Times are tight, and paying attention to your consumption habits—from food to clothing to data usage—can help keep you on budget.
Being mindful of your mobile data usage can not only save money, but can also reduce frustration and, most importantly, keep you connected when it’s needed.
If you’re not sure how to conserve mobile data, here are a few effective strategies to get you started.
Toggle off background data
You might not even realize how many apps are quietly running in the background, even if you haven’t been actively using them.
Social media platforms and news apps are common culprits of eating up background data. Think: any apps that require constant refreshing to stay up-to-date.
Head to your phone’s Settings and Cellular to view which apps are eating up your data. From there, select and toggle off the background data feature for any apps that you don’t need to be constantly refreshed when not using.
This way you can control exactly what apps are using data and when.
Use Wi-Fi when possible
It might be obvious, but switching over to Wi-Fi when it’s available is a super easy way to reduce your mobile data usage.
Connect to your home Wi-Fi network whenever you’re at home. It can be easy to accidentally use your data instead of Wi-Fi, so make sure to double check your device.
When you’re out at a cafe or hotel, ask for their secure Wi-Fi login details to connect to a network—especially if you need to stream or download content. Try to avoid free Wi-Fi networks if possible, as these comes with more security risks.
Limit streaming quality
Streaming podcasts, music, or video in HD burns through significantly more data than you might realize. If you lower the resolution settings in these apps, you’ll conserve mobile data with only (arguably) minimal quality sacrifice.
Apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify have settings in which you can switch to standard definition or lower bandwidth so that you can stream seamlessly without gobbling up data.
Pre-download content
If you have plans to travel or know that you’ll be without access to Wi-Fi for a while, it’s worth downloading the content that you will be consuming ahead of time.
Make note of your podcasts, playlists, and maps you’ll need so that you can have them all pre-loaded onto your device while you have Wi-Fi. If you’re using a travel eSIM, this is another way to preserve your eSIM data for when you need it!
Disable autoplay and auto-download
Unfortunately, the convenience of hands-free autoplay, like when watching through a YouTube playlist, can come at a heavy data-use cost.
In your phone’s settings you can toggle off autoplay for videos. For chatting apps like WhatsApp or Telegram, you can also prevent automatic downloads of media.
The key is to maintain manual control of these factors to keep tabs on your data usage.
Turn off mobile data
The simplest way to conserve mobile data is to just switch it off. If you have tasks you know you can complete offline or if you know that your coverage is spotty, turning it off is a great preventative step to help ensure that apps won’t be using up your mobile data unnecessarily.
Use an eSIM
Instead of racking up fees and burning through data while roaming abroad, set yourself up with a prepaid eSIM for affordable local data. You can even track your data usage through the app so you’ll never run out unexpectedly and can always top up when needed.
