No, regular texting (SMS) doesn't use mobile data. Plain text messages travel over your carrier's cellular network, not the internet, so they work with mobile data turned off and don't count against your data allowance. iMessage, RCS chats and apps like WhatsApp are different: they send your texts over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Picture messages (MMS) are in between and usually need mobile data switched on. This guide explains which messages use data, how much, and how to keep texting when you run out of data or travel abroad.
Does texting use data? The short answer
It depends on how your message is sent:
- SMS (regular text messages): no data. They need a cellular connection and a plan with texts.
- MMS (picture and group messages): usually need mobile data turned on. Some carriers bill them like texts, not as data.
- iMessage (blue bubbles on iPhone): uses Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- RCS chats (Android and iPhone): use Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Messenger: use Wi-Fi or mobile data.
So if your phone shows "SMS" or a green bubble with "Text Message", you're not using data. If it shows iMessage, RCS or a chat app, you are.
Do text messages (SMS) use data?
No. Verizon puts it simply: texting via SMS/MMS "travels across carriers' cellular networks (not the Internet)" (Verizon: Texting FAQs). Apple says the same thing from the phone's side: to send an SMS, you need a cellular network connection, while iMessage, RCS and MMS need cellular data or Wi-Fi (Apple: If you can't send or receive messages on iPhone).
What you need for SMS is a phone signal and a plan that includes texts, or enough credit to pay for them. A few things to know:
- Length: a standard SMS holds up to 160 characters. Longer texts are sent as an extended message, and depending on the carrier and phone, the person may get it as several texts in a row (Verizon: Texting FAQs). If you pay per text, check how your carrier counts long messages.
- Cost: texts count against your texting allowance, not your data. Many plans include unlimited texts.
- Security: SMS isn't end-to-end encrypted (Apple: iMessage, RCS and SMS/MMS).
If you run out of data, can you still text?
Yes. As long as your line is active and your plan includes texts, SMS keeps working when your data runs out or when you turn mobile data off. What stops working are messages that need data: iMessage, RCS and chat apps. On iPhone, the Send as Text Message setting lets a message go out as SMS when iMessage isn't available (Apple). In Google Messages, if a chat message can't be sent over Wi-Fi or mobile data, you can choose to resend it as SMS or MMS (Google: Turn on RCS chats).
Do picture messages (MMS) use data?
MMS is how your phone sends photos, videos and group texts through your carrier, without iMessage or RCS. Unlike SMS, it travels over your carrier's data connection. On iPhone, Apple lists MMS with iMessage and RCS as messages that need cellular data or Wi-Fi (Apple). On Android, carriers say the same: Vodafone Australia, for example, says mobile data needs to be on to send and receive MMS on a Pixel (Vodafone: Can't send picture messages).
Whether MMS counts against your data allowance depends on your carrier. Some bill it like a text. Verizon, for example, says SMS and MMS are billed the same way unless you pay per message (Verizon: Texting FAQs). T-Mobile includes MMS in its talk and text plan, which has no data (T-Mobile: Talk & Text plan). Want the full comparison? See the difference between SMS and MMS.
Does iMessage use data?
Yes. iMessage sends texts, photos and videos between Apple devices over Wi-Fi, or over mobile data when Wi-Fi isn't available. Apple notes that cellular data rates might apply (Apple: iMessage, RCS and SMS/MMS). iMessages don't count against your SMS allowance (Apple: iMessage overview).
The bubble color tells you how a message went:
- Blue: iMessage, sent over Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- Green: SMS, MMS or RCS, sent through your carrier. SMS uses no data. MMS and RCS do.
How to stop iMessage from using mobile data
You have a few options, depending on what you want:
- Turn off iMessage: go to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off iMessage. Your texts to everyone then go as SMS or MMS (or RCS, if your carrier supports it).
- Keep iMessage, but only on Wi-Fi: go to Settings > Cellular, scroll to the list of apps and turn off Messages. Apple lets you turn cellular data off for each app there (Apple: View or change cellular data settings).
- Control the SMS fallback: in Settings > Apps > Messages, Send as Text Message decides whether your iPhone sends a message as SMS when iMessage isn't available. Leave it on at home so your texts get through. Turn it off abroad if texts from your home line cost extra.
Traveling with an iPhone? Read is iMessage free to use abroad.
Does RCS texting use data?
Yes. RCS is the newer kind of texting, with typing indicators, read receipts and high-quality photos. It sends messages over Wi-Fi or mobile data. In Google Messages, the send button shows how your message will go, and you turn RCS on in Messages settings > RCS chats (Google: Turn on RCS chats).
On iPhone, RCS needs iOS 18 or later and a carrier that supports RCS on iPhone. RCS messages show up in green bubbles, like SMS (Apple). Verizon also notes that some texts between Android and iPhone may now go by RCS and use data networks (Verizon). That's why "texting" can use data today even when you don't use a chat app.
Do WhatsApp and other messaging apps use data?
