I enabled Data Saver Mode on my Android phone to avoid overcharging – and it’s a huge relief
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Highlights taken by ZDNET
- If you have limited mobile data, pay attention.
- This feature can save you money.
- You control whether apps can use data in the background.
For some people, the idea of saving and controlling data usage on the phone is not really a problem. If you don’t have an unlimited data plan, it’s a different story. I’ve been in situations before where my phone warns me that I’ve exceeded 2GB of data (I don’t remember how much data my plan gives me). When that happens, I usually put on the brakes.
When those situations happen, I’m glad Android makes it easy for me to control data usage. Along with stopping Android apps from running in the background, you’ll have more control than you ever thought you could enjoy.
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If that sounds like something you can use, read on, and I’ll show you how easy it is.
How to use Data Saver mode on Android
The first thing you’ll want to do is enable Data Server mode, which prevents other apps from sending and/or receiving data in the background. What does that mean? For example, if Data Server is enabled and you visit a website in your browser, images will not load until you tap them. Additionally, videos and audio will not play automatically.
Here’s how you enable the Data Server feature.
Open the Settings app by pulling down the Notification Shade twice and tapping the gear icon at the bottom right. Another option is to open the App Drawer, search for the Settings launcher, and tap it.
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From within the Settings app, go to “Network & Internet.” On that page, find and tap Data Server. Note: On some Android phones, the feature is available in Settings > “Mobile network.”
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Always remember to shut down the Data Server when not needed.
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On the resulting page, press the on/off button to run the data server until it is in the open position.
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At this point, Android will limit the background data usage, so you shouldn’t worry too much about exceeding your limit.
How to control background data usage on Android
Here’s the kicker. If you enable Data Server, every application you have installed will be subject to its restrictions. That’s great, but you can run into apps that don’t work well. If that happens, you’ll need to allow that app to exceed that data usage limit.
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This is very easy. On the Data Savings page, you’ll see an option labeled “Unlimited mobile data.” Tap that entry.
You should now see a list of all the apps you have installed on your phone. Scroll through that list, find the app that needs to override the limit, and tap the associated On/Off slider until it’s in the On position.
Be sure to enable all the applications that will only work properly without the Data Server feature being enabled.
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One thing to remember is to disable Data Saver if you are no longer in danger of exceeding your data limit.
And that’s all there is to saving data and controlling data usage on Android.
