send and for me to receive. And since my cellular was off from Monday until Thursday, I didn't receive his message w/attachment until Thursday.

Valid assumption?

 

[vansmith]

iMessage depends on a network connection so if you had no connection to the internet, the message would never be received. Did you have WiFi off as well?

 

[durango]

iMessage depends on a network connection so if you had no connection to the internet, the message would never be received. Did you have WiFi off as well?

No, wifi was on......I never turn it off. In fact, the day before I received his message w/attachment, I was receiving other messages and I even downloaded a couple of new apps to my iPhone. I always keep cellular off until I'm ready to use Maps or some other GPS app.

 

[vansmith]

iMessage only requires an internet connection so I'm not quite certain how you didn't receive the message. The only thing that I can think of is an issue around where the message was sent. Did you happen to add a new email address to iMessage and did the person send the message to that address?

 

[durango]

iMessage only requires an internet connection so I'm not quite certain how you didn't receive the message. The only thing that I can think of is an issue around where the message was sent. Did you happen to add a new email address to iMessage and did the person send the message to that address?

Thanks for bearing with me.

No new address. But unlike when we imessage from our respective homes, this time he was sitting in his boat out in the middle of a big lake........no internet and no wifi, just cellular. That's why I figured I didn't receive his message w/attachment until I turned my cellular on. Is that not a valid assumption?

 

[vansmith]

That's why I figured I didn't receive his message w/attachment until I turned my cellular on.

The message would only send once he was able to manage a data/WiFi connection so it's possible that it was only sent a few days later on his end.

 

[durango]

The message would only send once he was able to manage a data/WiFi connection so it's possible that it was only sent a few days later on his end.

I'll admit that I've had trouble from the outset trying to understand the cellular setting on my iPhone.

He did have his cellular data turned on, because he was also using the GPS capability of the Maps app. So wasn't he managing a cellular data connection while out in his boat? His iPhone shows that the message w/photo attachment was sent on Monday (the day he was out in his boat).

Me on the other hand didn't turn on and manage my data connection until Thursday, the day I received his message w/attachment. In other words I wasn't managing my data connection until then. Monday to Thurs, I was strictly wifi at home.

I'm still struggling to understand, so thanks.

 

[vansmith]

I just tried something. I sent myself a message after turning off both WiFi and LTE. It got stuck (as you'd expect) and when it finally arrived on my phone after turning WiFi back on, it had as the received time the same timestamp as when it was sent. When you look at the message he sent, when does it say it arrived?

 

[durango]

I just tried something. I sent myself a message after turning off both WiFi and LTE. It got stuck (as you'd expect) and when it finally arrived on my phone after turning WiFi back on, it had as the received time the same timestamp as when it was sent. When you look at the message he sent, when does it say it arrived?

It arrived @ 2:19pm this last Thursday. He sent it at 8:59pm the previous Monday. But now you've got me wondering about something else. I know the attached photo was taken during the day, but he didn't send it until that evening. He was probably back home by then, but maybe not.

Fact remains that the message w/attachment was sent on Monday and I didn't receive it until Thursday.

I appreciate you helping me sort this out. Let me go away and talk with him and see if I can shed some more light on this. Thanks again for staying with me........

 

[durango]

I talked with my friend. Although he took the photo while he was out on the lake (approx. 4:00pm last Monday), he didn't send it to me until he got home where he has wifi (approx. 8:59pm last Monday). Still, I didn't received his message with attached photo until Thursday.

Your experiment was interesting. If I understand it, the time stamps indicated no delay between sent and received, although you know there was actually a delay caused by it getting 'stuck'. In my case, the time stamps were very different.

I say again - I am most appreciative of you helping me to understand what goes on with the messaging. But probably by now, we are both getting a little tired with the subject. I'll just categorize it as one of those "it is what it is", and we can both move on to more exciting topics.

Regards.........

 

[vansmith]

I say again - I am most appreciative of you helping me to understand what goes on with the messaging. But probably by now, we are both getting a little tired with the subject. I'll just categorize it as one of those "it is what it is", and we can both move on to more exciting topics.

Happy to help. If I ever figure out anything, I'll let you know.