How To Minimize The Mobile Data Usage of Your Android Or iPhone

In this article  we will be discussing How To Minimize The Mobile Data Usage of Your Android Or iPhone. Not long ago we used to have different plans for text messages. And to be honest, we all were happy with it. But then came the wave of the internet that promised us that we can send those text messages for free, and that it will be included in our data plan. We jumped that bandwagon to take advantage of the free text messaging thing. Little did we know that we will still have to pay for those plans, and that once they go above the limit, we will be charged extra money for that.

It is kind of like getting slapped by our service provider for going above the limit. Yes, I know there are many people who make sure that they never go above the limit, but they too end up being in an inconvenient situation where having that internet plan doesn’t make any sense.

But there’s still hope (like they say in every movie). We can have an upper hand against those carriers by changing the way we use our smartphone, and setting up some alerts that will make sure that we know when we are nearing our data usage limits. Shall we proceed?

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How To Minimize The Mobile Data Usage of Your Android Or iPhone

How To Minimize The Mobile Data Usage of Your Android Or iPhone

Track This Whole Thing

The first thing you should do, is download Onavo Count on your Android smartphone, and iPhone users can use the AT&T’s Data Calculator, or their app to keep track of their data usage. These applications will make sure that you know exactly how much data you are using, where it is being used, and when you will be going off the limit.

This will help you alert when you are nearing the limits.

Set Those Hard Limits

Whether you like it or not, you should set limits to your usage (unless you are a Sprint user, then you should have unlimited data). It is always better being within the limits that taking out those extra bucks from your pocket the hard way.

In Android (Android 4.0), you can simply go into the Settings, then go to Wireless & Networks, and then Data Usage. There you can view the total amount of data that you have consumed, and also get an option to set Mobile Data Limits. From there you can adjust the orange bar that will alert you, or warn you that you are nearing your data limits, and once you reach the red bar, your mobile data will get switched off automatically.

In iPhone (iOS 7), you can simply download My Data Manager, which is an application that allows you to tweak different settings and set limits to your data usage. This application is available for both, Android and iOS.

Don’t Feel Cheap While Using a Wi-Fi Hotspot

Wi-Fi is your best friend when you are seriously trying to save your mobile data. Take note of those hotspots that you get from your home to the workplace, and know whether they are open wifi’s or you will need a password to connect to them. Visiting a bar? Is there Wi-Fi? Connect to it then.

And if you don’t want to do the grunt work, then download the Wi-Fi Finder app (Android and iOS). It will do all the work for you, and note whether those Wi-Fi’s are locked or open.

Your Background Data

This is the main reason why you don’t know how you are consuming so much data. It is because your applications are updating, or searching for more information in the background. Or maybe your Facebook application is searching for updates, or to provide you with notifications about different things.

The straightforward way to deal with this, is to disable the background data usage for all the applications. But if you want to tinker with things, then look at the background data usage of different applications. If you justify for their usage, leave them, and if you want to punish them, restrict the usage.

Your Browser

Little did I knew that my mobile browser consumes more data on average, while there was still space to save that data. I can bet on the Opera Mini browser, and say that you will notice less data usage during your browsing activities. They even go ahead, and note the amount of data being saved, so you know how much you have saved during a particular time period.

Or if you want to go hardcore with this data saving thing, you can download TextOnly Browser on your Android. This browser will load only text from the websites that you visit.

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