You probably are astonished at how fast your iPhone can gobble down mobile data, especially when for example; you’re using your iPhone to watch HD quality Netflix videos, letting the iOS update apps automatically, using your iPhone’s hotspot with the laptop, or streaming songs from iTunes Match. Here are 7 ways you can limit data consumption on your iPhone’s cellular. First things first …
Stop cellular data use on automatic downloads
When the correct settings are enabled, iOS automatically downloads any new apps, iBooks or music purchased through any of the iCloud connected gadgets that you’re using. Better still, your iPhone will automatically download as well as install available updates for any and all iOS apps.
Although this is definitely convenient, “automatic downloads” will put a serious hollow in your cellular monthly data allowance, particularly when you have installed lots of iOS apps. Lucky enough, you can stop automatic downloads from accessing your cellular data by flipping a switch, and this will as well turn off the bung for 2 other data hogging features in your iPhone: iTunes Match and iTunes Radio.
Simply hit Settings, then iTunes & App Store, and then switch off “Use Cellular Data.” The flipside here that you’re unable to select the automatic downloads features you want to allow cellular data access; here, the deal is either you allow all or nothing.
Watch out when using your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot
Using your iPhone as a portable hotspot is a great way of ensuring that your laptop stays connected while you are up and about – plus it is an easy way to get a jumbo-sized cellular bill. Not until you instruct your Notebook PC or desktop otherwise, it will suppose that your Personal Hotspot is a no-limit Internet connection, giving it freedom to download large system and application updates, sync your Google Drive and Dropbox folders, grab attached files from your email service provider as well as carry out various data-hogging activities.
The good news is however that the latest MacBooks and iMacs cool it automatically, on huge system updates when using your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot. Likewise, on Windows 8 or later versions, you can designate the iPhone’s mobile hotspot as “metered connection”. Simply open the Settings panel, click the Network icon, and then right-click your mobile hotspot name and choose “Set as metered connection.”
Having said that, even after raising the “metered connection” flag your laptop will still sync, for instance the large video files that you have in Dropbox, or ping Outlook to search for incoming attachments and messages every ten minutes. Ensure that you stop any and all file-syncing applications on your computer prior to connecting with the iOS Personal Hotspot. Also, consider checking email via a web client.
Shorten and sweeten FaceTime calls
FaceTime is a splendid way to stay in touch with family and friends in far-flung areas. Also, it is a shockingly easy way to empty your scheduled cellular data allowance. When it comes to capping FaceTime’s cellular data use, you have a range of options: either totally shut off cellular data access to FaceTime or exercise a certain level of self-discipline on non-Wi-Fi video calling.
If you choose to shut completely off FaceTime from accessing cellular data, hit Settings, Cellular, and then navigate to FaceTime Settings under the heading “Use cellular data for” and hit the “off” button. Bonus: apart from the FaceTime app, you can as well switch off access to cellular data for any app from the screen showing Cellular settings.
Go easy on YouTube and Netflix
Whether you’re relaxing in your hotel room or passing time at the airport, watching a video on Netflix via your iPhone’s rapid LTE connection is always a likely and welcome diversion.
However, think thrice prior to watching a whole season of Vampire Diaries over LTE. Video streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix can easily gobble down a gigabyte or more worth of data per hour when streaming HD quality video. In fact, a few Netflix movies on HD can blow away cellular data for a whole month. Thus, try to go easy with YouTube, Netflix and other video streaming over cellular. Keep in mind that even few minutes daily can add up.
Turn off Facebook auto-playing videos
Recent Facebook iOS app update has added an interesting new feature that auto-plays videos, with videos starting to play automatically as users scroll down the news feed. It is a smart feature, especially with the default auto-play setting purportedly adjusting the auto-play video quality in accordance to your battery’s life and whether (or not) you’re on the cellular network. Importantly, all these auto-play videos can swell your cellular data.
If you want to turn off Facebook video auto-play, open your iPhone’s Facebook app, hit the More button at your screen’s bottom right corner, scroll down and hit Account Settings, Videos, then Auto-play. Flick off switch “Smart Auto-play,” then choose another setting – preferably, “Never Play Videos Automatically” or “Use Wi-Fi Only.”
Use a mobile-friendly browser
Light web browsing over the iPhone’s speedy LTE connection isn’t likely to diminish your periodic cellular data allowance all on its own, but again, it adds up. As such, as a frugal iPhone user, you would do much better with a bandwidth sensitive mobile browser, precisely one that “chomps” webpages into slighter hunks that take less cellular data.
The mobile browser options here include Google Chrome, which chomps webpages using its “Data Saver” feature hosted by Google, and the free Opera Mini browser that cuts off large data hunks from webpages.
Set pod catcher to use only Wi-Fi
Ensure that your preferred podcast manager only downloads fresh podcasts through Wi-Fi, as opposed to cellular.
To set your iOS Podcasts app to use only Wi-Fi, hit Settings, scroll to Podcasts, and then flick on the setting “Only Download on Wi-Fi”.
You can’t see such a setting on your preferred podcast app? No problem! You can always stop cellular data access. Hit Settings, then Cellular and locate your podcast application in the huge list of apps, flick off the respective cellular switch.
No comments:
Post a Comment