Where are the mobile data settings?
This is the clearest case in the catalogue of a setting named differently depending on which side of the Atlantic the vendor was writing for. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
14 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use six different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Mobile data | 4 |
| Cellular | 3 |
| Mobile network | 2 |
| Mobile Network | 2 |
| Cellular Data | 1 |
| Mobile networks | 1 |
| Data usage | 1 |
The most common is Mobile data, on 4 of the 14. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Some of those rows differ only in capitalisation — 7 spellings for six actual names. We have kept them apart because that is what is printed on the screen, and a settings search that matches case will tell them apart too.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 8 of the 14 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | Mobile network | 1 |
| iOS 27.0 | Cellular | 1 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | Cellular Data | 1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Mobile Network | 1 |
| watchOS 27 | Cellular | 1 |
| BlackBerry OS 10 | Networks and Connections › Mobile Network | 2 |
| iOS 6 6.1 | General › Cellular | 2 |
| One UI 9 | Connections › Mobile networks | 2 |
| HyperOS 4.0 | Connection and sharing › SIM card and mobile network › Mobile data | 3 |
| OxygenOS 16 | Connection and sharing › SIM and network › Mobile data | 3 |
| Symbian Belle | Display › Pull-down panel › Mobile data | 3 |
| Wear OS 7 | Connectivity › Mobile › Mobile network | 3 |
| Windows 11 | Network & internet › Advanced network settings › Data usage | 3 |
| Android 17 | Network & internet › SIMs › Vodafone › Mobile data | 4 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Cellular is American; Mobile data is British and most of the rest of the world. Same radio, same screen, different dictionary. Vendors with a single global build pick one and ship it everywhere, which is why an American phone can feel subtly foreign in Europe and the other way round.
It is worth knowing both words before searching, because a settings search that works on one device returns nothing on the other.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to adding an eSIM, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where are the mobile data settings on most systems?
On 8 of the 14 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Mobile data”, used by 4 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are six different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
14 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.