Yes. WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Messenger only work over an internet connection, Wi-Fi or mobile data. They don't use your texting allowance at all. The upside: you can message anyone in the world for no extra cost on Wi-Fi, or with a data plan you already have. The downside: no data, no messages.
How much data does texting use?
Very little, if you only send text. A written chat message is tiny compared with a photo, a video, a voice note or a video call. Those are what make messaging apps use a lot of data. Verizon, for example, says an average one-minute video call uses about 6 to 8 MB of data (Verizon: HD Voice FAQs).
You can see how much your own messaging apps use:
- iPhone: go to Settings > Cellular and scroll to the list of apps. You'll see how much data Messages, WhatsApp and other apps used. More in our guide to checking your data usage on iPhone.
- Google Pixel: go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > App data usage (Google: Reduce and manage mobile data usage). Menus vary on other Android phones: see how to check your data usage on Android.
Messages may show up in that list on iPhone. That's iMessage and MMS, not your SMS texts. If you share your connection with a laptop, that data shows up too: here's what tethering is and whether a hotspot costs money.
Do calls and texts use data?
Regular calls and SMS don't use your data allowance:
- Regular calls: on 4G and 5G, calls often use VoLTE (HD Voice), but they're billed as voice minutes. Verizon says no data charges apply to HD Voice calls. Video calls through your carrier are different: the video part is billed as data (Verizon: HD Voice FAQs).
- Wi-Fi calling: uses your Wi-Fi, not mobile data. With Wi-Fi Calling on, an iPhone can also send SMS over Wi-Fi (Apple).
- FaceTime, WhatsApp calls and other app calls: use Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Texting abroad: what uses data and what costs money
When you travel, the question changes from "does texting use data?" to "which texts cost money?".
- SMS from your home number: no data, but your carrier can charge roaming fees for each text, even with data roaming turned off. Some plans include texts abroad, so check yours before you go.
- iMessage, RCS and WhatsApp: use data. On your home plan abroad, that's roaming data. On Wi-Fi or a travel eSIM, it's the data you already paid for.
- A data-only travel eSIM: gives you mobile data, but no phone number. So it can't send regular SMS, but iMessage, WhatsApp and other apps work on it. Your home line can stay on next to it for texts and security codes. See can you text with eSIM data for the full setup.
To keep roaming costs at zero, turn off data roaming on your home line and use the travel eSIM for data.
If you mostly text on iMessage or WhatsApp, a data-only eSIM covers your messages, maps and app calls on your trip. Here are data-only plans for Europe, the USA and Mexico. Pick the one that matches where you're going.
Data-only plans for Europe, the USA and Mexico · Europe eSIMs · USA eSIMs · Mexico eSIMs · Going somewhere else? Find your destination
Need to send regular texts in Europe?
Some people still need a real number for SMS, like a hotel, a tour guide or a restaurant that texts you. At SimOptions, the Bouygues Telecom plans are the ones with a phone number. My European eSIM 30GB comes with a French +33 number, unlimited calls and SMS within Europe, and 30 GB of data for 30 days in 46 countries. Calls and texts to US, Canadian or Australian numbers aren't included, so keep using iMessage, WhatsApp or your home line for those. More in our guide to Europe eSIMs with a phone number.
FAQs
Does texting use data?
Regular texting (SMS) doesn't use data. iMessage, RCS chats and apps like WhatsApp do, because they send messages over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Picture messages (MMS) usually need mobile data turned on.
Do text messages use data on iPhone?
Green-bubble SMS texts don't. Blue-bubble iMessages and RCS messages do, when you're not on Wi-Fi. MMS needs cellular data or Wi-Fi too.
Does texting use data on Android?
SMS doesn't. RCS chats in Google Messages do. The send button shows whether a message goes by SMS, MMS, or Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Can you text without data?
Yes. SMS works without mobile data, as long as you have a phone signal and a plan with texts. iMessage, RCS and WhatsApp need Wi-Fi or data.
Does texting use a lot of data?
No. SMS uses none, and a text-only chat message uses very little. Photos, videos, voice notes and video calls are what use a lot.
Does texting use data or Wi-Fi?
SMS uses neither: it goes over your carrier's cellular network. If Wi-Fi Calling is on, your phone can also send SMS over Wi-Fi. iMessage, RCS and chat apps use Wi-Fi when you're connected, and mobile data when you're not.
Are text messages considered data?
No. Carriers count SMS separately from data, against your texting allowance. Your data allowance covers internet use, including iMessage, RCS and chat apps.
Do you need data to text on UScellular or T-Mobile?
Not for SMS. Regular texts work without mobile data on any carrier, as long as your plan includes them. T-Mobile bought UScellular's wireless business in 2025 (T-Mobile Newsroom). Picture messages usually need mobile data turned on, and RCS chats need data.
Can I text abroad with a data-only eSIM?
Not by SMS, because a data-only eSIM has no phone number. But iMessage, WhatsApp and other messaging apps work on its data. Keep your home line on if you need regular texts or security codes.