Nothing can be more frustrating than opening your mobile phone bill and seeing a significantly large, shock-inducing amount beside your data usage.
Even with modern billing systems and stringent measures in place, if you’re a bit careless, you can rack up a higher bill on your data use every month.
Not using your phone to browse the Internet, check your email, and update your social media accounts, though, is not the only solution to lower your data use and avoid a staggering monthly bill.
Aside from choosing one of the best data bundles that allow you more control over how you use your data allowance, you can avoid bill shock due to your online mobile activities and save money by following these tips:
- Use Wi-Fi whenever possible.
Data allows you to connect to the Internet wherever you are. However, it doesn’t mean it is your only option when you need to go online.
If you have Wi-Fi at home, use it when you want to download music, stream videos, or install an app. If you need to send emails and do some work, log on to your wireless connection as well.
Keep in mind that while you are connected to Wi-Fi, it means you are not using data for your online activities. As such, you will be able to save your data and use it whenever you are mobile.
You will also do well to connect to Wi-Fi when you are in your workplace or at a coffee shop or restaurant, and anywhere it is available.
However, make sure you are using a secure connection. For added protection, download a VPN app and use it whenever you connect to public Wi-Fi.
- Turn off your data.
Connecting to Wi-Fi is useless if you don’t turn off your cellular data. Because of this, don’t forget to deactivate it whenever you have access to another Internet source.
If you don’t deactivate your data, whenever your Wi-Fi connection fails or becomes unstable, your phone will use it to connect to the Internet.
This means you will still be using your data unknowingly, which can cause you to go beyond your monthly allowance.
Additionally, consider turning off your data before going to bed. Since you are sleeping, you don’t need to check your email or social networking accounts every minute or so.
Another option would be to put your phone on airplane mode at night. Since you won’t be able to receive any messages, calls, or alerts, you will be free of distractions and have a more peaceful, relaxing sleep.
- Turn on your data alerts.
A simple trick you can try to avoid going beyond your data allowance and the additional charges is activating your phone’s data alerts.
Configure your mobile phone to alert you when you are nearing your monthly data usage limit. If you have an iOS device, go to Settings and tap Cellular. The Cellular Data Usage feature allows you to view how much data you have used since you last reset it.
To keep track of your allowance and usage, refresh this feature on the first day of your monthly billing cycle to see the latest information. Check it regularly to find out when you need to start reducing your data use.
If you have an Android device, go to Settings and tap on Data Usage and set the dates of your monthly billing phase. Tap the Set Mobile Data Limit option and change the meter according to your mobile data allowance.
Once done, your phone will automatically alert you when you are nearing your data limit. You should then start monitoring your usage.
- Minimize your apps’ data use.
Apps are the biggest consumers of data. Even if you are not using them, they are still running in the background, constantly refreshing and connecting to the Internet.
Reduce this unnecessary usage by disabling your phone’s Background App Refresh feature or turn it off on the apps that you don’t want to refresh automatically.
If you have an iPhone, go to Settings. Tap General and disable Background App Refresh.
If you have an Android mobile phone, go to Settings. Tap Data Usage then the Menu icon, and lastly, Restrict Background Data.
These simple steps can help you save on your monthly data use.
Another tip is to disable all automatic mobile app updates. When your apps update on their own, you will end up wasting a large amount of data.
Disabling this function is easy. Simply turn off this feature on the Settings of your iOS or Android phone. If you want to update them, always use Wi-Fi.
- Deactivate video auto-play.
YouTube and nearly all social media sites are inundated with fascinating videos. This means that most of the time, you can’t help watching. However, it still doesn’t mean that you should view all of them even if they play automatically.
Video ads can also start playing automatically, even if you are merely scrolling through your social feeds.
Regardless of their nature and length, allowing these videos to play instantaneously can drain your mobile data allowance within a few weeks or even days.
You can avoid this data-consuming mistake by disabling the video auto-play function of your apps.
The next time you use YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and your other social media apps, turn off the auto-play function for videos.
- Enable the Data Saver Function on your mobile browsers.
Lastly, if you use your mobile phone for research, reading news, checking your social media account and feeds, and simply for browsing, there are ways for you to reduce your data usage as well.
If you use Chrome as your mobile browser, turn on the Data Saver option to save as much as 35 percent for your data consumption. Although this may affect your browsing speed a little, it won’t give you a headache. More importantly, your data usage will be significantly reduced.
If you want to add another browsing app to your phone, consider installing Opera Mini. Data saving is enabled by default on this tool.
Moreover, this tool is designed around low data usage, which means your chances of going beyond your allowance and paying for the charges will be lower.
Additionally, with Opera Mini, you can adjust various data saving features. These include setting the quality of web page images and the resolution of videos.
Whether you have a brand new or refurbished phone, getting the most out of your data allowance should be your priority if you have a bundled plan. However, be sure you also stick to your limit to avoid paying for extra charges, which can create a big dent in your budget.
AUTHOR BIO:
Altaf Ladak is the Deputy CEO at Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan), Afghanistan’s leading total communications provider, which covers all 34 provinces with over 6.5 million active subscribers and has a deep commitment to the country’s reconstruction and development. Roshan is a true Afghanistan success story, actively contributing to the country’s long-term development with more than $750 million invested in Afghanistan.
