What I learned while turning off cellular data

Every month, I am one of the big players of data consumption in my family’s data plan on the Verizon network. It is common for the family to purchase the extra gig or two of data for the month because the parents and the four kids use so much of it so often. I was perplexed by this because I assumed that I was almost always connected to WiFi, whether it’s in my apartment or on campus. To determine what was taking up my family’s data (and to help lessen the pain my family feels when paying the bill), I decided to turn off cellular usage. This means that I cannot connect to the Internet, or use Internet-based apps, unless I am connected to WiFi. This experiment taught me a lot about how phones companies trap you into using cellular data and how WiFi networks are easy to come by, but difficult to connect to.

The first thing I noticed during my time off from cellular data usage, was that I didn’t receive certain messages until I was connected to WiFi, and some messages I didn’t receive at all! In the settings menu, there is an option to avoid sending text messages from iPhone to iPhone and wait until you can send iMessages again. This option allows people who have a limited amount of texts to send free texts through the Internet. With cellular off, I can’t receive those messages sent from people with that option enabled until I am connected. For iPhone users to always send and receive iMessages that do not affect the limited number of messages they can send, they must be connected to a cellular 3G, 4G or LTE network. In this specific example, if a customer doesn’t want to pay for unlimited texts, they must pay for data.

Some messages I didn’t receive at all, connected or not. These messages included group SMS text messages. Before smartphones, it wasn’t difficult to receive group messages. Sure, you couldn’t see it whether it was a group message or not or reply all, but you at least got the message. I found this problem pretty inconvenient, especially when the group SMS messages I receive are about the rent check and bills, group projects, and plans over Thanksgiving. After this went on for a week or two, I decided to turn on cellular, but individually turn off cellular usage for every option I could except for phone calls. Even if you don’t internationally use cellular data, you are still practically required to use it to receive certain messages.

Turning off cellular coerced me into searching harder for WiFi that I could connect to if I’m not in my apartment or on campus. This became especially “necessary” while on road trips with the team. The Academy coach buses we take come equipped with Internet capabilities, but it is usually much slower than 3G and was much stricter in terms of which sites connected devices could access. When trying to connect to other WiFi networks, it is surprising how many networks are in close proximity. However, most of these websites are password protected, and the ones that aren’t ask for a password anyways once you try to open up your browser. An example of this is at Port Authority in the city. Restaurants use this tactic of browser passwords too, but that makes more sense because they don’t just want anyone connecting to their network. It is simple to ask for the WiFi password from the staff. Port Authority, however, is a public institution, so I was surprised when the NJT network asked for a password. If you didn’t input one, it allowed you access to two websites: Twitter and the NJT website.

After a month, I am comfortably sitting in last for most data used in the cycle. I do have cellular turned on in order to receive group SMS messages and prevent others from paying for sending regular text messages instead of iMessages, but other than that, that’s it, except for the occasional messing with the setting so I can see what’s happening on Facebook if I’m exceptionally bored. Some smaller things I’ve noticed during the past month is that I can receive notifications from apps such as GroupMe and Snapchat saying that I’ve gotten a message or snap, but I can’t open them. I’m not sure if this uses cellular data, but I’m sure it does. Also, my phone constantly reminds me that I have cellular turned off for every app I use, whether I’m connected to the WiFi network or not. Verizon, if not all cell phones companies that have iPhones, make it difficult to use my phone without giving up and just turning cellular back on. They need more families like mine that won’t hesitate to purchase the extra gig of data.