With the arrival of 5G in the latest iPad Pro, Apple has detailed only how M1-powered tablet owners can actually use faster data access. As you would expect, there are new settings that can help tame the use of your data – for those on a limited plan – or, or, let it run wildly and used for high-resolution facetime video calls and more.
Apple has long offered an iPad cellular version, but usually what you can actually do with a cellular data connection is a little different from what tablets can achieve through WiFi. It is generally a nod at different prices for most data packages: monthly limits – or limitations on days or weeks passed that are purchased for tablets – means something like iPado update can quickly chew all your gigabytes allowance.
However, the increasing availability of unlimited data, along with speed faster than 5G connections – including, if you have coverage, mmwave 5G supported on the As-Spec iPad Pro 2021 model – has left more users who want to get wifi-likes. Experience even when they use cellular data. That is what Apple activated, mostly, with its newest software update for the iPad Pro M1.
According to the new Apple support document, it was seen by 9to5mac, the default settings for 5G “optimized for battery life and use of data based on your data package.” But users will be able to change it, by going to settings> Cellular> Cellular data options. There, they will find three choices.
5G Auto is what iPad Pro is set into a box, complete with smart data mode as we see on the iPhone 12. It balances 5G and LTE, look at the data speed in the background to automatically switch to LTE when 5G T provides a more experience good. The results must live longer.
5G ON, Meanwhile, will always use 5G when the network is available – with, Apple’s attention, the potential hit in the battery life as a result. Or, you can set the tablet to use LTE only, even if there are 5G available.
Another option is for data mode. That’s where things become more granular, and where you will begin to actually see the difference in the user experience depending on your settings. In standard mode, automatic updates and background tasks can be done through cellular data, while video streaming and facetime will be on standard quality.
Allow more data to 5G, meanwhile, allow applications and services to tap 5G connections more often. FaceTime will be of higher quality, while Apple TV content will be in high definition; Apple Music songs and videos will be of high quality too. Third-party applications will also be able to use more cellular data.
Perhaps the most prominent, the setting will also allow iPados updates to download via cellular data. Until now, it requires a WiFi connection to the tablet.
Finally, there is low data mode. It basically takes things in the opposite direction, stop automatic updates and background tasks on behalf of storing cellular data.
Finding out when the best to use this setting will go down not only how much data allowance you have, but what networks are available to you: You might not want to download the update of full iPado top LTE, for example, save it for when there are 5G available. The new icon in the iPad status bar shows what networks are available and how it is used: “5G” means available; “5G +” means a higher frequency version available, or that iPad is active on the network; “5G UW” means mmwave ultra-wideband is available, for the fastest connection, or that iPad is active on it.