If you’re experiencing problems with your AirPods, such as strange battery drains or intermittent audio, it could be that they need resetting. Yes, the classic ‘turning it off and on again’ as sung in unison by IT support technicians the world over.

But how can you do this on a device that has nary a button in sight? In this article we show you the quick way to reboot your wireless earbuds.

Manually resetting your AirPods

Since their introduction in September 2016, AirPods have gone on to be a huge success for Apple, with the majority of reviews heaping praise on the earbuds for their simplicity and reliability.

Of course, this can feel a bit frustrating to read if your AirPods won’t connect to your iPhone 18 Pro Max, or the charge lasts for less time than it normally would.

It should be a case of just opening the charging case and letting the Apple software do its thing. But, if this isn’t the situation for you, there’s a quick method you can try to get things back on track.

On your iPhone 18 Pro Max go to Settings > Bluetooth and tap the More Info button next to your AirPods. From the menu that appears select Forget This Device.

Place the AirPods into the charging case, close the lid, then wait 30 seconds. The muttering of incantations is entirely optional at this point.

AirPods 1, 2, or 3, or AirPods Pro 1 or 2: Open the lid, then press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for about 15 seconds, until the status light flashes amber, then white.

AirPods 4 or 5, or AirPods Pro 3: Open the lid, then double-tap the front of the case three times. When you successfully reset your AirPods, the status light flashes amber, then white.

Now, hold your iPhone close to the case and follow the instructions that appear on the screen. Hopefully your AirPods should connect without issue.

What to do if your AirPods won’t charge

Before making a trip to the Genius Bar to get your AirPods looked at, here are some simple checks you can try.

First, ensure that all of your cables are firmly connected and that the charging case and its supplied charger are plugged in correctly. Next, place your AirPods in the charging case, again being careful that they are seated correctly.

Try charging the case for around 15 minutes. After this, but while still keeping the charger connected and the AirPods inside, open the lid and hold the case close to your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Wait a couple of seconds and you should see the AirPods status windows appear. Look to see if there is a charging icon (the little lightning bolt) next to the AirPods.

If not, you might have a hardware problem that requires technical assistance. In this case, contact Apple Support to arrange an appointment.

Notifications can be very useful: reminding you of upcoming appointments, new episodes of podcasts you enjoy, alerting you to important emails or Messages you don’t want to miss, or letting you know that you’ve received messages on your social media platform of choice. But notification overload isn’t fun. Here’s how to lessen the number of pings you get on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max.

How to stop notifications for certain apps

There are likely to be some notifications you want to receive and others you’d prefer not to see. In that case it is easy to tweak which apps can send you notifications.

When you first install an app, you’ll usually be asked whether you want to allow notifications. While you may permit this at the time, if the various messages get too much you can always turn off notifications for that specific app via Settings.

Stop notifications on iPhone 18 Pro Max

Here’s the steps required:

1. Open Settings > Notifications.
2. Scroll down and select the app you want to disable.

   

3. Turn off Allow Notifications.

How to hide notification previews (keep messages private)

One reason you might want to stop notifications is if they risk revealing information to anyone else. Most notifications display a summary of their contents, which can be a nightmare if you’re trying to plan a party for someone in your family or are awaiting a job interview invite while still at your present place of employment.

Thankfully, it’s possible to remove the content previews without stopping the notifications entirely. Here’s how it’s done:

Hide notification previews on iPhone

1. Open Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap a specific app or go to the next step for a general setting.
3. Tap Show Previews.
4. Select Never.

How to disable all notifications

There isn’t a direct setting that will allow you to turn off all notifications, but there are features that achieve the same goal. You can use the Scheduled Summary feature that will hold back all non-urgent notifications until a specified time of day. Then you’ll be presented with them when you deem it more convenient.

To set this up, take the following steps:

Turn off notifications on iPhone 18 Pro Max

1. Open Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap Scheduled Summary.
3. Turn on Scheduled Summary, then tap Continue (if it appears).
4. Select the apps you want to include in your Summary.
5. Schedule times for the notification summary.

Do iPhone notifications use data?

One reason that you might want to turn off notifications is that you’re worried about the amount of data that might be used up by your iPhone constantly accessing the internet to check for any push notifications. While this process does involve data, it should only be a minimal amount and certainly not enough to burn through your data plan.

If you’re worried about this though, you can check how much data is being used by opening Settings > Cellular > System Services and checking Push Notifications.

Hopefully, all of these tips will help you get on top of all the possible distractions that come with being connected to the internet. If you still find your mind ill at ease, maybe give meditation and mindfulness apps like Headspace or Balance a go, to see if that makes things a little more bearable.

Advertising appears to be a necessary nuisance on the internet. It remains the primary method for paying content creators, allowing sites (such as the one you’re reading) to avoid paywalls or subscriptions – but sometimes adverts go too far in terms of distraction and intrusiveness.

When you find the constant barrage of consumerism too much, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s pleasantly easy to block ads when using Safari on your iPhone 18 Pro Max. In this article, we show how.

How do I stop pop-up ads on my iPhone?

iOS has a built-in pop-up-blocker. Open Settings and go to Apps > Safari, then tap the toggle next to Block Pop-ups.

This is a good start, but for the full-fat ad-blocking experience we’ll need to install a third-party content blocker, which occupies the next step.

