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Hi @SarahJane2
I'm Guru Karl and I will try and help explain what some of this means.
Q: One of the settings is 'use wifi to make and receive calls anywhere without connecting to a mobile network' - what does this mean and what are the pros and cons of having it on or off?
A: What this means is you can use your phone to make phone calls over WIFI, which means if you have no signal or weak signal but have access to WIFI you can make calls over WIFI, all you would need to do is call someone as normal and the phone will use the WIFI connection and not the mobile connection.
Q: Another setting is 'use LTE data networks for calls whenever possible' - what does this mean and should it be on or off?
A: LTE stands for Long-term Evolution, and isn’t as much a technology as it is the path followed to achieve 4G speeds. What this means you would be telling your phone to use LTE/4G when sometimes the 4G signal might not be the best signal and you might get a better signal on 3G or 2G.
Sometimes turning this off can help you achieve a better signal or turning it on can help achieve a better signal it depends on what area you're in.
Q: The choice of network modes is 'LTE/3G/2G (auto connect), 3G/2G (auto connect), 3G only, or 2G only.' What do these mean and how should you choose which one to use?
A: So the difference between these network modes are:-
LTE = Think 4G (Fastest Better Quality Calls, and Internet)
3G = Third Generation (Faster Better Quality Calls, and Internet)
2G = Second Generation (picture messages, slower internet experience, calls, and texts)
When it comes to network it depends on the area you are in so if you were in a rural area 2G or 3G might work better, if you were in a city 4G might work better. You should set your network mode to LTE/3G/2G if you have 4G in your area. You can check what network mode works best by using our coverage checker by clicking here.
I hope that makes sense if you have any more questions the community is here to help.
Have a great evening.
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Q: Should the network mode affect the phone signal? When I'm on LTE/3G/2G, the phone signal goes down to one bar. It's back to full strength when I'm on 3G or 2G. How does that work?
A: What this means is that 3G has a strong signal in your area, and 4G has a weaker signal but you can still get a good connection on 4G with a few bars, it’s all about test and trial. If you feel the 3G gives you a better experience then you can put the network mode in to 2G/3G just be aware that when moving away from that location your phone won’t be looking for an LTE signal, but you can turn it back on.
Q: Sometimes the network mode icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen flashes, which I think means it's trying to connect, or data is being transferred. This happens even when I'm not using the internet on the phone. I can't see a way off to turn off the network mode - it's just a case of choosing one of the four options. Is that normal that people are always connected? I was concerned about running up an unexpected bill or accidentaly using data. I can see how to the turn wifi on or off though and that seems to override the other choice if I want to go online.
A: When it comes to data usage, your smartphone is constantly connected to the internet, applications are working in the background, social media apps like WhatsApp, SnapChat etc and data based apps.
A lot of people stay connected constantly so these apps work when you are out and about, but some people do turn it off if they have low data.
Your data is automatically capped if bought through O2 so you should not get any additional charges.
If bought through a third party its worth checking it is capped by calling customer services on 202 or calling in to a store.
I hope that helps. 
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