iOS 13 Will Let You Download Large Apps Over Cellular - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 13 Will Let You Download Large Apps Over Cellular

by

Apple on stage highlighted several new iOS 13 features that went unmentioned during the keynote event, including a quick mention of a new option that will let you download "large apps" over cellular.

Apple says that in iOS 13, you can choose to download apps and games over your cellular connection, which means you'll be able to download larger (or any) app you wish using LTE.

appestoredownloadsize
Apple last week upped the over-the-air download limit for apps from 150MB to 200MB. In the Settings app of iOS 13, there's a new "App Downloads" option that lets you choose whether to Always Allow downloads of any size, ask if downloads are over 200MB, or always ask first before downloading over cellular.

The file size limit has always been in place to prevent iOS users from accidentally downloading large apps over cellular and eating up their data allowance, but such restrictions are no longer be necessary for some users thanks to the proliferation of unlimited data plans.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Top Rated Comments

93 months ago
Finally!

Now we need a feature to enable downloads of iOS updates and iCloud backup over cellular!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
93 months ago
I have a ludicrous 90gb per month allowance and barely hit 20gb so give me all the reasons to up my usage, I dare you!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
93 months ago
Does the limit encourage developers to code prudently, though? We don’t need bloat for bloat’s sake.
Code compresses really effectively. Apps normally increase in size because of the assets - images, videos, sounds, etc.
[doublepost=1559620113][/doublepost]I remember reading about the original limit being a requirement for AT&T. They were the only provider for a few years and didn’t want to get overwhelmed with downloads. I guess Apple gave in on this since back then downloading over WiFi would be faster and a better experience for the user. Times have changed and the cellular connection is probably faster than a lot of wifi networks. I thought they would have dropped this back when they opened up to other providers. Glad it has happened!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
93 months ago
I'm more interested in downloading other files into iOS. I have to use 3rd party apps to download zip, dmg, pkg and other files.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
93 months ago
I have a ludicrous 90gb per month allowance and barely hit 20gb so give me all the reasons to up my usage, I dare you!
The Pirate's Bay is beta testing on iOS and they need people to use their iPhones as nodes? /s

I have to say Apple just knocked it out of the park today on a ton of fronts.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
Apple AppleCare One Feature

'AppleCare One' is Now Even More Valuable

Saturday July 18, 2026 6:25 am PDT by
While the monthly and annual prices of AppleCare+ plans for Macs and iPads received a slight increase this week, AppleCare One continues to start at $19.99 per month in the U.S., making the multi-device plan even more valuable. Launched in July 2025, AppleCare One allows you to cover up to three devices as part of a single subscription for $19.99 per month, and additional devices can be...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Raises iCloud+ Prices in 8 Countries

Friday July 17, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple has increased the price of iCloud+ in Nigeria, Türkiye, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, according to an updated version of its iCloud support document. Price increases range from 11 percent to 55 percent depending on the plan and the country. Nigeria saw the biggest hike, and a 50GB plan is now ₦1,300, up from ₦900. Türkiye saw the next largest...