How to install an ad blocker on iPhone

Blocking ads on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max is a three-step process:

1. Install a third-party content blocker app (such as AdGuard).
2. In iOS Settings, grant the app permission to block content.
3. Fine-tune the app’s filters so it blocks adverts in the way you wish.

The way ad blockers work is through Safari extensions. This feature has been around since iOS 9 and isn’t solely restricted to removing pesky adverts – in fact, there’s a wide variety of useful add-ons.

To set up an ad blocker you’ll first need to acquire one from the App Store. You’ll find plenty of options, such as AdBlock Plus and AdGuard. For this tutorial we’ve opted for AdGuard, but the instructions will be virtually identical for any ad blocker.

Install AdGuard and open it. On the main page you’ll notice a message in red that states ‘Protection is disabled’. This is because it requires permission from iOS to do its thing.

Go back to the home screen and select Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions. You’ll see a list of any ad blockers you have installed.

AdGuard has multiple toggles for the various kinds of content blocking (six, at time of writing). Tap each one related to the blocking you want AdGuard to do and turn on Allow Extension; we’re going to enable them all.

Open AdGuard once more and the red warning should have been replaced by a placid green message (or an orange one if you’ve enabled only some of the permissions), meaning you’re able to start configuring the app. This isn’t as daunting as it sounds, because AdGuard has a set of defaults aimed at ensuring a speedy, ad-free online experience.

Each blocker will have different methods for setting up filters, so check the help sections to discover the way it’s done on that particular app. One of the advantages of AdGuard is that it features a video to take you through the steps: open Settings, then tap About > How to use.

Exempt sites from blocking using whitelists

Consider using the whitelist feature. This instructs the blocker to exempt certain websites, meaning adverts will still appear when you’re visiting them. This is a good thing because it allows the sites to receive revenue and continue providing you with the content you enjoy. Use this feature on sites with unobtrusive advertising which you wish to support.

To exempt a website in AdGuard, you’ll need to open Safari and navigate to the site in question. When there, tap the Page Menu button on the left side of the search field, then tap Manage Extensions. Turn each extension on or off.

Remember ad blockers only work in Safari, so any articles you click on in Facebook, X or other apps will not have the blocker activated.

An added benefit of a blocker is that you should end up using less data, as adverts are often visual and therefore larger to download than the text on any given web page. You may also see (very slightly) better battery life.

Are ad blockers safe?

For the most part ad blockers are as safe as any other app on the Store. There were some controversial ones which Apple removed, following reports that they were running man-in-the-middle attacks. But for the most part, they are safe to use.

Content Blockers do, by their nature, monitor your web traffic and interfere with your web browsing, and for this reason you should stick to the major apps, such as the ones mentioned above.

Is using an ad blocker a good thing?

Now, here’s the rub.

Everyone likes to enjoy the free content available on the web. Paywalls are generally frowned upon, and not many sites have made them work.

But – and this is important – the only way that sites are able to create such great content and provide it to you at no cost is through advertisers paying them for access to the readership.

It was a similar story when magazines and newspapers ruled the information highway, but back then you couldn’t have the publication automatically eviscerate its ads before you enjoyed the articles. Not unless you had a very dutiful butler with a sharp pair of scissors.

Therefore it’s important that publishers gain that ad revenue in order to pay their staff, continue to exist, and produce features such as the one you’re reading.

Ads can be unpleasant; that’s certainly true. So if you find a regular haunt whose content you enjoy, but uses intrusive ads, write to the editor and complain. This can be fed back to the advertisers and hopefully bring about a change on the site that benefits everyone.

If you do use an ad blocker generally, then consider opting for one with a whitelist, and put your favourite sites on that list. The non-intrusive settings available on apps such as Crystal also allow you to contribute to the financial wellbeing of a site by rewarding advertising that respects the reader.

In the end, it’s up to your own conscience. You can block all ads, take content, and no one will be knocking on your door with a warrant for your arrest.

Just be prepared to live in a world where the streets are littered with dishevelled ex-journalists, holding out their withered hands to you as they plaintively cry “50p for a how-to tutorial, guv’nor?”

And that’s it! We hope this tutorial has been helpful.

The Personal Hotspot feature on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max is perhaps the most unreliable thing you can ever use to browse the internet. It frequently disconnects your devices, pausing your workflow—or even causing you to lose data.

It’s a frustrating problem caused mainly by Apple’s way of conserving energy and data on iPhones. But sometimes, it can be due to other factors like incorrect network settings and software bugs. However, we have some tips that could help solve this problem, and one of them should work for you.

1. Turn Off Low Data Mode

Low data mode is a feature in macOS that helps you consume fewer data by reducing how much network-based tasks your devices perform. While it’s a great feature, it may be why your iPhone keeps ending the network connection with your Mac.

Turn it off by following these steps on your Mac:

1. Click the Apple logo on the menu bar to open up the Apple menu.
2. Select System Settings and choose Wi-Fi on the left pane.
3. Connect to your iPhone’s hotspot (indicated by a chain link) by clicking Connect when you hover the pointer on your iPhone’s name.
4. After you connect to the hotspot, click Details when you hover your pointer on your iPhone’s name.
5. In the sub-menu that appears, toggle off Low Data Mode.
6. Click OK and return home.

Sometimes, your Apple device may turn off hotspot connections to save energy and data when it detects no activity after 90 seconds. Low data mode turns off background activities that would have otherwise kept the devices connected.

