Surfing the internet, using GPS, sending emails, applications... the smartphone has become an essential ally in everyday life. But did you know that it can connect to the Internet and consume data without your knowledge? However, this is not good for the battery life of your smartphone, nor for your plan, nor for your wallet. Indeed, without this “hidden” consumption, a smaller package could be enough for you, which would allow you to save a few euros each month. Here are 5 tips that will help you reduce your data consumption.
1. Limit your mobile data consumption
To limit your mobile data consumption on your Android smartphone and thus avoid exceeding the data cap of your mobile plan , there are several solutions.
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DISABLE MOBILE DATA TO SAVE YOUR PLAN
The most radical solution to save mobile data on your plan is to deactivate mobile Internet when you are not using it.
To do this, on your Android mobile, go to settings, then click on Network and Internet > Data consumption then press the button next to Mobile data to activate or deactivate mobile Internet access .
Note that this process may vary depending on the brand of your phone and the version of the operating system used. For example, on a Samsung smartphone running Android, you will have to go to “Connections” then “Data usage” to block mobile data.
Please note, if you deactivate mobile data, you will no longer be able to surf the Internet via the mobile network or send or receive MMS but you will still be able to use free Wi-Fi networks.
If this solution seems too extreme to you, rest assured there are other tips available to save the data on your mobile subscription.
CONTROL YOUR DATA CONSUMPTION
Before you want to save the mobile data in your plan, you still need to know how much Internet you consume and why.
Rest assured, you don't have to wait to receive the bill from your mobile operator to find out. All you have to do is go to the settings of your Android smartphone.
Once in the Settings menu, click Network & Internet > Data usage (or Connections > Data usage on a Samsung smartphone). You will then see the total volume of data consumed over the current period (generally, since the 1st day of the month).
And if your plan does not start on the 1st day of the month, click on the toothed wheel to set the billing start date. This will help you track your data consumption and save on your plan .
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Thanks to this feature available with your Android smartphone, by clicking on Mobile data consumption (or Mobile data usage), you can:
– Consult a graph representing your mobile data consumption over the current period,
– See your data consumption over another period by clicking on the arrow (the previous month for example),
– View the amount of data consumed by each of your mobile applications.
This will allow you to know which applications are the most data intensive (or those that you use the most). So, to limit data consumption, you can delete mobile applications that are not essential to you.
SET A DATA LIMIT BY BLOCKING THE INTERNET AUTOMATICALLY
Another method to limit your data consumption is that you can define a data volume not to be exceeded.
Concretely, when you reach it, your smartphone will automatically deactivate mobile data. You will then no longer have access to mobile Internet (nor MMS) but you will still be able to surf via Wifi.
To do this, click on the toothed wheel at the top right of the graph then on “Set a data limit” (or “Set data limit” on a Samsung smartphone). This will enable the option. Then, click on “Data consumption limit” (or “Data limit”) to set the volume of data above which your Internet access should be blocked (click on the arrow to go from MB to GB). As a precaution, it is advisable to set a volume lower than that included in your plan (19 GB, for example, if you do not want to exceed 20 GB).
When you reach the data limit you set, you will receive a notification informing you that mobile data has been turned off. To reactivate them, simply click on the notification or return to Network and Internet > Data consumption > Mobile data consumption to deactivate “Set a data limit”.
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SET A DATA CONSUMPTION ALERT
In Billing cycle (accessible by clicking on the toothed wheel in Mobile data usage) you can also configure your Android smartphone to be notified when you have consumed a certain amount of data.
To do this, click on “Data consumption warning”, enter a data volume (the arrow allows you to choose between GB and MB) then validate.
If you are using a Samsung smartphone, click Definition warning. data-related to activate the alert then “Data-related warning” to define the amount of data that will trigger this alert.
Once this function is activated, you will receive a notification when you have consumed the data volume you have defined. If your plan includes 10 GB of Internet for example, it is in your best interest to set this threshold at 9 GB in order to be warned before reaching the limit of your plan.
2. Reduce background data usage
If your Android smartphone consumes Internet even when you are not using it, it is mainly because of your mobile applications which are automatically updated in the background, in particular to display the latest news, retrieve your emails, or again to send you notifications. Disabling the use of background data will therefore limit mobile data consumption and thus make significant savings on your mobile plan.
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MODERATE BACKGROUND DATA USE OF CERTAIN APPS
To reduce background data usage, go to your Android smartphone's settings and click Network & Internet > Data usage > then Mobile data usage (or Connections > Data usage > Mobile data usage on a smartphone Samsung).
You will then see the list of applications that consume data. Then click on an application to display more detailed information: the total volume of data consumed over the current period, the quantity of data consumed in the foreground but also in the background.
To block background data consumption of this app, simply deactivate the Background data option (or Allow background data use).
Limiting the use of data in the background of an application allows you to save the mobile data of your plan because the application will only update when you are using it or over Wifi. However, you may no longer receive all notifications from this application.
ACTIVATE DATA SAVER ON YOUR ANDROID SMARTPHONE
Another method to reduce the data consumption in the background of all your mobile applications is activating the data saver on an Android mobile.
To do this, simply go to the settings of your smartphone, click on Network and Internet > Data consumption > Data saver then on Activate.
If you have a Samsung smartphone, this feature can be found in Connections > Data usage > Data saver.
To allow certain apps to connect to the mobile Internet in the background even when Data Saver is active, click Unrestricted Data (or Data Saver Permissions) and then click the button next to the app or the service concerned.
3. Adapt video and audio quality to consume less
If you watch online videos on your mobile or listen to music via music streaming platforms, know that you can save mobile data while still taking full advantage of your smartphone.
To reduce streaming data consumption, it is possible to adjust the video or audio quality of the content.
With an Android mobile phone, you can preconfigure the lowest quality for Youtube videos and thus limit your data consumption.
To make these settings with your Android smartphone, go to the phone's Settings, select the application concerned and then choose Limit mobile data usage.
Netflix, Spotify, Deezer and other streaming platforms also offer this option to adjust the audio or video quality in order to consume less mobile data.
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USE OFFLINE MODE
Another tip to further reduce your mobile data consumption is to use offline mode.
More and more streaming services such as Netflix, OCS, Deezer now offer you the option to download content via Wi-Fi directly via their applications.
You can then watch them whenever you want, in offline mode, and therefore without impacting the mobile data in your plan.
4. Use Wi-Fi to save your data
Another reflex to adopt to save data on your mobile plan is to use Wi-Fi on your smartphone whenever you can. This simple solution is ideal for considerably reducing your data consumption.
At home, simply connect your Android mobile to the Wi-Fi network of your internet box. This will automatically use your box's wireless connection instead of the cellular data from your mobile subscription.
Note that you can also benefit from a Wi-Fi network outside your home in certain public places such as shopping malls for example, restaurants or even simply at your workplace.
5. Perform Google Play updates only over Wi-Fi
To save your data budget, it is also strongly recommended to only update your applications when your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
To configure updates via Wi-Fi, go to the Google Play Store app on your Android mobile, then go to the latter's menu, then to Settings. Select Auto-update apps via Wi-Fi only.
Thanks to these tips, you will be able to reduce your data consumption and save on your mobile plan: no more need to pay for a plan with 50 GB of Internet or more “just in case”, you can opt for a plan that really meets your needs. needs.
You can also choose a flexible plan: each month, it will adapt to your Internet consumption in order to give you the best price.