Anyone with a smartphone knows data usage can inflate a phone bill considerably. As of last year, the average monthly cellphone plan in the U.S. was $144. But you can bet that amount can soar if you use a lot of data. Some phone companies offer unlimited data. That comes at a price, however, and there are strings attached to such wireless voice and data plans.
Unlimited cellphone plans are not really unlimited since, at some point, the service provider can leverage its fair usage policy to throttle speeds. That means the speed and quality of service will suffer at some point, even though you can continue to consume data.
Considering that prices for everything these days are climbing, you’ll want to save money where you can. Finding ways to lower your phone bill is one goal that can save you a ton.
Costs for voice and data plans vary depending on where you live and the service provider. But data use is something that gets many people in trouble. So, learning how to decrease mobile data usage can help you gain more control over how much you pay each month.
Continue reading to learn about five of the top ways people use data on their phones.
- Streaming Video
Streaming videos is one way you may consume a lot of data in a short amount of time. Your smartphone won’t incur data charges if connected to a WiFi network. But you can, if not connected to WiFi, use a lot of data when using Netflix, YouTube, or another streaming service.
And, yes, the data usage can add up faster than you think. For instance, you can easily consume around 1GB hourly when streaming video via SD (480p). The data consumption will climb with HD or 4K Ultra HD. So, be wary when streaming without a WiFi connection. Otherwise, it can cost you.
- Streaming Music & Podcasts
Another way you can consume your smartphone data at a fast rate is by streaming music and podcasts on Apple Music, Spotify, and other music streaming platforms. Streaming music and podcasts at a low-quality setting can use up data to the tune of around 40 MB hourly.
Use WiFi to avoid using up your data and possibly exceeding the cap and incurring more charges.
- Social Media Apps
If you’re going through too much data over too short a period of time, the problem might be some of the apps on your smartphone.
You can go through a lot of data by using the auto-load features. If videos play automatically, that’ll use up data. You can lessen the data usage rate by going to the app settings and switching off the auto-play feature.
Social media apps are just some of the apps on your phone that can drain your data without you realizing what’s happening. Apps that consume lots of data on the screen and behind the scenes can also tax your battery.
So, it makes sense to identify apps that are wreaking havoc on your data and battery life so that you can either delete them or adjust the settings.
- Automatic App Updates & Downloads
Yet another way you might use more data than you want is by enabling automatic app updates and downloads.
While it can be convenient to allow automatic updates and downloads, doing so can eat up a lot of data if not done over WiFi. Go to the settings and ensure your phone only does automatic updates and downloads via WiFi.
- Messaging Apps
Messaging apps can be great. But using apps like Messenger and WhatsApp — without using WiFi — can go through a lot of data and boost your monthly phone bill. Unless you want to pay more than necessary, use WiFi.
If your phone bill is higher than it used to be for no apparent reason, one explanation for this might be excessive data use. Consider these five points to keep your data use in check, lower your monthly bill, and maintain your peace of mind.
