Connecting to a Wi-Fi network is the best way to preserve the data on your monthly Connect plan. In addition to using it at home, Wi-Fi is now widely available almost everywhere you go—coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and even in many stores. But can using it actually end up saving you money? The answer is yes!
You can often stay connected to Wi-Fi all day long. When your device is connected to a strong Wi-Fi signal, you can access the Internet, and go online to update apps, stream music, or even download movies or TV programs—all without using any data from your plan.
Once you’ve grown used to using Wi-Fi, go to My Account or check your My CC app to see how much data you’re using on your current plan. By doing more things while connected to Wi-Fi, you may find you can get by with a smaller data plan, making your already low monthly bill even more affordable! And remember, you can switch plans up to the last day of your monthly billing cycle—there’s no reason to pay for data that you won’t use!
You should always connect to Wi-Fi before downloading music, or apps. In addition, you can change your settings to make sure that updates to apps only happen when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. To do this, follow these simple steps:
For Android smartphones:
- Open the Play Store app and go to “Settings”
- Under “General,” select “Auto-update apps,” and set it to “Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only”
For iPhone:
- Open the Settings app, then select “iTunes & App Store”
- Scroll down to “Automatic Downloads”
- Turn the toggle next to “Use Cellular Data” to the Off position
Using Wi-Fi is just plain good sense: you’ll save money, and leave plenty of data available for those times when Wi-Fi simply isn’t an option, like when you’re in the car, or enjoying a walk in the park. It’s truly a way to enjoy the best of both wireless worlds!
Who are the service companies, we are with AT&T.
Thank you for posting, Zoraida. We use two of the largest nationwide networks to provide service to our customers. To see how your coverage would compare, you can view our coverage map here. We’re also happy to look at your local coverage at 888-345-5509 to see if we would be a good fit. We appreciate you reaching out to us, and look forward to assisting you!
This is a question, How can I get a video to come up for my Samsung J3 new smart phone?
Thanks for posting, Theresa! You can view videos on your Samsung J3 as long as you are connected to Wi-Fi or you are using one of our Connect plans. There are many places to view videos including YouTube, Facebook and other apps. If you are having issues viewing videos on your device, please call us at 888-345-5509 and we will be happy to help you. We appreciate you reaching out to us, and we hope you have a great day!
When we send or receive a text with a picture on our Android phones (Motorola), only the text shows unless we turn on the mobile data. Why won’t the pictures show up while on Wi-Fi?
Thank you for asking, Doug! In order to send a text message or picture message, cellular data is required, which is why you need mobile data to be turned on. This allows the attachment to be downloaded. We’re happy to talk with you about this if you like at 888-345-5509 and answer any other questions you may have. We appreciate you posting, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
I was a Sprint customer and didn’t have to turn off wifi to send a text message with an attachment or a group text. Why is it necessary with Consumer Cellular?
Thank you for posting, Fran. You should not have to turn Wi-Fi off each time, but your mobile/cellular data will need to be enabled in order for multimedia messaging to work. If you’re having any trouble with this, please call our customer service team at 888-345-5509.
How can I change my voicemail settings?
Great question, Patricia. You can change some of your voicemail settings from your device. Just press and hold 1 to enter your voicemail system, then listen for the option to change your settings. We can also assist you over the phone at 888-345-5509. Thank you for posting, and we hope you have a wonderful day!
That’s great, but don’t expect to use WI-FI to get pictures or videos through ‘messaging’. That’s “Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)” and Consumer Cellular says MMS requires “Mobile Data” to be enabled on your phone because MMS data, pictures, etc. is sent over the cell towers, not thru WI-FI (like Google Maps, Facebook, etc.). However, I have found that MMS DOES seem to work using only WI-FI but it is very ‘iffy’ and slow. Sometimes a picture will come through in 30 minutes or so after I hit ‘download’ on the message, sometimes it is DAYS before it shows up. I just tell my family to send pictures if they want to, but don’t expect an instant reply from me.
Thanks for posting, Tommy. In general, you do need to have data enabled on your phone in order to download the photos sent via picture messaging. However, if you keep Wi-Fi turned on, your phone will use Wi-Fi rather than data from your plan for other functions such as checking social media, sending emails and more. Many of our customers find this helps them save their data for when they really need it, such as when they are away from a Wi-Fi connection. We’re happy to discuss this further with you at 888-345-5509 if you like, and our account advisors will answer any other questions you may have. We really appreciate you posting today, and we hope you have a great day!
