Mobile data
is expensive, but there are many ways to reduce the amount of data you use
without
compromising on your Android smartphone experience. Alcatel suggests a few
tweaks and tips that will help you stretch your bundle further:
1. Use less data with Chrome’s Data Saver
With Chrome’s
Data Saver, less data is downloaded to your device because Google’s servers
compress websites for you. Not only can this cut down on data usage, it can
also allow you to load web pages faster when you have a slow connection.
On your
Android phone, open the Chrome app, tap ‘more settings’ and then tap ‘data
saver’ under
‘advanced’.
Switch the setting on; you can look at ‘data usage breakdown’ under ‘data saver’
to see a list of the sites you've visited and how much data you've saved.
2. Check that you don’t have apps draining your
data in the background
Some apps
may be running data services in the background, even when you are not using
them. For
example, they could be downloading
updated information, syncing data or tracking your location. Look at ‘data
usage’ in the Android settings menu, and you may be shocked by how much data
some apps are quietly consuming. In particular, look at background data usage,
and tap on ‘restrict app background data’ if it’s not an app you use all the time.
3. Go ‘lite’ with some of your favourite apps
The
developers of many of your favourite apps and services have created lightweight
versions of their apps, designed to consume less data as well as to require less
storage space and run better on older and slower devices.
Sometimes
you might need to sacrifice a few features when you use the ‘lite’ version of
an app, but for many people, it’s a worthwhile trade‐off for more efficient
data usage. Some examples include YouTube Go, Google Go, Skype Lite, Facebook
Messenger Lite and Twitter Lite.
4. Navigate offline with Google Maps and download
media
Navigation
with Google Maps can chew up a significant amount of data. You can save an area
from
Google Maps
to your phone or tablet when you have access to a Wi‐Fi network and use it when
you're offline. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app and
click download.
Where apps
like Netflix, Google Play or Spotify allow it, why not download your media when
you have Wi‐Fi access rather than streaming it using mobile data? This can
enable you to have your entertainment at your fingertips, without blowing your
bundle.
This
edition by Fred Felton | Twitter @fredfelton
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