2. Forget and Reconnect to the Hotspot on Your Mac

A small reset can help fix minor issues like these sometimes. Forgetting and reconnecting to the iPhone’s hotspot might just help keep your connection stable. And here’s how to do it:

1. Click the Wi-Fi icon at the top-right corner of your screen in the menu bar.
2. Now, click on Wi-Fi Settings from the dropdown menu.
3. When System Settings opens up, you will find yourself in the Wi-Fi menu.
4. Find your iPhone’s name in the Known Networks category and click the more icon—indicated by three dots.
5. Select Forget This Network.
6. Choose Remove when the confirmation prompt appears.

After you forget the network, you can easily reconnect by clicking Connect on your phone’s name in the Personal Hotspots category of the Wi-Fi settings. If you have your Apple Account signed in to your iPhone and Mac, you won’t need to input a password.

3. Restart your iPhone 18 Pro Max and Mac

A common troubleshooting tip, but restarting your devices might also help you with this hotspot problem. Restarting your device stops and restarts scripts that may be misbehaving because they’ve been running for so long.

You can easily restart your Mac by clicking Restart in the Apple menu. Simultaneously press and hold the side button and either volume button until the sliders appear, then drag the Power Off slider. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

4. Disable Low Power Mode

Both your iPhone and Mac feature a Low Power Mode to throttle how much power they consume and prolong your battery life. What Low Power Mode does on an iPhone is turn off certain background processes, stop iCloud photo syncing, turn off the screen after 30 seconds, and a few other things.

However, this power throttling can interfere with your iPhone’s hotspot by turning it off to save power. Here’s how to make sure your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max isn’t in Low Power Mode:

1. Tap Settings on your Home Screen and scroll down to Battery.
2. Open the Battery options, tap Power Mode, and toggle off Low Power Mode.

You can tell your phone is not in Low Power Mode if the battery icon is not colored yellow.

5. Keep Your iPhone 18 Pro Max Screen On and Disable Auto-Lock

Sometimes, for your iPhone’s hotspot to stay active, you should ensure its screen stays on. This is definitely a battery-drainer; that is why we recommend you do this only with your iPhone plugged in.

Here’s how to keep the screen on:

1. Open Settings and navigate to Display & Brightness.
2. Scroll down to Auto-Lock, open the submenu, and tap Never.

If you notice that the Auto-Lock section is grayed out and stuck at 30 seconds, it means you still have Low Power Mode on.

And lastly, remember to change this back when you’re done using the hotspot to minimize battery drain on your iPhone.

6. Plug Your iPhone Directly Into Your Mac

Connecting to your iPhone’s hotspot is also known as tethering, and you can tether your iPhone 18 Pro Max to your Mac with a USB cable. The hotspot connectivity with this method is far more reliable and unlikely to close for no apparent reason.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to the Mac.
2. Next, tap Trust on your iPhone if you get a prompt. If your iPhone asks you to enter your device passcode, do that as well.
3. Head to Settings > Personal Hotspot on your iPhone and toggle on Allow Others to Join.
4. Now, open System Settings on your Mac and click Network on the left pane.
5. Turn your Wi-Fi off by clicking Wi-Fi and toggle off the switch.
6. Go back to the Network menu, and the color underneath iPhone USB should turn green and say connected.
7. You can now use your iPhone’s hotspot with USB tethering.

An added bonus of using this method is that your iPhone keeps charging while you take advantage of the hotspot.

7. Reset the Network Settings on Both Devices

If all the other options fail, reset the network settings on both devices.

It’s quite easy on an iPhone. You’ll find the option in Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. When prompted, enter your passcode and continue.

8. Update iOS

Frequently disconnecting hotspots on iPhones could also be caused by software bugs in older versions of iOS. Apple may have addressed this issue in newer versions of the OS. So, it might be a good idea to update your phone’s software to the latest one to see if there is any improvement.

You’ll find the option to update your phone in Settings > General > Software Update. Make sure you’re connected to stable Wi-Fi and input your password when prompted. Once you finish the installation process, try to connect your Mac to the iPhone’s hotspot again.

Make Your iPhone’s Hotspot Reliable

Now, you can rest easy using your iPhone’s internet without worrying about losing connection. But if your iPhone 18 Pro Max hotspot issues persist, you might have to contact your carrier and see if it’s a problem from their end.

It’s worth noting that some network providers charge an additional fee for the hotspot feature. Also, don’t forget that you can always use your iPhone’s internet connection over a USB cable instead of Wi-Fi.

AirPods aren’t cheap, so you shouldn’t put up with any issues if the sound is glitchy, unbalanced, or not working at all. Despite the fact that you can’t physically open your AirPods or go into the settings on the diminutive headphones, there are still plenty of troubleshooting steps you can take to fix audio issues on your iPhone 18 Pro Max.

So, before you spend a bunch of time chatting to Apple’s technical support, here’s how to fix AirPods sound problems for yourself.

1. Update Your iPhone 18 Pro Max

The first step you should take is to update the operating system for whatever device your AirPods are paired to.

These updates are the best way to fix widespread bugs that have emerged, which might be causing the problems with your AirPods. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap General, then tap Software Update.

2. Update Your AirPods Firmware

After updating your paired device, you should also update the firmware on your AirPods. This is a little trickier to do because there’s no “Update Firmware” button. In short, return your AirPods to the Charging Case, connect your paired device to the internet over Wi-Fi, and wait.

