In this guide, you will learn how to monitor and control data usage on Android.
If you’re an active user on the internet, then you must be using the services of telecom giants in your location to access the internet on your Android phone. Even with some of these service providers offering unlimited data plans, it is important to learn important things like “what is data usage in Android?” and how to restrict data usage on an Android device. But let’s understand what data usage is all about.
What is Data Usage in Android?
Data usage is a feature that lets you know how much data your phone uploads or downloads while you use your mobile data. You can use this feature to set a spending limit and control your data usage.
How to set data spending limit on your Android phone
- First, go to Settings on your Android phone.
- Next, click on Network & Internet > Mobile Network and then “Data warning & limit” or search for “Network/ SIM/ Internet”. You can also type “Data” or “Data Usage” in the Settings menu for a quick search.
- Now, tap Data warning & limit and then you will see two options: “Set data warning” and “Set data limit”.
- Finally click on data warning or data limit and input the quality of data to limit and hit “Set”.
That’s all. For the data warning option, you will get a warning when you reach that quantity in your usage cycle, and the data limit option will disable your mobile data when you reach your set limit.
How to enable data saver mode on your Android phone.
You can use the data saver option to prevent your Android apps from sending or receiving data in the background even when they are not open. You can manually choose which apps are restricted and which ones are unrestricted even when the Data Saver option is enabled.
Go to Settings, and click on Network & Internet, then “Data Saver” or search for “Network/SIM/ Internet” and enter “Data Saver.” You can also search for “Data Saver” and toggle it on.
How to enable auto-update on Wi-Fi only.
The best way to control your data usage is to stop your apps from automatically updating when you enable your mobile Internet connection. You can change your settings to only auto-update when your smartphone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
- Launch your Google Play app.
- Next, tap on the profile image in the top right corner.
From the pop-up menu, tap on Settings and choose Network Preferences. - Under the sub-menu, you’ll see these options: App download preference, Auto-update apps, and Auto-play videos. Choose Wi-Fi only for all three options.
Use lite versions of apps.
There are many apps that consume lots of data in the background, and some of these apps include social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok. You can install the lighter version, such as Facebook Lite, or Instagram Lite, or TikTok Lite.
These lite versions allow users to carry out basic functions, but there are some limitations from the original version.
