How to save data consumption on your smartphone

Saving data consumption on today's smartphones can be a somewhat difficult task. Since it is possible to use chat applications, surf the internet and interact on social networks, among other things. However, the user will not always have a Wi-Fi network available for this, and will be forced to access the internet with mobile data.

Unfortunately, the mobile data that operators offer is limited and often ends earlier than expected, forcing the user to navigate extremely slowly.

Save data consumption on Android and iOS

Chat apps like WhatsApp and Line don't consume a lot of data (except for downloading content, like videos), but constantly browsing the web can push your pack to the limit too soon. One way to reduce this consumption is to limit the use of data in the browser of your smartphone.

The vast majority of mobile device users do not have an unlimited data plan. In this way, we must always be careful that the data does not end before the end of the month. Here we show you simple measures to reduce the data consumption of your mobile.

Don't use mobile data

Yes, it sounds a bit radical, but if you are in a place with Wi-Fi available, there is no reason to use your plan. This is especially true when you're on the go, as data roaming can cost a lot compared to free Wi-Fi. Countless applications offer the service of searching for Wi-Fi networks and sharing passwords. Find an access point and save your plan.

Do not upload photos or videos when you are on the street

The cameras of the latest smartphones are getting better and better, but their photos have become real monsters of weight: 40 MB for a single photo, for example, has become commonplace. If you have the function to automatically upload your photos to Flickr, for example, the volume of data transferred can be enormous. You must remember that both uploads and downloads consume data from your plan.

It gets worse when you share every moment on your YouTube channel or similar services. A single minute of HD video can be up to 200 megabytes, so you don't have to do a lot of uploading to reach your plan limit. In addition, if you need to upload a video before reaching your Wi-Fi network, record at a lower resolution (720p) instead of using FullHD.

Only use streaming services over Wi-Fi

To get an idea, listening to music streaming from Spotify at 320 Kbps is going to devour 133 MB of data per hour (on average, since repeated tracks are cached and does not consume as much data). Worse still if you are watching streaming videos: Full HD consumes no less than 15 MB per minute (almost a giga per hour).

If you can't live without streaming, then it's worth resetting your settings. For example: unless you have very good headphones, there is very little difference between streaming music at 320 Kbps and at 160 Kbps, especially if you are on the subway, bus or in the middle of the street. Always using 160 Kbps cuts data consumption in half without great harm to quality.

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By using messaging applications avoid voice and video

If you want to keep your data usage at a reduced rate, use instant messaging, and stay away from voice calls on WhatsApp or Skype. We are talking about at least 3 MB for 5 minutes (voice) and 20 MB for 5 minutes of video.

Avoid apps with excessive advertising

Free apps have been found to make constant uploads and downloads through the displayed advertising. The researchers found that ad-supported apps used up to 100% more data than non- ad-supported apps , and on average consumed 79% more of the data network.

Application update settings only on WiFi

Enter the Google Play store and select " Menu> Settings> Automatic update of the application> Do not update / Update only in Wi-Fi mode". This makes the apps update only if you are connected with Wi-Fi.

Save documents on the device

The services to save files in the cloud are very comfortable, but some of the most used files, such as books or important Google Drive documents, can be saved directly to the device, thus saving mobile data every time you upload or download such files.. An interesting option is to use offline applications.

What do you think of our guide on how to save data consumption ? Did you find it useful? What trick did you not know? If you liked the article you can leave us a comment and share on social networks.