Save data on your Android phone
What you need: Android phone (or tablet with SIM card) Time required: 10 minutes
Many apps consume mobile data in the background even when you’re not using them. Google’s new free Android app Datally lets you identify these data-gobbling apps and stop them from running in the background with one tap. It can also detect and direct you to secure free Wi-fi hotspots. The app is particularly useful if you regularly exceed your monthly mobile-data limit, saving you money.
STEP 1 Install, then open Datally ( www.snipca.com/26463), tap Continue, then Allow. You need to give the app permission to monitor your data usage, so tap the Open Usage Access button. This opens the ‘Usage access’ section on your device. Here, tap Datally, then tap the ‘Permit usage access’ slider to switch it on. Now return to the app and tap ‘No, Thanks’. Use your phone as you normally would for a few hours. Open the app to see how much mobile data you’ve used that day 1 , and which apps are using data in the background 2 . Tap ‘Manage data’ 3 to see a more comprehensive breakdown of this data.
STEP 2 You’ll see a graph 1 showing your mobile-data usage on a timeline. The left and right buttons 2 let you jump to other days and the dropdown menu 3 lets you see your app usage in the current day (default), week or month. At the bottom, you’ll see the amount of mobile data you can save (as a percentage) 4 using the app’s Data Saver Mode. Tap the slider 5 to switch it on (the first time you do this you need to tap Allow, then OK). You’ll now see how many data-hogging apps have been blocked – you should uninstall any you don’t need. STEP 3 On the app’s main screen (see Step 1), tap the Find Wi-fi button. You’ll see a list of places nearby that provide secure free Wi-fi (in order of proximity). Datally tells you which of these requires you to log in 1 (you’ll need to provide your email address), which places require a password 2 , and which have free Wi-fi access 3 . You’ll also see how far away these places are 4 . Tap ‘Get directions’ 5 , then Allow to get directions in Google Maps.