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How to save data: Five tips to save data and money
No all of us need or want an unlimited plan. The good news is, you don’t have to sacrifice the convenience of a connected smartphone just to save money on mobile data. Here are five things that’ll take you five minutes to do and can save you a ton of money each month.
Your smartphone is indispensable. There are a ton of varyingly data-hungry apps that improve your mobile experience. Cloud storage, audio and video streaming, rich browsing, turn-by-turn navigation and so on can put a heavy demand on your mobile data connection. Fortunately, though, it’s easy to cut down on mobile data use without hindering your mobile experience.
Save data in Google Chrome
Bandwidth management
Google has implemented a feature in Android called Lite mode that can greatly reduce the amount of data that the Chrome browser demands. Using Google’s servers, Chrome condenses images and other files to optimize page sites on your mobile device. They also give you a visual look at how much you’ve saved over the past month using a simple line graph. According to Google, your data usage can be reduced by up to 60%!
To enable the Lite mode setting, head to:
Chrome menu > Settings > Lite mode
Save data in Google Maps
Caching Google Maps
You can download an area in Google Maps so that it uses less data when navigating to your destination. Not only does this save you tons of mobile data, it also improves the experience if you’re traveling through a low reception area.
While there’s some debate on the size of the cap, there is a limit on the amount of data you can cache. If surpassed, you’ll be asked to zoom on a smaller area.
To save a map for offline use:
Open Google Maps and search for the location you want to save. Tap the bottom info bar and then tap Download.
Choose the size of the region you want to save, name it and you’re done!
Google allows you to automatically download Gmail attachments over Wi-Fi. If you’re a daily user of the Gmail app, this toggle could help you save big! Sorry iOS users, this one’s an Android-only feature as well.
Facebook recently added a feature that automatically plays videos in your newsfeed, regardless of if you wanted it to or not. To avoid unintentionally downloading these videos:
Facebook Menu > Settings > Videos and Photos > Autoplay
Didn’t see your favorite app?
Make sure to check the app’s settings page for any data saving toggles that have been added. Developers are constantly improving their applications and may have included the feature since the last time you checked!
Interested in learning more about reducing your cellular data usage? Check out the comprehensive list of our articles on reducing mobile data usage.
How else do you save on mobile data each month?
We’d love to hear your tips in the comments below. We may even include your idea in our next data saving blog post!
What’s in store?
In the Ting Mobile shop you’ll find everything from good ol’ flip phones to the latest iPhone and Android phones.