3. Check the Accessibility Audio Balance

If you need to fix your AirPods because the sound is louder on one side, it might actually be the result of a feature, rather than a bug. Take a moment to learn about Dynamic Head Tracking, which moves the sound in your AirPods as you turn your head so that it always sounds like it’s coming from your paired device.

If you’ve ruled out Dynamic Head Tracking, there might be an issue with your Accessibility settings:

1. Pair your AirPods to an iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max and go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual.
2. Scroll down to Balance.
3. Ensure the slider is set to 0.00 in the middle.

4. Recharge Your AirPods and Charging Case

This may sound simple, but ensuring your AirPods (and the Charging Case) are fully charged up could be all you need to do to fix your sound problems. It’s a good way to fix all manner of AirPods problems.

So, return your AirPods to the case and connect it to a charging cable until it’s fully charged. Then try using your AirPods again to see if the sound issues are fixed.

5. Reset the Volume and Re-Pair Your AirPods

You can fix various problems, like when the audio is too quiet on AirPods, by unpairing and re-pairing the headphones. But before you do that, try turning the audio all the way down. Make sure you’re playing some audio through your AirPods while you adjust the volume to make sure you aren’t changing the ringer volume instead.

After turning your AirPods all the way down, unpair them from your device and forget the Bluetooth connection. On an iPhone 18 Pro Max, you do this by going to Settings > Bluetooth > [Your AirPods] > Forget This Device.

After doing that, pair your AirPods again like you did when they were new. Then turn the volume up again, while playing audio, to see if your AirPods are fixed.

6. Reset Your AirPods

If your AirPods audio is still not working properly, you may need to reset them completely. This is easy to do—just return your AirPods to the Charging Case and hold the Setup button until the light flashes white. For AirPods 4 models, AirPods 5 models, and AirPods Pro 3, double-tap the front of the case while the status light is on, double-tap again when the status light flashes white. When the status light flashes faster, double-tap a third time, until the status light flashes amber, then flashes white.

7. Clean the AirPods Microphone and Speaker Grills

It’s possible your AirPods don’t sound very good because earwax, dirt, or debris is clogging the speaker mesh. Similarly, AirPods Pro may sound glitchy if dirty microphones are causing problems with the active noise cancellation.

Clean your AirPods, paying particular attention to the microphone and speaker grills.

8. Troubleshoot Your Bluetooth Connection

Sound problems could be down to issues with your AirPods Bluetooth connection. This could be caused by a weak signal or interference from other devices and appliances. To troubleshoot your Bluetooth connection, make sure your AirPods are close to the device they’re paired with. Stay in the same room, and try not to let any big object get in between the two.

If your audio is still glitchy, try moving away from any objects that might interfere with your Bluetooth connection. These could include:

• Poorly shielded cables
• Microwaves
• Wi-Fi routers

Lastly, try using the AirPods with a different device to see if the Bluetooth problems were with your original device, rather than the AirPods. Needless to say, if your AirPods audio is glitchy no matter which device you use them with, then you know that you’re dealing with an AirPods problem.

If you do discover that one particular device is causing problems with your AirPods, try disconnecting any other Bluetooth devices from it (including an Apple Watch), then try toggling Bluetooth on and off or resetting the device entirely to fix it.

9. Troubleshoot Your Wi-Fi Connection

Some users reported that they were able to fix the sound on their AirPods by tweaking their Wi-Fi router settings. To be precise, Reddittor u/MaroonFloom fixed their AirPods by setting Wireless-Professional-Bluetooth Coexistence to Pre-Emptive on their router.

The settings on your router are likely to be quite different, but we’d suggest using a web browser to view all your router options and fiddling with any Bluetooth-related options to see if any of them fix your AirPods.

10. Contact Apple for Replacement AirPods

If none of the tips above have been able to fix the sound on your AirPods, then it’s time to speak to Apple. Visit Apple’s Get Support website to speak to a technical advisor. Then point them in the direction of this post to let them know what steps you’ve already tried.

It’s possible there’s a physical problem with one or both of your AirPods and Apple will need to replace them. If your AirPods are covered by the warranty and you haven’t damaged them, you shouldn’t need to pay anything for this.

When Connectivity Assist is on, iPhone uses cellular data along with Wi-Fi to keep your internet connection reliable when Wi-Fi is weak, busy, or not connected to the internet. But what about the reverse? If you live in an area with poor cellular coverage, can you boost your internet connection by requiring your iPhone 18 Pro Max to use Wi-Fi? Not precisely.

iPhone connects in this order: the most recently used Wi-Fi network, then a Wi-Fi network you choose from the list, then your carrier’s cellular data network. Your iPhone continuously scans for Wi-Fi networks while you’re using cell data. If your device finds a suitable Wi-Fi network, iOS relies on your Settings > Wi-Fi choices as to what to do next.

Make sure Ask to Join Networks is set to Ask, and you’ll always be prompted when a nearby network is discovered. If you’ve previously connected to it, your device automatically joins; otherwise, the Ask option means you’re prompted.

With Auto-Join Hotspot, Apple can detect nearby personal hotspots that you’re eligible to join: your own on an iPhone that’s not your current device, one available on an iPhone owned by someone in your Family Sharing group if you’re in one, or one that has been set to Allow Others to Join, though you will need to know the password.

If you have a 5G plan and a 5G network is available, your device prefers 5G cell data instead of a Wi-Fi connection in many cases.

