Cellular data is essential to the operation of a modern mobile phone. Without it, your smartphone is pretty much just an expensive, undersized mobile computer!
However, keeping mobile data on the whole day can quickly drain your phone’s battery.
So, if you do decide to switch off your data in order to save battery power, you may wonder:
“Can I still receive texts with cellular data off?”
You will continue receiving text messages even after turning off a phone’s cellular data connection. This is because the network carrier data will remain active as long as you have a valid SIM card.
You can also continue receiving general broadcasts from your network carrier, as well as send text messages to others on the network.
So, the short answer is: Yes! Texting is not entirely dependent on cellular data. A phone can even receive incoming calls and make outgoing calls without cellular data.
In this article, we’ll explore the role of cellular data and delve into better ways of controlling the use of smart gadgets without having to worry about draining a phone’s battery.
In doing so, we will look primarily at the two leading mobile operating systems: Android and iOS. Let’s get into it!
What Happens When You Turn Off Cellular Data on iPhone?
Generally, when cellular data is disconnected from a smartphone, the device loses its connection to the internet (unless of course it is connected to WiFi as well).
This will include connections to messaging apps such as iMessage, as those apps require an active internet connection to send and receive text messages.
However, even if cellular data is switched off, iPhone users can still receive regular SMS text messages over their carrier’s network by connecting to WiFi.
You can easily distinguish between iMessage and SMS as the messages display in different color bubbles. SMS text bubbles are green in color, while iMessage texts are in a blue bubble.
Since iMessage is for Apple devices (such as the iPad or iPhone) only, a recipient that uses an Android device will receive a regular SMS text regardless of whether the cellular data is active or inactive.
If you do ever need to turn off cellular data, just connect to WiFi or use SMS instead!
Can Android Phones Still Receive Texts With Cellular Data Off?
Turning off an Android’s cellular data won’t affect texting. You can still make or receive both calls and texts even if mobile data is switched off.
Android can still send and receive SMS without cellular data because the service uses the carrier, just like the iPhone.
However, accessing the internet will always require either cellular data or connection to a WiFi network.
Another way of receiving texts is through an online texting app, just like iMessage on iPhones.
The most common apps in this category for Android are WhatsApp and Viber.
To get your phone’s online messaging capability back without cellular data, simply download one of these apps then search for a WiFi connection!
Free WiFi connections are now commonly found in city spaces such as public transportation systems. Many companies also use free hotspot connections to lure customers. It pays to be careful with free WiFi connections, but they are relatively easy to find.
Some people choose to turn off their cellular data because the fluctuating signal strength tends to consume battery life twice as fast as WiFi. Therefore, it is better to use WiFi when a secure connection is available!
SMS Vs. Online Messaging Apps
After turning off cellular data, you will have two main texting options: SMS (text messaging) or online messaging.
Since these are two different platforms, the functionalities and benefits outlined below will inform your choice when deciding which type you want to use:
SMS
SMS texts do not require cellular data and are instead sent by your carrier network. However, sending or receiving text messages (and calls) is really all your phone can do without cellular data.
SMS texts require carrier signals to be active and have a limited word count of 160 characters. They also don’t allow hyperlinks or multimedia content.
Finally, the network does not support message backup- so if you did want to save your messages, you would have to do so manually.
Online Messaging Apps
Online messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Viber, Telegram, or Facebook Messenger can work independently of cellular data if the phone is connected to the internet via WiFi.
You can download these messaging apps from your phone’s relevant online app store.
Both the sender and receiver must be using the same messaging app or platform for it to work.
Unlike SMS texting, messaging apps have no character limit, can send media files, allow you to back up your messages automatically, and support document and location sharing.
In Conclusion
In response to the query, “Can I still receive texts with cellular data off?”– Yes, you can!
It is definitely possible to receive texts and calls with cellular data off, though the texting service may be a bit different to what you’re used to.
This is because, in the absence of cellular data, you may need to use your carrier’s SMS service to send and receive texts- which may in turn require some funds in your network account.
Still, it is a good alternative for sending messages to any recipient that you have the phone number of. Do keep in mind that you won’t be able to send or receive media files or documents in SMS messages.
So, whether your plan is to save battery life (98%, already??!) or to take a break from social media via turning off cellular data, always make sure that you have an active SMS service to continue receiving texts before doing so!