With Yesterdays supposed Social Media Blackout in South Africa intending at highlighting the extensive price of mobile data in the country, millions of mobile users across the world not just in South Africa search for way to curb their data usage and thus save money.
With the constant need to be "connected" to the world through our devices cutting data usage is becoming increasingly difficult.
Alcatel has set out a list of tips on how you can use your data more efficiently on your Android device, saving you money without compromising on your experience with your smartphone and your social networking apps:
Data saving tips for Facebook
- Stop videos from playing automatically in your news feed: Go into app settings in the Facebook app and change the auto-play settings from On to Wi-Fi only or Off.
- Use the Facebook Lite app: Find a WiFi zone, and download Facebook Lite, a streamlined version of the Facebook app that offers a more data-efficient Facebook experience.
Data saving tips for Snapchat
- Travel mode: Enable the ‘travel mode’ option in the app’s ‘manage preferences’ menu and Snapchat will use much less mobile data in the background.
Data saving tips for WhatsApp
- Enable low data usage: Activate the low data usage option in settings to use less data, but be mindful that the quality of your data calls might be lower.
- Don't download heavy media automatically: In settings, you can configure WhatsApp to download multimedia files automatically only when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. So when you receive a large video or enhanced image, you can wait until you are within a WiFi zone to choose to download it.
Data saving tips for Instagram
- Use less data setting: From the settings, open the cellular data use panel and enable the ‘use less data’ toggle switch – this allows you to still enjoy your Instagram experience but for less.
Download areas and navigate offline
- You can select and save an area from Google Maps to your phone or tablet when in a WiFi zone and use it when you're offline. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app, use the drop down menu to select Offline Maps, and select your area to download and select save.
Download one of these apps to track your data usage
- It’s always handy to be able to keep an eye on your data usage so you know how much data is being used on your smartphone and more specifically, by which app. These Data Usage Monitor Apps below assist you in knowing where your data goes to.
- Data Usage Monitor: Helps you measure and manage your data usage, and alerts you when you’re going above your limits.
- My Data Manager: Track how much data you use and get alerts before you run out of data or get charged unnecessary out of bundle fees.
Staff Writer