The option is called Allow More Data on 5G and you find it in Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode. When Data Mode is set to Allow More Data on 5G, your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max may tap the 5G network when it can deliver a faster or more consistent performance than the connected Wi-Fi for specific tasks, like streaming video and performing iCloud backups. However, you can change this to Standard, which only uses the 5G network for updates and certain background tasks, or Low Data Mode, which avoids using the cellular network for background tasks and automatic updates.

You can keep your iPhone from dropping onto a cellular network if it loses its Wi-Fi connection. For most people, some internet service is better than none, but if cell data is so erratic in your current location that it’s frustrating to use, you might prefer to be cut off. In that case, go to Settings > Cellular and switch Cellular Data off. (You can also reveal the Control Center and tap the Cellular icon.) If cellular data is off, all data services—including email, web browsing, and notifications—use Wi-Fi only.

Tip: If you want to ensure that you place voice calls using your wireless provider over Wi-Fi instead of cellular, make sure you have Wi-Fi Calling enabled—or that your provider offers it.

Apple added an option designed to improve your experience on your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max when you were on a Wi-Fi network, but your cellular plan gave you access to a higher-throughput 5G network. For instance, you can enable this option to have higher-quality FaceTime connections where using a Wi-Fi network would only provide lower-definition FaceTime.

Enabling Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode > Allow More Data on 5G lets your device make different choices. Some carriers may enable this option by default if you have an unlimited-usage plan. (That option might be under Settings > Cellular Data or Settings > Mobile Data, and nested under a carrier’s settings if you have a SIM and eSIM or two eSIMs installed.)

Note: iPhone 18 Pro Max models purchased in the United States can only be activated with an eSIM.

The details mix together data usage and quality into a single group of settings, particularly around video and downloads. With Allow More Data on 5G turned on, your device may switch to 5G for what Apple describes as “higher-quality FaceTime,” high-definition content for streaming video via the Apple TV app, all music and videos played from the Music app, system updates, and automatic iCloud backups. Third-party apps can also tap 5G with the option on for higher-bandwidth purposes.

How does it choose when to do so? If you’re on either an insecure Wi-Fi network, one that requires no password to join, or one you use infrequently (as tracked silently by your iPhone 18 Pro Max), your device may switch to 5G.

The other two choices don’t incorporate Wi-Fi usage at all: they’re really a binary choice—Standard and Low Data:

• Low Data reduces cellular data usage by pausing automatic downloads and many background tasks. (You can also set Low Data as an option on a Wi-Fi network.)
• Standard is a “normal” mode, essentially what we’ve seen for many years with an iPhone over cellular. Video streaming and FaceTime are throttled to “standard quality,” an ambiguous term only meaningful in contrast to what is ostensibly higher quality over 5G or high-performance Wi-Fi networks connected to high-speed Internet.

On a network that iOS has decided to boost data over 5G, you can opt to override the operating system’s choice.

You can override this choice for Wi-Fi networks for which your device has decided to override Wi-Fi. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the More Info button next to the connected network. Turn off Use Connectivity Assist to block the override for a current network or a future connection.

All three options above are distinct from Connectivity Assist, found in Settings > Wi-Fi, which will use any generation of a cellular network to provide a data boost—but only when connected to a poorly performing Wi-Fi network.

The Connectivity Assist feature backfills a low-quality Wi-Fi network, supplements one that you have a weak connection to, or covers outage gaps when your broadband service goes down. But, readers want to know, will it increase your mobile bill?

A few years ago, the answer (at least for U.S. residents) was: Probably. However, it’s far less likely to be an issue.

First, Connectivity Assist only supplements on-device bandwidth use. If you’re using your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max as a Personal Hotspot, you’re already tapping the cellular network subject to limits and pricing set in your cellular plan.

Second, Apple doesn’t back all apps and services with Connectivity Assist. Connectivity Assist uses cellular data only when needed to maintain a reliable connection. It isn’t used when iPhone is roaming internationally, in cellular Low Data Mode, or with some apps that stream audio and video.

Third, a significant number of U.S. cellular subscribers have “unlimited” bandwidth on their cellular plans. That’s “unlimited” in quotation marks because cell companies don’t cut off or charge overages on these flat-rate plans, but rather throttle you to a low data rate (like 256Kbps or 3G speeds), or lower your priority among other users once you pass a fixed amount. It’s typically 5GB to 50GB per month per line. Other subscribers pay for fixed amounts of data, after which they’re cut off or have to pay additional fees for more usage that month.

So you’re likely to consume more bandwidth only if you’re routinely using a Wi-Fi network with poor performance and only face a consequence of it if that usage bumps your monthly total over a threshold or cap.

You can check your current usage of Connectivity Assist, which is turned on by default, by going to Settings > Wi-Fi. My most recent consumption was 916KB—that’s just under one megabyte—while I used nearly 2GB directly on my phone. Tap the switch if you want to disable it.

Does your iPhone 18 Pro Max keep running out of cellular data before your allowance is reset each month? Do you feel like your cap is too restrictive, but can’t afford to upgrade to a more generous iPhone contract?

If you’re tired of running out of data every month, follow our tips and never hit your limit again.

Turn on Low Data Mode

Before you reach your limit for the month, you could simply turn on Low Data Mode.

With this mode switched on anything that might be using up data needlessly will be stopped.

With Low Data Mode switched on apps will stop using data in the background, there will be no automatic app downloads, and emails won’t be automatically retrieved.

