How Can I Reduce My Data Usage On My Phone?

How to Reduce Data Usage

Brand your data concluding longer.

We all try our all-time to not be glued to our phones, but information technology's just difficult not to be. Reducing your data usage can assistance you lot avert hitting your information caps, improve your battery life, and heaven forbid, prevent incurring any actress fees.

Do y'all feel that pit in your stomach when yous go a text from your carrier nearly using upwardly all your information? Information technology kind of feels like existence broken upwardly with over text, but somehow worse.

Let's walk through the steps of how you can reduce your information usage and avert getting that dreaded text from your wireless provider.

i. Stick to Wi-Fi whenever you can.

If y'all're using Wi-Fi, that ways you lot're non using wireless information for your internet admission. It's kind of similar being taken out to tiffin on someone else's dime. You lot get to savor a delicious meal, but the payment isn't coming from your own wallet.

Wherever you go in this big world, look for a free Wi-Fi betoken and connect to it. A lot of public places have free Wi-Fi, like coffee shops, libraries, stores, and restaurants. Take the extra 15 seconds it takes to connect to the Wi-Fi, and you lot'll be free to bank check Instagram or refresh Twitter without stressing almost using up your wireless information.

Existent friends share Wi-Fi passwords

You'll desire to exercise some caution when sharing your Wi-Fi password. Only give your Wi-Fi password to folks yous trust, otherwise you lot could be facing a security hazard.

ii. Save downloads for when you're continued to Wi-Fi.

Every bit a rule of thumb, you should e'er say no when your phone asks y'all to update or download something with your wireless information. Tell your phone to expect until you get connected to a Wi-Fi signal and ignore the prompts to update to the new iOS or new version of your favorite app.

Updating and downloading apps are the two obvious ones, simply in that location's a lot of death-past-a-thousand-newspaper-cuts kind of data drains as well. Try to salvage your streaming, online gaming, and TikTok scrolling for when you're connected to Wi-Fi.

Here's an thought of how much data is used upwards for different activities on your phone:

Data requirements for common cell phone activities

Action	Amount of information used
4K video streaming	5.85 GB/hour.
HD video streaming	2.5 GB/hr.
SD video streaming	.7 GB/hr.
Audio streaming	72 MB/60 minutes.
Uploading one image to social media	5 MB/photo
Sending emails (without attachment)	xx KB/email
Sending emails (with standard zipper)	300 KB/electronic mail
Online gaming	12 MB/hr.
Viewing a spider web page	1 MB/pg.

iii. Deactivate Wi-Fi Assist or Smart Network Switch.

Apple tree iPhones and Android devices have built-in features that will utilise your wireless data to heave your Wi-Fi signal. For iPhones, it's chosen Wi-Fi Assist, and for Android devices, it's called Smart Network Switch. Basically, if your Wi-Fi bespeak is moving at a snail'due south footstep, then these functions volition use your wireless data to amend performance. Information technology'due south like when you lot drive over those fiddling arrows on Mario Kart and you lot go way faster. But in this instance, we want to avert the little arrows.

How to turn off Wi-Fi Assist on your Apple iPhone

Go to Settings.
Striking Cellular.
And then curl downwardly (below all your apps) and you'll find the slider for Wi-Fi Assist.

Cellular iPhone Image

How to turn off Smart Network Switch on Android

Get to Settings (the cog icon).
Become to Connections.
Become to Wi-Fi.
Hit the three dots in the corner and and so select Avant-garde.
Here you'll observe the slider for "Switch to mobile data."

iv. Don't fix your video apps to autoplay.

Whatever video app you lot're using, making certain y'all have autoplay turned off. Y'all tin commonly turn this feature off in the settings pick for whatsoever video app. Who knows how many times I've had YouTube videos running on repeat in my pocket because I forgot to plow off autoplay. Make sure yous plough off autoplay and so you lot don't have videos constantly running that drain your information.

Here's how it looks on the YouTube app:

5. Cancel out of your apps afterwards using them.

Do yous have the habit of leaving apps open subsequently using them? Me besides. We both demand to end.

Every bit apps run in the groundwork, they can continue to use our precious data. I am especially guilty of leaving my favorite mobile games open in the background, and I've already used more than than a GB of internet data because of it.

How do I cancel out of my apps on an iPhone?

If you accept annihilation older than an iPhone X, all y'all need to do is press your home button twice, and only swipe upwards on the apps y'all want to cancel.

For those of you who don't have a domicile push button (iPhone X and above), yous'll demand to just swipe from the bottom to bring up your apps, and then but swipe them away.

How practice I cancel out of my apps on my Android?

Here'due south the steps to close your groundwork apps on Android

Close 1 app: Swipe up from the bottom of your device, hold, so let go. Swipe up on the app.
Shut all apps: Swipe up to about the middle of your screen, swipe all the way to the left until you see the Clear all option.

half-dozen. Accept your GPS maps offline.

Your navigation apps can suck upwards a lot of data, especially while you're traveling. Thankfully, you can download maps off of Wi-Fi and get directions without using any data. It sounds scary to trust your maps app without net admission, simply it actually worked beautifully in getting me from tube end to tube end in London. For the tape, that'southward not a humble brag—London is like the i interesting place I've been to in my life.

How to download maps off Google Maps

Open up your Google Maps app.
Find the general location you lot want saved.
Tap the toolbar on the bottom and scroll to the left until you encounter a download button.

It will look like this:

How to download maps off Apple Maps

Make sure you're connected to the internet (preferably via WI-Fi).
Notice the general location on your map y'all want downloaded.
Wait for the map to completely load (until you tin encounter all street names).

That's it! Apple Maps automatically caches the maps y'all've pulled up, so you can use them even when you're offline. You tin turn your wireless data off on your phone, pull upward your Apple tree Maps app, and y'all'll notwithstanding accept the map you lot loaded prepare to become.

7. If all else fails, you lot can just change your smartphone habits.

I know, this proffer sounds similar information technology'southward coming from a parent or something. It'due south purposely on the bottom of the listing because it should exist a last resort.

If you're consistently finding that you use too much data, you tin e'er just set the phone down and do something else. Try turning on a moving picture, playing a video game, or heck, read a book. Make certain your ringer is on and then y'all tin can hear any incoming calls or texts, of form.

You tin can also use your iPhone or Android's born features to ensure you lot don't go over your data. Turning on your devicesLow Information Modevolition actively pause background tasks and automatic updates unless connected to Wi-Fi.

For iPhone users: Starting in your telephone's Settings, click on Cellular. From in that location, select Cellular Data Options soData Modeand you lot'll take the option to select Depression Data Mode.
For Android users: Starting in your telephone'southward Settings, select Cellular. And so click onCellular Data Optionsand from there you volition exist able to switch to Low Data Mode.

Practice you lot accept whatsoever other tips for reducing data usage?

If you've got whatever more pro tips on how to reduce your data usage, please let united states of america know in the comments below. Honestly, we could use all the help we could get.

At present that you know, here are your next steps.

If you're tired of worrying well-nigh data limits, check out an unlimited cell phone plan.

Thinking of upgrading your cell phone programme? Check out the all-time providers.

Written by

Tyler Abbott

Tyler has been obsessed with watching sports equally efficiently every bit possible since the creation of the DVR. He is always on the sentinel for the all-time tech in TV and wireless so he can watch all the sports and however accept enough time to hang out with his baby. He has written about streaming, wireless, and TV for over three years. He hopes the Lakers will eventually go better.