Mobile data has become one of the effective ways mobile device users can gain wireless access to the Internet.
In other words, having a data-enabled mobile device will give you on-the-go access to the information you need on the global Internet.
Whether you are browsing the web, sending an email, or watching a video, downloading and using apps will take a slice out of your mobile data.
Watching videos on YouTube and streaming music tend to consume a lot of data but using social media networks such as Twitter or Facebook consume less.
Your smartphone can equally be eating into your data usage without you realising it because even when the screen is off, the phone is still working away in the background.
Here are five ways to conserve your data usage and save yourself from data consumption issues:
Deactivate mobile data when not in use
This is a very common way to reduce your data usage. You can deactivate the data connection on your mobile device whenever you are not using it. You can turn it on only when you need to carry out an activity that requires Internet connectivity.
Many smartphone users do not realise that so long as the phone is on and the data connection is activated, even if the backlight is out, the data is eating away because the phone still functions in the background.
Connect to a Wi-Fi
Both Wi-Fi and mobile data do essentially the same thing and work together to let you access the Internet, anytime, anywhere. The primary difference for users is cost.
Almost every smartphone or tablet that’s capable of cellular data also includes a Wi-Fi radio. You can use this to connect to a home or office wireless network just as you would connect a laptop or desktop PC and once connected, cellular data won’t be used.
Both Android and iOS users can connect to a wireless network by opening the settings menu, switching Wi-Fi on and then tapping the Wi-Fi entry to open a list of available networks. Just enter your home network’s security key and you’re done.
Just make sure you get into the habit of doing it, and you can make huge savings on the data you’re using.
Get rid of ads
Incessant appearance of adverts on your mobile device can be very annoying. Not only that, they are also eating up your data. This is a good reason to consider splashing out on the ad-free version of an app, especially if you use it a lot. You can also just turn Airplane mode on or turn mobile data off before you fire the app up and avoid ads that way.
Make use of offline apps, games and services
Some apps and games require constant Internet access to function. This can be simply a security measure or because they constantly need to retrieve data. There are some apps and games that don’t require Internet access after the initial download.
Try using some of those games and apps that do not require Internet access to save your data.
Disable auto updating of apps
Another huge drain of your mobile data comes from the occasional bout of app updating. If you have the Play Store set to auto-update apps, even over a data connection, without you knowing it, this could be chewing its way through your monthly data allowance.
So, you can simply deactivate the auto mode. That way, you can update your apps at any time of your choice, maybe when you have enough data to spare.
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