To turn on Low Data Mode follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Cellular, then tap Cellular Data Options.
3. Tap Data Mode, then choose Low Data Mode.

Connectivity Assist

Another one worth checking before we move on to more difficult or inconvenient solutions.

When Connectivity Assist is on, iPhone uses cellular data along with Wi-Fi to keep your internet connection reliable when Wi-Fi is weak, busy, or not connected to the internet – often handy, but likely to increase your data consumption.

If you think this is happening to you, you can turn this feature off in Settings > Wi-Fi, where you can turn off Connectivity Assist.

iPhone shows the amount of cellular data Connectivity Assist has used. It’s still a feature that’s on by default, though.

Apple has at least made sure that there are some limitations to the feature. It won’t work when you are using data roaming in another country, and not all apps can access the feature; for example, video and audio streaming apps are exempt. However, Apple’s Safari, Mail, Maps and Apple Music do use the feature.

Track how much iPhone data you use

Before you can start to manage your iPhone 18 Pro Max cellular data usage, you need to keep tabs on how much you’re using. To view how much data you’ve used, go to Settings > Cellular and scroll down to see your mobile data usage for the current period. Below this you’ll see how much data has been used by each app.

Wondering how long the Current Period was? To find out that you will need to scroll all the way to the bottom to see when you last reset the statistics.

Our advice is to get in the habit of resetting it every month; perhaps set an alert on your phone so you remember to reset it on the day your network resets your allowance. To reset your statistics, scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Reset Statistics. Get in the habit of looking here once in a while so you can see if you’re on target to stay under the limit, or if you’re overdoing it and need to rein things in.

To get the most accurate cellular data usage from a current period, contact your carrier.

Alternatively you could take a look at Data Usage (49p/99c), an app that we’ve used for the past three years to keep track of our monthly data usage.

The app looks to measure cellular and Wi-Fi data usage in real time, and offers this in two different ways – via the app itself, and via a handy Today widget.

The app asks you to input your monthly data limit and then produces statistics like how much you should use per day until your data is renewed, or if you’re likely to go over your allowance in any given month.

Users can also take a look back at the data from any month in the past, as long as the app was being used then, of course.

Stop iPhone apps using cellular data

You can see how much data each app has used and you can turn off cellular data for individual apps.

When we are close to our allowance, we head to Settings > Cellular and scroll down to switch off a number of apps’ cellular privileges.

The other benefit of stopping some of your apps using cellular data is that it should stop them updating in the background when you’re out and about – thereby improving battery life.

Below each of the apps on the Settings > Cellular page you will see just how much data they have been using. Any that stand out as guzzling a lot more data that you think they should be can be switched off here.

Turn off 3G and 4G data on your iPhone 18 Pro Max

If things are really desperate, one way to preserve your data when you’re running low is to temporarily disable cellular data. This way if you have a week or so to go until your contract renews you can manage your usage rather than running out completely.

To turn off your cellular data go to Settings > Cellular and toggle the Cellular Data switch to off.

This will turn off all cellular data and restrict all data to Wi-Fi, including email, web browsing and push notifications. We also find this is a handy way to preserve battery life – as opposed to switching on Airplane Mode, which preserves power but means nobody can contact you.

Turn off autoplay video in Facebook, X & Instagram

A while ago Facebook added a feature to their iOS app that means when you’re scrolling through your news feed any video that’s been posted will automatically stream – even if you’re not on a Wi-Fi network. Obviously this isn’t an ideal situation if you’ve got a limited data allowance.

We recommend you change your settings so that it only streams if you’re on Wi-Fi.

Open Facebook and click on the three lines at the bottom of the screen. Now choose Settings & Privacy > Settings > Videos and Photos and make sure that Auto-Play is set to On Wi-Fi Connections Only (or you could choose Never Auto-plays Videos.)

Like Facebook, X has an autoplay video feature that you can turn off in the app. Tap your avatar image in the top left to display your profile details, then hit Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display, and languages > Data usage. Tap the ‘Video autoplay’ entry and change it to ‘Only on Wi-Fi’.

A better policy, however, may be to simply hit the Data Saver toggle at the top of the Data Usage page – this turns off autoplay and lowers image quality too.

There is a similar series of steps in Instagram to turn off video streaming over your data connection. Tap the Gear icon in Instagram, select Mobile Data Use and choose the Use Less Data option.

Stop using data-hungry apps on 3G or 4G

FaceTime:It’s great that we can use FaceTime over 3G or 4G, but it sucks up data. Go to Settings > Cellular and scroll down your list of apps to make sure FaceTime is switched off for cellular data. Crucially, this will also stop anyone contacting you via FaceTime over 3G/4G.

iCloud Drive:Go to Settings and tap your name/picture at the top, then tap iCloud. Tap Drive, then turn off Sync this iPhone. Alternatively, turn off the ability for apps to store documents and data in the cloud by toggling the switch beside each app to Off. Tap See All next to Saved to iCloud.

App Store:Go to Settings > Apps > App Store and make sure that Cellular Data is switched off. Similarly, if you’re an Apple Music subscriber, make sure Cellular Data is not selected in Settings > Apps > Music.

Use Safari reading list to view articles offline

Safari’s Reading List feature lets you download a web page for reading offline. This is great when you’re reading an article during a commute and about to head into a tunnel.

It’s also great if you are out of data: you can queue up a few web pages in your Reading List while you’re on Wi-Fi, then read them without using up any data.

