How to Reduce Android’s Data Usage – Guide
People are addicted to social networking sites, cloud storage is increasing in popularity and more and more people tend to use streaming apps like YouTube and Netflix. Although you can exercise some control over your mobile data usage, you still run the risk of overusing it and getting hit by high data usage rates.
Android users still have reason to celebrate; You can still limit data usage with the correct configuration of your device. Despite all this, Android users still have access to a powerful mobile platform that can help them stay connected and use less data.
How to Reduce Data Usage on Android
To switch off Mobile Data when not in use
There are times when you don’t want to use your phone for a certain period of time, such as while you are driving or sleeping or in a meeting. All you need to do is access your Android’s notification panel and turn the mobile data option disabled. You can turn the mobile data off to avoid excessive data usage at these times, in case you are not expecting an urgent email, which you will not be able to check if you are not logged in or online.
Use Wi-Fi to update apps
If you have an Android phone, enable the Automatically update apps option in Settings. This will ensure that your apps are updated automatically even if you’re not connected to the internet.
If you don’t want your apps to automatically update, you can choose to do it manually. However, this can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating because you might not think about updates and miss important ones. ..
Restrict background data
If you’re not using an app that’s using a lot of data, you can reduce its use by disabling it from your phone’s settings.
The app uses a lot of data in the background, which is why the foreground number is high.
You can check which apps are using the most data by going to “Limit Background Data” and checking the box next to the app you want to limit. ..
Preload heavy content
Many people are now demanding that their mobile devices have the ability to download data and use it later when they are offline. This is done by using apps like Spotify and YouTube which let you download playlists or videos in your watch list later. This way, you can always have access to the data even if you’re not online.
Android Ice-Cream-Sandwich or later versions offer a way to easily access the settings menu and find the option to preload apps. This can save large chunks of mobile data and help reduce your monthly fee mobile data usage. In the long run, this can lead to tons of savings. ..
Keep a tab on data usage
Android gives you the option to track your mobile or use of cellular data. It really is a bliss in adversity. The data usage option allows you to track your usage and see which app was using how much data. It also lets you set a threshold on data usage and alerts when data usage reaches a certain predefined stage. You can configure your Android phone to warn you when your data usage reaches the 80% threshold and shut down mobile data completely when it reaches 100%. Although the data usage option on your Android phone may account for data differently from your carrier, it still keeps you up updated on your approximate total amount of use, preventing you from exceeding your limit.
Download large files over Wi-Fi only
Mobile data is expensive, so it’s important to use it sparingly. When you do download large files, make sure you do so over a Wi-Fi network. This will help avoid using up your mobile data and saving yourself some money in the process. ..
Prepare maps for offline use when traveling
Google Maps now lets you cache maps on your Android phone. Although downloading a map takes some time and data, once downloaded it is available for offline use and navigation. You can download maps while connected to Wi-Fi to reduce data usage when traveling. You just need to zoom in on the part of the map you want to cache and type “ok maps” in the search bar and the map will be cached for offline use.
You can use an app like Sygic to navigate offline and avoid using a mobile data connection.
Use data compression
Some websites are not mobile-friendly and can use up a lot of your mobile data, while some websites may have a lot of advertising that uses up your data. ..
If you’re concerned about your monthly cellular data usage, you can try using browsers that allow your Android phone to compress data before it’s downloaded. This can significantly reduce how much data is used each month. Some examples of browsers that do this are Opera and Chrome. ..
Adjust account sync settings
If you’re using an app like Facebook or Google+, you may want to turn off auto sync so that the app can keep track of its own files and not rely on your account for updates.
Final note
Android is a great operating system, but it can be a bit of a data hog. This guide will show you how to reduce Android’s data usage. ..
