Ding
1 Aug 2019
All of us at Ding have experienced the dreaded text message from our mobile operator saying that we've reached our data limit..
This means no cute Snapchats, no GIFs on Twitter or WhatsApp soundbites unless you are lucky enough to be constantly connected to Wi-Fi (which we all know is virtually impossible).
So how can we make sure we are using our mobile data to its full capacity and not wasting a drop of it?
Most smartphones are set to default settings when purchased, but this may not always be the best settings for you. Your current settings could be optimized to chew through your data without you even knowing.
If you are working with an iPhone, head to your settings and scroll to the ‘cellular’ section. Here you can see all your apps and which ones are draining your data. By disallowing apps to use your data, you are ensuring that it only backs up to iCloud when you have a Wi-Fi connection.
Also on an iPhone, you can turn off Wi-Fi assist. This function automatically switches you to data when you have a dodgy internet connection.
If you are using an Android phone, the best thing you can do to preserve your data is to set a limit. This will notify you when you are getting close to hitting that limit so you can adjust accordingly.
You can also switch most Android phones to ‘Data Saver Mode’ which will automatically switch all your apps to a mode in which they are using as little data as possible!
Even if you have your settings set up perfectly to preserve precious data, over-usage of apps are the real drainer of data no matter how careful you are.
The worst offenders are apps that stream media: music apps, podcast apps and book apps drain your data anytime you go to stream content. If you plan on downloading a new book or podcast make sure you do so when you are connected to Wi-Fi.
Apps like Netflix and YouTube that stream video are also a surefire way to hit your data allowance hard. Also if you are planning on a road trip – apps like Google Maps drain data and battery.
If you are still at a loss as to why you are also going way over your data limit and have tried all of the above, there are some handy apps out there that can give you a hand tracking your data usage.
For iPhone you can try Smartapp which can help you track your data and see trends over monthly period. You can also set alarms when you hit certain data points. This app also suggests new data plans that might help you stay within your monthly limits.
For Android, there’s My Data Manger which allows you to track where your data is going and which app are the main culprits for draining it.
If you have tried all of the above steps and cannot keep your data in check, you are probably on the wrong data plan.
Why not investigate all available operators and consider switching? Or present your issue to your current carrier and if you are a long-time customer they may consider increasing your data limit.
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