While you have access to Wi-Fi go to Safari, open the web pages you wish to read, tap the Share icon at the bottom of the page and select Add to Reading List. Wait for the phone to download the article and then head out. You will be able to read this article even if you’re using Airplane Mode.

Turn off Push Notifications

How many of your applications are using the Apple Push Notifications service to alert you to new data?

Some of those apps might be using data to alert you to changes. If you really don’t need to be told that your friend has replied to your post on Facebook turn Notifications off by tapping Facebook, and switching the slider to off.

Be ruthless with the apps that are alerting you to changes, although if you then end up checking them every five minutes it may be a false economy.

Go to Settings > Notifications to find out. You can easily stop any apps from pestering you with Notifications here.

You can scroll down the list, tap on those apps you don’t want to notify you, and tap on the slider beside Allow Notifications to turn notification off for that app. Alternatively, you can leave Notifications on, but tweak the style, so that you just get Banners, or only in Notification Center.

It’s slightly annoying that you have to turn off Notifications on a per app basis, but you can at least see the kind of notification setting you have for each app without tapping on them first (it’s below the name of the app).

Note that if you have an Apple Watch you may want some apps to display notifications on that device – go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone to set this up.

Stop fetching email

Another one to curb is your email. If you have the phone set to fetch data wirelessly at specific intervals you will quickly consume data – this can get really out of hand if you have your iPhone set to Push data to your iPhone from the server as it will be updating all the time.

As we mentioned above, the Low Data Mode will automatically turn this feature off, but you can turn it off separately to the other features of Low Power Mode if you prefer.

You could just stop Mail from using Mobile Data. Just switch the slider beside Mail to off in Settings > Cellular. However you can refine things further if you go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts and then tap on Fetch New Data.

Here you will see a number of options, specific to your different Mail (and Calendar) accounts.

You can choose to fetch data Manually, Hourly, Every 30 Minutes, or Every 15 Minutes. Manually might be the best option if you are trying to limit data.

Or you can be even more precise and amend your fetch settings for separate accounts. Changing these settings also has the benefit of preserving battery life.

Stop background app refresh

Your iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max can automatically update its operating system and apps in the background without you having to act. This saves time and hassle.

However, this can cause a problem if your phone decides to update when you’re not on a Wi-Fi network.

Head to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and tap Background App Refresh at the top. Select Wi-Fi (as opposed to Wi-Fi & Cellular Data) to limit this feature’s activities.

Low-res images in Messages

You can choose to send low-quality images in Messages. You can send smaller-sized previews of images so your recipients get them right away, before the full-resolution images arrive.

To do so, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn on Send Low Quality Photo Previews. When Low Data Mode is on, only the preview is sent.

Mind what you watch on cellular

Whether it’s Netflix, YouTube or iPlayer, watching your favourite shows could eat up your data if you watch over 3G/4G. In each app, go to Settings and select to play back only over Wi-Fi.

The easiest way to do this is to go to Settings > Cellular and make sure these apps are set to not work when on Mobile data.

Alternatively you could go into each app, for example, in Netflix, go to App Settings > Cellular data usage.

Keep Wi-Fi on

If you’ve ever found yourself switching off Wi-Fi entirely because your iPhone 18 Pro Max keeps trying to connect to a network when you’re in town, you may find yourself using cellular when you get back home.

It’s a frustration that’s easily fixed if you choose to forget the network when one of them pops up.

Just tap the More Info button next to the network name, and in the following screen select Forget This Network.

Use Wi-Fi hotspots

You’ll be able to find Wi-Fi networks all around, especially in any big city. You can find Wi-Fi in most coffee shop chains, many restaurants, and other public areas like libraries and airports.

However, you should always exercise an air of caution when accessing a hotspot. The best advice is to use a Wi-Fi hotspot that requires a password – it’s an extra assurance that someone else won’t be spying on what you’re doing.

Have you ever wished you could share your iPhone’s 3G/4G cellular connection with Wi-Fi-only devices nearby, such as laptops and non-cellular iPads? You’re in luck: it’s easy to set up an iPhone 18 Pro Max as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, opening up its web connection to anyone who is close enough and has the password. Here’s how.

Should I create a Wi-Fi hotspot with my iPhone?

Let’s say you’re travelling with your iPhone, and a MacBook or Wi-Fi-only iPad, and want to do some work. At this point you’ve got two options: do the work on the larger-screen devices, but without being able to connect to any online resources; or go online but be stuck with a smaller screen.

Turning your iPhone into a Wi-Fi hotspot gives you a handy third option, allowing the laptop and tablet to piggyback on the phone’s web connection. Wi-Fi hotspots are great for working on the go.

It’s easy to turn your iPhone 18 Pro Max into a hotspot, but you may wish to check with your phone carrier first or at least check your contract’s terms and conditions; while most networks will include Tethering as part of your plan, some networks prefer you not to do this and may charge you extra (or cap your data allowance) if they spot you setting up a hotspot. For example, a network may include Tethering as part of your data allowance if you are pay monthly, but if you are on PAYG you might have to pay extra.

And while we’re talking about data allowances, this is another thing to bear in mind: if you have a limited allowance you should only use the Wi-Fi hotspot for a short while. Be aware that your Mac or PC might gobble through data at a rapid rate compared to if you were just surfing on your iPhone.

