What you’re about reading about mobile data applies to MTN, GLO, Airtel and 9mobile data users. Also it is applicable to both android and iphone users. There is this popular saying that “Data is life”. My question is, can data be life if you’re losing much money to it? Anything that drain money from you is not life.
Therefore, mobile Data is life only when it serves you or when you don’t spend more than you can on it. Most Nigerians spend more money on mobile Data ignorantly, which is why I decide to discuss about it on this post.
Let me ask, have you once or ever subscribe for a monthly mobile data plan of say 2GB and after a week or two you noticed that your data is finished? In fact, in some cases, you might not even use it at all or you did not use it in watching online videos.
If your answer to the question above is yes, then you’re not alone because many of us have experienced it over and over again. There are two major causes of losing data without making use of it. To rectify the problems leads us to how to manage mobile data effectively.
So after today, you’ll no longer call your service provider complaining of data issue because you’ll be in control.
Also Read: Updated Airtel Data Plan
How to Manage Your Mobile Data
There are two major things that drain our data unknowingly. They are:
- Mobile App Setting
- Phone Settings
To stop these 2 things from draining your Mobile data then you must learn how to configure them. Therefore, this post is purely on how to configure your App settings and phone settings. Yes, with the proper phone and App configuration you are sure of saving and controlling your data maximumly.
Configure App Settings to Save Data
There are 5 major Apps that consume data endlessly on your phone. They are:
- WhatApp
- Play Store
- Snapchat and
- Youtube
Let’s look deep into how to configure each of the Apps above to save data.
FaceBook – Disable Auto Play
To stop Facebook APP from depleting your data fast, then you must switch off the AUTO play function. To do that, follow the 4 steps below:
- Go to Facebook option icon (the three horizontal bar at the top right corner)
- Click the App Settings (Under help and settings)
- Click on AutoPlay
- Select never Autoplay videos
Alternatively, you can activate the “Data Saver” Option. To do that,
- Go to the option icon
- Select settings and privacy
- Select data saver
- On the data saving function by toggling on
WhatsApp – Disable Auto Download
Have you noticed that most times every video sent to your WhatsApp downloads automatically? Yes, auto download drains your data. To download only videos you like, you must turn off the WhatsApp auto download feature. To get it done follow the steps below
- Go to the “settings” section in your WhatsApp APP
- Click on “Data and Storage Usage”
- Select Media Auto Download option
- Deselect all options under “When Using Mobile Data”
- You can also enable low data usage for WhatsApp
Play Store – Update App only on Wifi
To prevent unnecessary update of Apps from the Google Play store, you should set it on only update Apps on WIFI. With this no App will be updated unless you do that by yourself. To do it, follow the steps below
- Go to the Google Play store
- Click on Menu & go to Settings
- Click on Auto-update apps.
- Select “Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only”.
- You also have the .option to choose “Do not auto-update apps“.
Instagram- Use Less Data
To prevent auto download of images on instagram and to save your data usage of instagram, follow the steps below:
- Open Instagram options
- Go to Settings
- Select Cellular Data Use
- Then tick Use Less Data.
Also Read: Updated GLO Data Plan
Twitter – Deactivate Auto Play
Twitter has an Auto Play feature like Facebook. Videos play automatically or once you are on the page, which consumes data much. To save your data you must turn off your twitter Auto play feature by following the steps below
- Go to your Twitter Profile icon.
- Click on Settings and Privacy
- Select Data Usage
- Set Video Autoplay to Never
SnapChat
To save data while on SnapChat then do the following:
- Go to Snapchat Settings
- Click on “Manage” under “Additional Services”
- Tick the “Travel Mode” box
YouTube- Limit Data Usage
To me, YouTube is the App that consumes data than any other App. So, you must learn how to save your data from YouTube. To do that, follow the steps below:
- Open the YouTube App
- Tap on the profile icon at the top right corner
- Select Settings
- Click on General
- Turn on “Limit Mobile Data Usage”
With these steps above, you are in total control of you Data by being in control of your Apps.
Configure Phone Settings To Save Data
Without proper phone settings, most App will be running underground, checking for updates, syncing your data and serving you with Ads. I hope you have been seeing adverts on your whatsApp and phone without knowing how they come about.
All these happen automatically and consume more of your data. So, you will learn how to configure your phones to prevent unnecessary waste of data. There are 3 things you have to do in configuring your phone. They are:
- Restrict Background Data
- Manage your Sync Setting
- Set App Update on Wifi Only
1. Restrict Background Data
- Go to settings.
- Select the Data Usage option (or the equivalent depending on the phone type).
- Click on the 3 dots on the right top corner of the screen.
- Click on the Restrict Background Data.
- Select ok.
This will restrict background data for all apps.
Restrict Background Data on iPhones
- Go to settings.
- Select “General”.
- Then click on “Background App Refresh”.
- Now you can select the apps you want to restrict from running in the background.
Another option is to go to:
- Settings
- Select “ Cellular”
- And select the apps you want to restrict.
2. Manage Your Sync Settings
Google automatically sync or regularly update your mail and files. However, video and photo files do not require regular update and whenever it does it consume a lot of data. To prevent Google from unwanted updates, then follow the instructions below.
Manage Your Sync Settings on Android Phones
- Go to settings
- Click on the Account option.
- Click on the app whose sync setting you what to adjust.
- Then turn off sync on items that don’t really need to be synched.
Manage Your Sync Settings on iPhones
- Open iTunes.
- Connect device to the computer.
- Select the connected device from the top device button.
- Go to options in the Summary section.
- Unselect the box for “Automatically Sync When This iPhone is connected”.
- Close iTunes for change to take effect.
Also Read: Updated Etisalat Data Plan
3 Set App Updates Only on Wifi
If you’re always on wifi, it will be wise to know how to save your data while using Wifi.
Set App Updates Only on Wifi on Android Phone
- Go to Play Store.
- Swipe out the left hand menu.
- Click on settings.
- Click on “Auto-update apps”.
- Select the option to update apps over Wi-Fi only.
Set App Updates Only on Wifi on iPhone
- Go to settings.
- Click on “iTunes & App Store”.
- Switch on (or off) the apps you want to auto-update.
- Below is the option to update apps over mobile network. Turn this off.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve really understand how to save your data while enjoying maximum browsing. Please share this post if you find it helpful.
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