As our smartphones, tablets and computers become more and more advanced, the number of applications that carry out data-consuming activity behind-the-scenes is increasing.
This is convenient when in our home countries, especially on unlimited-data home Wifi networks. But it can be a big bother when those same apps gobble up all of our WifiBuddy’s data, leaving us stuck in slow-mode 3G. So how can we change our settings to deal with this?
Below are a few settings we recommend our clients to check on all of their devices before connecting to a WifiBuddy. Since there are so many operating systems available nowadays, we’re going to keep the advice general.
If you would like more info on how to change the specific settings on your own device/operating system, please take a moment to Google/Yahoo/Bing/search for your specific device’s settings.
-BACKGROUND APP REFRESH : This setting allows apps to refresh their content when connected to Wifi. Turning this off will save your battery as well as your WifiBuddy’s data. Social media apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are generally the biggest data-consumers, but news apps, maps, discussion apps, stock apps and weather apps can also use some data too. Turning this off makes it so that the apps update only when you open the app.
-AUTOMATIC APP/SOFTWARE/FIRMWARE UPDATES : Some devices allow your applications and software to update their versions automatically. Though convenient, larger apps can easily consume 1GB or more for an update while going on in the background. This is especially true of operating system updates for laptops, but also applies to more complex mobile apps like games. Downloading popular games like Infinite Blade 3 will use almost 2 GB!
-LOVE STREAMING? From watching a movie on a long train ride, or just streaming your favorite CDs to lull you to sleep at night, streaming media is one of the wonders of our generation. Unfortunately, streaming audio and video can also use lots of data! If possible, lowering the resolution on video will not only speed up the stream and make it smoother, it can save you lots of data as well. Many audio apps allow you to choose the audio quality as well, which can free up some data.
-SAVE THE BIG STUFF FOR THE HOTEL : For those looking to maximize the mileage they get from their WifiBuddy, saving larger data-consuming activities for hard-wired networks like those at hotels or coffee shops can be useful. Downloading video files, uploading high-res photos to share, updating apps and downloading new games are all good ways you can save a boatload of data.
Got more ideas on how you’ve saved data? Share and let us know in the comments below!