How to turn on hotspot on an iPhone

Creating a hotspot turns the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max into a Wi-Fi router, much like the one in your home. The iPhone connects to the internet using its 3G/4G cellular data connection, and then broadcasts this via a Wi-Fi connection that your Mac, iPad, PC, or other device, can connect to. You can also create a wired connection to your computer’s USB port.

Note that once your hotspot is turned on your iPhone will be using 3G or 4G for its data connection. That fact is pretty obvious, but it’s worth mentioning because you might log onto a hotel Wi-Fi with your iPhone and think you can share it that way: you can’t.

There are two ways to create your hotspot on your iPhone.

Turn on an iPhone hotspot – the quick way

The quickest way to turn on a Hotspot is to do this:

1. Swipe down from the top-right edge to open Control Center.

   

2. Touch and hold inside the block of four icons representing Airplane mode, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
3. This will open a larger block of icons, including AirDrop and Personal Hotspot. Just tap on the Personal Hotspot and it will become ‘Discoverable’.

Turn on an iPhone hotspot via Settings

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Personal Hotspot. Follow the onscreen instructions.
3. If you want to create a Hotspot you will need to Allow Others to Join – even if you aren’t planning to let others join. Your Hotspot will automatically become ‘discoverable’ but others will need to enter a password in order to join your Hotspot.
4. You can choose who is allowed to use your Personal Hotspot, set a password, and—if you’re in a Family Sharing group—decide if you want to automatically share your Personal Hotspot with specific family members.

To change the password later, go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot, then tap Wi-Fi password and enter a new password.

How to connect to an iPhone hotspot from an iPhone or iPad

Connecting an iPhone or iPad to a hotspot is simple. Follow these steps:

1. While sharing your hotspot from your iPhone, open the second iPhone, or iPad open Settings.
2. Tap on Wi-Fi.

   

3. Various Wi-Fi networks will show up. These should include the Hotspot created by the iPhone. Select that hotspot.
4. You may need to log on. If you need the password look on the Hotspot sharing iPhone. You’ll see it in Settings > Personal Hotspot (or Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot).

You will now be connected to the web via that iPhone’s data connection.

If you are connecting to a Hotspot being broadcast by your own device, then any other device you own should connect without a password, as long as you are logged into iCloud. If you use Family Sharing you will automatically connect to a family member’s Hotspot (and they to yours) without requiring a password.

How to connect to your iPhone 18 Pro Max hotspot from a Mac

Now you are sharing your hotspot from your iPhone you can easily connect to it from a Mac. Here’s how:

1. Click the Wi-Fi icon in your Mac’s Menu bar. You will see a number of Wi-Fi networks it can see locally. Turn on Wi-Fi if necessary.
2. In your Personal Hotspots section you should see your iPhone’s Hotspot (if you don’t have a section for Personal Hotspot you should find it below). Choose it.
3. Your Mac should connect automatically, as long as you are signed in to iCloud, otherwise, enter the password as shown in the Personal Hotspot section on your iPhone.

You can now browse the internet on your Mac or iPad using the data connection from the iPhone. Your mileage may vary, however, depending on how good the iPhone’s network connection is. You might find the internet runs a little slower than you’re used to.

When you’ve finished, don’t forget to tap Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot on your iPhone 18 Pro Max and set it to Off.

What if your Mac won’t connect to your Wi-Fi hotspot?

We had an issue connecting our Mac to the Wi-Fi hotspot created by our iPhone. It eventually fixed itself.

We had the options to Run Diagnostics. The wizard ran various diagnostic tests on our Mac before creating a diagnostics report.

How to connect to your iPhone hotspot from a PC (Windows)

Once you are sharing your hotspot from your iPhone you should be able to see the Wi-Fi hotspot and connect to it via your PC.

1. Start by turning Wi-Fi on.
2. Then click on the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar.
3. Choose your iPhone.
4. Click Connect.

Enter the password.

How to connect to your iPhone hotspot via Bluetooth

You could also connect using Bluetooth. You will need to pair your iPhone and your computer using a code.

• On a Mac you will need to open System Settings > Bluetooth, look for your iPhone and click connect.
• On a PC you will need to click on Join a Personal Area Network, and choose the iPhone from the devices shown.

How to connect to an iPhone hotspot via USB

You can also connect directly to your iPhone from your Mac using a USB-cable, which might be the best option for you if you are somewhere where there are a lot of competing Wi-Fi networks or because you don’t feel that it would be secure to broadcast your connection (although nobody should be able to piggy-back it without a password), it may also be faster to use a USB connection than Wi-Fi. Here’s how:

Connect the iPhone to your Mac using the USB cable the iPhone shipped with.

If you see an alert on your iPhone that says Trust This Computer? tap Trust.

As soon as it’s connected by a cable, your Mac or Windows device is able to use the cellular connection on your iPhone.

Dangers & warnings

What if someone tries to hijack your connection, burning through your data connection and/or accessing dodgy sites and content?

You should be okay, because the iPhone hotspot is password-protected. (All the more reason not to choose the word “password” or something else that’s easily guessed.) And you’ll see a small notification at the top of your iPhone’s screen when a device accesses its hotspot, so you’ll get a warning if someone in your train carriage does manage to guess your password.

A more important warning concerns data limits on your own surfing. It’s easy to forget, when accessing the web over a device that’s normally limited to Wi-Fi connections, that you’re working against a 3G or 4G data limit. Remember that you’re on the clock, so to speak, and we’d suggest avoiding downloading large apps and similar.