When it is time to open your data plan bill, you are anxious because you are not sure of your data usage. You just know that if you reached the limit, every excess megabyte is chargeable and it can quickly inflate. Mobile data usage is expensive and if you do not do anything, you pay more over time.
It is time that you learn some methods to save on mobile data usage. To help you get started, here’s How to Save on Mobile Data Usage:
Method 1: Determine the amount of data you need
Before anything, you should determine the amount of data you need. This can help you decide the right data allotment best for your needs or lifestyle. The first thing that you need to do is to log in to your carrier’s website then review your data usage in the past months.
With this, you can choose a plan that is higher than the amount of data you are currently using. Most carriers help consumers by providing a data calculator tool on their website to help estimate data usage. It is recommended that you utilise it.
If your carrier has this type of rollover data options, you are on the safe side. With the extra data, you have a fall back in case you exceed or use more data than normal in a specific month. These things will surely help you manage data usage allowing you to reduce data costs.
Method 2: Use Wi-Fi
Smartphones give you two ways to access the Internet – Wi-Fi or cellular data. As much as possible, you should use Wi-Fi at all times. This is How to Save on Mobile Data Usage. Fortunately, there are many public places and establishments these days that offer free Wi-Fi use. If you are on the go, cellular data will allow you to connect to the Internet but you have to be mindful of your usage.
Method 3: Cap your mobile data manually
If you are on the go, you have no choice but to use cellular data. In this case, the least that you can do is to manually cap your data. The manual data cap is a restriction of data.
To cap your mobile data on Android, you should do the following:
- Go to Settings then select Network & Internet.
- After, you should choose Data Usage.
- Once you enabled Data Usage, you should tap the Billing Cycle.
- With Billing Cycle, you tap Set Data Warning or Set Mobile Data Limit then specify the limit.
To cap your mobile data on iPhone, you should do the following:
- Open Settings then Cellular.
- With this, you can view how much data you used in the Current Period.
- You should also grab the opportunity to block apps that you do not want to have access to the Internet. You can do this by tapping their switches.
Method 4: Utilise data-compressing apps
You must know that apps utilise compression technology that can reduce your data usage. Simply put, it is wise to browse the mobile version of the website on a mobile device. For instance, if you are using Chrome, here’s how to utilise data compressing:
- Open Chrome then you tap the three-dot menu found at the top right corner.
- Choose Settings then turn the Data Saver on.
Method 5: Use a dual-SIM phone
Dual-SIM phones are practical if you have two mobile networks (for personal and work). By using a dual-SIM phone, you use both SIM cards in the same phone thereby getting rid of the data required for separate devices.
Method 6: Refrain from syncing apps automatically
When you use your phone, you should expect that there are many activities that happen in the background. You must be aware that open or closed apps can call for syncing data. For instance, Google Play and App Store always check for updates, email app updates for new messages and social media apps notify new posts. These activities can add to your mobile Internet usage.
Here’s how to disable the syncing of Android:
- Go to Settings then tap the Users & Accounts.
- You will then find apps that sync different data.
- It is crucial that you check every app and disable the switches as needed.
Here’s how to disable the syncing of the iPhone:
- Go to Settings then tap on Your Name.
- You should find iCloud.
- Finally, you can tap every service or app that you do not want to sync.
Method 7: Make sure Cloud Apps use Wi-Fi
Aside from the apps, you should also look into your cloud storage. While it is a good idea to set up cloud sync with your phone, it can gobble your data quickly. If you need to upload photos or access documents in Google Drive, it is best to configure them to use Wi-Fi only.
If you are an iPhone user, you need to disable iCloud syncing on mobile data. You should consider the following:
- Go to Settings then Cellular.
- Tap on iCloud Drive and make sure that the slider is off. This means it will only sync on Wi-Fi.
Method 8: Stop streaming music
Finally, you should stop streaming music. Instead of streaming, the best thing to do is to download tracks to your phone from your computer. Even if your phone has 32GB of storage, it is enough for a collection of your favorite music. Anyway, if you have low storage, you can always add more space through the microSD card slot.