One of the things lots of people complain about iPhone and iPad is the rate at which data is used. If you’re not on a unlimited data plan, you’ll find your subscription always getting exhausted before expiry. I used to have the same problem till I made some adjustments that greatly reduced the internet data usage on my iPhone. There are certain tips you can follow to cut back your data usage and save some money.
1. Use an alternative web browser
Yes, Safari is a great browser that gives you that desktop experience you love but I’ve come to realize that it sucks the life out of my data plan. There are alternatives like Opera Mini and UCBrowser that can save you some data. Check this screenshot below:
That is my data usage for about twenty days and Opera Mini conserved 85%! Though the browser isn’t as robust as Safari and other browsers available for iOS, it’s ideal for you if you’re concerned about data usage.
2. Learn to use Wi-Fi when available
Since 3G network is available everywhere you go and it’s pretty fast, you may think using Wi-Fi is a waste of time but it isn’t. If you’re concerned about data usage, using WiFi whenever it’s available is major way to reduce the amount you pay for internet monthly. Whenever you’re at school or work, make use of Wi-Fi instead of burning your data on 3G.
3. Turn off push notifications
Some applications “push” information to you in form of text messages but for most applications, this is unnecessary. These push notifications eat up your data for each update. For example, if you have the official Facebook application installed, you’ll get push notification for all sort of irrelevant updates. It’s a huge drain on your battery and data as well. I have push notification completely turned off on my phone since I don’t need them and I guess you should do the same. I can always refresh my browser to see whassup. 🙂
4. Don’t download with App Store on mobile
iPhone games and applications can be quite bulky in size. The last game I downloaded was about 700MB and this would have sucked my data subscription dry if I did it using the App store on my mobile phone. Instead of downloading on your mobile phone, you can connect to iTunes on your computer and access App Store to download what you need. A better alternative is using Wi-Fi for downloads on mobile.
5. Quit applications you’re not actively using
Alright…you always have Yahoo Messenger, Skype, Twitter, Facebook for iPhone and all sorts of applications running 24/7 and you expect your data usage to be minimal? these applications require constant internet connection and this can be a huge leak to your data subscription.
6. Sync your songs and videos instead of streaming
Sure, you can’t help streaming Youtube videos every now and then but it’s pointless streaming videos you already have on your personal computer. Reduce streaming to the barest minimum and it’s even better if you can affor to do away with it. It’s the biggest source of data usage next to downloading.
I use the internet a lot but these tips has greatly helped me in conserving my internet data usage. My last 1GB subscription expires in about 7 days but I still have up to 400MB left despite the fact that I used internet tethering quite a number of times.