Resetting your iPhone’s cellular data can be useful if you want to start tracking your data usage from zero again or if you’re switching data plans and want an accurate count. Resetting cellular data is easy to do through the Settings app, but there are a couple things to know first.
Why Would I Want to Reset My Cellular Data?
There are a few main reasons you may want to reset your cellular data usage on your iPhone:
- You’re starting a new billing cycle and want to track your data usage from zero again
- You want to get an accurate view of your data usage after changing data plans
- You think your usage amounts are being counted inaccurately and want to start fresh
- You share your iPhone with someone else and want to reset the usage for just your apps
Resetting the usage counters essentially gives you a clean slate for tracking how much cellular data you’re using. This can be helpful for monitoring your consumption or diagnosing problems.
Important Things to Know Before Resetting
Here are some key points to be aware of before resetting your cellular data usage:
- Resetting will delete all current data usage information – it cannot be recovered once reset
- Any usage since your last bill will be erased, so only reset at the start of a new cycle if you need exact usage for billing
- This only resets the data tracked by your iPhone, not your actual data usage with your carrier
- Apps may still show large amounts of usage if they store usage data separately from iOS
Basically, resetting gives you a clean usage slate on your iPhone, but doesn’t affect your actual data usage or billing with your carrier. Only reset at the start of a new billing cycle if you need precise tracking for that.
Instructions to Reset Cellular Data Usage
Resetting your cellular data is simple to do through the Settings app on your iPhone. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on Cellular or Mobile Data.
- Scroll down and tap Reset Statistics at the very bottom.
- Confirm that you want to reset the statistics when prompted.
And that’s it! Your iPhone will quickly reset all of the cellular data usage counters. Within a few seconds they will all be back at zero.
Alternative Method to Reset Data
There is also an alternative way to reset your cellular data usage if you want to reset the statistics for an individual app only:
- Go to Settings > Cellular/Mobile Data.
- Tap on the app you want to reset.
- Tap Reset Statistics at the bottom.
This will reset the usage for just that particular app back to zero. All other app statistics will remain unchanged.
What Gets Reset When Clearing Cellular Data?
When you reset your iPhone’s cellular data usage, here’s exactly what gets reset:
- Total cellular data used so far in the current period
- Cellular data used by each individual app
- Time spent using cellular data
- Cellular network settings like enabling/disabling cellular data
Basically, any usage counters get cleared and start counting from zero again. Things that don’t get reset include:
- Actual data usage with your carrier (the reset is only on your iPhone)
- Any usage that apps track separately from iOS
- Cellular plan details and features
- Wi-Fi usage statistics
So the reset gives you a fresh start on monitoring your data usage, but doesn’t affect your carrier account details or history.
What Happens When I Reset the Statistics?
Here’s a quick overview of what happens when you reset your iPhone’s cellular data statistics:
- All usage amounts in Settings > Cellular are set back to 0 bytes
- The usage amounts shown for each app get reset to zero
- Any restrictions based on usage amounts are cleared since the totals are reset
- The tally of total cellular data used that period goes back to zero
- Any cellular settings you had enabled/disabled stay the same
Essentially, it’s like starting your data usage tracking over from scratch. All current usage is wiped clean.
This allows you to accurately monitor how much data you use going forward after the reset. Previous usage from that period is erased.
Does Resetting Data Affect My Carrier Bill?
It’s important to note that resetting your iPhone’s cellular data usage does NOT reset your actual data usage with your wireless carrier. Here are some key points:
- Resetting only clears the data on your iPhone, not your carrier account
- Any data used prior to the reset is still counted by your carrier
- Your carrier can still track total data usage over your billing period
- Resetting right before your bill date may lead to discrepancies between your iPhone and bill amounts
The usage amounts tracked by your iPhone are just for your reference. Your carrier separately keeps track of your total data usage over each billing period. Only do a reset at the start of a new cycle, not right before your bill date.
How to Check Usage After Resetting Data
After resetting your cellular usage, you’ll likely want to monitor your updated usage amounts going forward. Here are a couple ways to check your usage:
- Go to Settings > Cellular to see your total cellular data used so far
- Check the usage for individual apps under Cellular
- Note the usage amounts right before and after each billing cycle
- Use the usage tracking tools within certain apps for more details
Checking Settings > Cellular gives you an overview of current usage totals. Viewing the usage for individual apps can help identify data hogs.
You can also note how much data you’ve used right at the end of each billing period to compare with your carrier bill amount. Some apps provide tracking tools with more usage details as well.
Why Does My Usage Not Match Carrier Amounts?
In some cases, the cellular data usage shown on your iPhone may not match exactly with your actual data usage that your wireless carrier bills you for. There are a few reasons why this can happen:
- Delayed reporting – carriers may have slightly delayed reporting compared to iPhone
- Differing reset periods – your iPhone data may reset mid-cycle, while carrier cycles stay the same
- Accounting differences – carriers calculate some usage differently than iPhone does
- Non-cellular connections – carriers include all connections, iPhone only tracks cellular
Minor timing differences, data calculation methods, and non-cellular connections can lead to small variances between your iPhone data usage and official carrier totals. But major discrepancies may indicate a problem with the iPhone usage tracking.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points to remember about resetting cellular data on your iPhone:
- Resetting gives you a clean usage slate for tracking iPhone data
- It does not affect carrier data usage tracking or billing
- Only reset at the start of a new billing cycle for accuracy
- Check Settings > Cellular to monitor usage after resetting
- Discrepancies between iPhone and carrier data can happen due to reporting differences
Resetting your cellular statistics gives you a fresh start for monitoring your data usage from your iPhone. But keep in mind it does not change your actual data usage history with your wireless carrier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about resetting cellular data on iPhones:
Does resetting cellular data erase everything on my iPhone?
No, resetting cellular data does NOT erase anything else on your iPhone – it only resets the cellular usage statistics and counters. All your apps, data, and settings will remain unchanged. Only your cellular data totals are reset to zero.
Can I reset cellular data usage for only some apps?
Yes, you can reset cellular data for individual apps by going to Settings > Cellular, tapping on a specific app, and choosing Reset Statistics. This will reset usage for just that app without affecting others.
Will resetting data help free up storage space on my iPhone?
No, resetting cellular data will not free up any storage space. It only resets usage counters, not any actual app data or documents stored on your device. To free up space you’ll need to delete apps, messages, photos, or other unneeded files.
If I reset right before my billing cycle, will it match my bill?
Not necessarily. Because carriers track usage differently than your iPhone, resetting cellular statistics right before your bill date can lead to discrepancies between the totals. It’s best to reset at the start of a new billing period.
What happens if I reset cellular data mid-cycle?
If you reset the usage midway through your billing period, your iPhone statistics will be cleared but your carrier will still have the full usage data up to that point. This means the iPhone totals will be lower than your actual data usage for that cycle.
Summary
In summary, resetting the cellular data usage on your iPhone gives you a clean slate to track usage from that point forward. It does not affect carrier billing or data history in any way. Only reset at the beginning of new billing cycles if you need exact usage tracking for that period. Monitor your usage in Settings > Cellular after resetting and compare totals at the end of each cycle. Resetting cellular statistics can help provide more accurate usage monitoring.
| Step | Instructions |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open Settings app |
| 2 | Tap Cellular / Mobile Data |
| 3 | Scroll down and tap Reset Statistics |
| 4 | Confirm reset when prompted |