How to Stop Apple Music from Burning Through Your iPhone Data Plan

If you're loving Apple Music but hating how it's eating through your cellular data plan, there's a fix for that. You can stop Apple Music from streaming over iPhone's wireless data connection, although there are some strings attached.

Here's how to stop Apple Music from using your iPhone's data plan for streaming music:

  • Tap Settings
  • Tap iTunes & App Store
  • Turn off Use Cellular Data

Use iTunes & App Store settings (left) to disable Apple Music cell streaming (right)Use iTunes & App Store settings (left) to disable Apple Music cell streaming (right)

That limits Apple Music to streaming over WiFi connections, which means you won't burn through your iPhone's cellular data connection and get hit with surprise charges on your next bill.

And now for the catches: You can't stream music when you aren't on a WiFi connection, so you'll need to download music to your iPhone before heading out for the day. That goes for Apple Music and iTunes Match, too. You also miss out on automatic downloads, so the songs you buy on your Mac aren't automatically getting added to your iPhone unless you're on a WiFi network.

Sure, that's kind of inconvenient, but it's also a lot cheaper than the cost of going over your cell plan's monthly data cap.