How do you get Wi-Fi connection on DORO 626 ?????
Thanks for posting, Boyce. The Doro 626 does not have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi. We’re happy to answer any other questions you may have about your Doro 626 at 888-345-5509 if you like. We appreciate you reaching out to us, and we hope you have a great day!
Ashley, is this still true now? In 2019? I’m helping a friend.
Joyce
Hi Joy, thanks for your great question! It is still true, using WiFi can help with keeping the data usage low which keeps the cost of the plan low as well.
I can’t always figure out how to get on Wi-Fi when travelling. I go to connections, click wifi and select a network, but either don’t have a password or maybe it says I’m connected but I still can’t get on the internet, the connection doesn’t seem to work.
Thank you for posting, Florence! It’s great to hear that you’re using Wi-Fi whenever you can. Many Wi-Fi networks require a password, which you’ll need to enter in order to connect. If you’re at a cafe or store with Wi-Fi, be sure to check with the staff as they may be able to provide you with the password when you’re there. As for a weak connection, we recommend looking at the number of bands located next to the name of the network. The more bands that appear, the stronger the signal. If we can answer any other questions you may have about using Wi-Fi, please feel free to call us at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you taking the time to comment today!
Is it possible to make Wi-Fi phone calls on consumer cellular services? Sometimes I am outside service range but do have wi-fi.
Hi Ryan, the availability of Wi-Fi calling depends on your device and the service in your area. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509 or connect with us online through live chat and we can review your services and options. Have a great day!
does my Samsung galaxy s8 have wifi calling? my husband has a Samsung galaxy j3 and he has wifi calling
Hi Brenda, if your Samsung Galaxy S8 was purchased through us it will have the Wi-Fi calling feature available. To have this feature enabled, please call us at 888-345-5509.
Hi, my name is Russell a new customer hopefully and I hope to be a new customer. If I use WIFI at home and at the end of the month if I have leftover data will it be carried over to the next month or not?
We appreciate your interest, Russell! We do not offer rollover with our service, so any data that isn’t used by the time your billing cycle ends would not be carried over. However, we do have the option available to change your plans at any time, so if you find that you don’t need as much data any more, you can lower it to the next applicable plan. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Can Wi-Fi be used on my iPhone 6+ ? If so how do I set it up?
We can help you with that, Bob! To connect to a Wi-Fi network, open the Settings app, then select Wi-Fi. You should see a list of available networks. Tap the option for your home network, then enter the password if required. Select the option to connect, and that’s it! We’re happy to walk you through it, so please don’t hesitate to chat with us here if needed. Thank you for taking the time to post, and we hope you have a lovely day!
Can an iPhone 5 have WiFi calling
Thank you for the question, Sharon. The Apple iPhone 5 can use Wi-Fi calling on our service, however this would require us sending you a new SIM card to switch the line to our T-Mobile network. This can be done by giving us a call at 888-345-5510 or chatting with us here.
I have a Galaxy S7 that I didn’t purchase from you. I purchased it directly from Samsung. Can wi-fi calling be enabled for my phone?
That’s a great question, Thomas, thanks for posting it! With Android phones, we can add WiFi calling to the device but you would want to make sure you have our T-Mobile SIM in the phone as this is the network that works with that feature for those phones currently. If you have service with us currently, you are welcome to check on this by giving us a call at 888-345-5509 or you can also chat with us here regarding it.
When will it work with the AT&T SIM card? Consumer Cellular couldn’t provide me service with T-Mobile (it wouldn’t work) and I had to go back and switch to AT&T.
Hi Edwin, I’m sorry to hear about the trouble the T-Mobile SIM caused. I would advise that we do not have an ETA on when we will have an international roaming feature available for our AT&T network as this is something we are still trying to work out with that carrier. I appreciate that feedback and have sent it up for further review moving forward though. If this is something that we do start to offer for that network, we will let our customers know as soon as possible.
I was wondering about wifi calling on my phone (purchased elsewhere), and this forum is really helpful. I’ll call the number to learn about the possibility, but it sounds like if it is possible it would require that I switch to a T-Mobile sim card. I wondered about the pros and cons of AT&T vs. T-Mobile, and why AT&T seems to be the default.