Super cheap person wants tips about data

[Tishie1]

So I have the tiniest data plan ($25) and used it up already! But I only went on the internet once outside my home.

How do I stop using data? Does googlemaps use data? Maybe background apps?

[Anonymous]

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@Tishie1 wrote:

Not very good at screenshots...

I also received and sent photos but figured that used wifi. Now that my data is turned off, I can't see any photos...

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That's correct. MMS needs data mode to be on but it doesn't count towards any consumption. But of course if data mode is on then other stuff can be tx/rx'd.

[kelvarnsen]

If you want to be extra cheap find every place that has free wifi near to where you regularly are. Places like Mcdonalds, coffee shops, hotels, etc. Set your phone up to automatically connect to them. When I wait for the bus on the way home from work my phone can usually pick up the wifi from a nearby hotel, which I used to use all the time when i was on a 500mb plan.

[MandyJ]

Have you tried looking into your data usage on your phone as was previously suggested? It should give you a breakdown of how much data each app has used (apps like to use data even when you don't think you are using them - for instance to run updates in the background).

If you find certain apps are using a lot of data, you can restrict their permissions while connected to the mobile network so they won't eat up your data in the future. You should be able to find a setting similar to "Restrict Background Data" for each of the apps listed.

[Tishie1]

Not very good at screenshots...

I also received and sent photos but figured that used wifi. Now that my data is turned off, I can't see any photos...

[TheOldVR]

Probably had an offline map update offline..... or took a 10,000 stop trip around the Canada 😛

[geopublic]

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@Tishie1 wrote:

I just checked my email and went on googlemaps---used all my data!

I have a samsung galaxy s5 phone.

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@Tishie1  Interesting I use google maps every day and it uses very little data with location turned on. The only way Google Maps would use up 1GB of data would be if you downloaded the entire north american map onto your phone while data was turned on. Can you post a screenshot of you data usage?

[TheOldVR]

@Tishie1... good find.

Some apps eat data even if you tell them to only update over WIFI.... Greedy things!!!!!

Waiting for someong to make a Huawei comment :P..... 

[Triguy]

Make sure you turn off your location so Google maps doesn't update.  You could download maps when you have wifi and then save them  for when you are offline.

[Tishie1]

I just checked my email and went on googlemaps---used all my data!

I have a samsung galaxy s5 phone.

[TheOldVR · Accepted solution]

Dig in to your settings and you will find what used the most data... you'll probably be surprised to find that alot was wasted to stuff that you don't care about.

Next, turn off mobile data for apps that are wasting data and turn off background updates for everything except for critical apps.

Turn off auto-download for all media, including in apps like WhatsApp.... 

And finally, many apps have a low data usage setting.... use that.

Good luck!!!

[andrewjc]

It might also be looking into data saving modes for apps you frequently use. I know apps like Twitter and Reddit have options in their settings to load lower-quality versions of images and not autoplay videos while browsing using data. I'm sure other apps have this as well. 

[geopublic]

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@Tishie1 wrote:

So I have the tiniest data plan ($25) and used it up already! But I only went on the internet once outside my home.

How do I stop using data? Does googlemaps use data? Maybe background apps?

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@Tishie1  Google maps use very little so thats not the problem. From your plan you have 1GB of data every 30 days correct? Tips on how to limit data use.

No streaming or downloading pictures

Make sure that any app can only update/download data only when on WiFi

Make sure phone updates are set to only occur when on WiFi.

[mh1983]

When you accessed the web, was it to stream video or audio? Either of those would chew through a small data plan.

Others have mentioned restricting background data. Stay on WiFi wherever possible. Can you let us know what kind of phone you have? That way, we can tailor the help to you better.

[andrewjc]

It might be worth going into your data settings and seeing which apps are using the most data so you can limit their usage. It's pretty easy to find both on iPhones and Android devices. I'd also recommend turning on "data saving mode" when on data and only having data on when you need to access the internet. 

If you're still having trouble staying within the limit from normal usage, it might be worth thinking about a plan with a higher data cap. 

[mimmo]

go into setting s and restrict background data.

https://www.google.ca/search?ei=S4ryXITzL5j5-wS_y5WIAg&q=android+restrict+background+data&oq=android...