How to save data – Five tips to save data and money

Jesse Simms • July 30, 2019

Save data in five simple steps

You don’t have to sacrifice the convenience of a connected smartphone just to save money on mobile data. Here are five things that’ll take you five minutes to do and can save you a ton of money each month.

Your smartphone is indispensable. There are a ton of varyingly data-hungry apps that improve your mobile experience. Cloud storage, audio and video streaming, rich browsing, turn-by-turn navigation and so on can put a heavy demand on your mobile data connection. Fortunately, though, it’s easy to cut down on mobile data use without hindering your mobile experience.

If you have already figured out that “unlimited” and, high-cap plans are a ploy, you’ll love these simple tips.

Save data in Google Chrome

Bandwidth management

Google has implemented a feature that can greatly reduce the amount of data that the Chrome browser demands. Using Google’s servers, Chrome condenses images and other files to optimize page sites on your mobile device. They also give you a visual look at how much you’ve saved over the past month using a simple line graph. According to Google, your data usage can be reduced by up to 50%!

To enable the Reduce data usage setting, head to:

Chrome menu > Settings > (Advanced) Data saver

Learn more in the full article.

Save data in Google Maps

Caching Google Maps

You can download an area in Google Maps so that it uses less data when navigating to your destination. Not only does this save you tons of mobile data, it also improves the experience if you’re traveling through a low reception area.

While there’s some debate on the size of the cap, there is a limit on the amount of data you can cache. If surpassed, you’ll be asked to zoom on a smaller area.

To save a map for offline use:

Open Google Maps and search for the location you want to save. Tap the bottom info bar and then tap Download. Choose the size of the region you want to save, name it and you’re done!

Get detailed instructions for Android and iOS.

Save data in Gmail

Download Gmail attachments on Wi-Fi

Google allows you to automatically download Gmail attachments over Wi-Fi. If you’re a daily user of the Gmail app, this toggle could help you save big!

To enable this setting:

Gmail menu > Settings > youremail@gmail.com > (Data Usage) Download attachments

Save data in music streaming apps

Offline listening

All of the popular audio streaming apps offer different ways to listen to your tunes without having to stream them over a network connection.

Spotify lets you download your albums and playlists. If you use Apple Music, you can add songs, albums and playlists to your library. With Google Play Music, you can download everything – songs, albums, playlists and radio stations.

Save data in Facebook

Disable auto-play videos

Facebook recently added a feature that automatically plays videos in your newsfeed, regardless of if you wanted it to or not. To avoid unintentionally downloading these videos:

Facebook Left Navigational Panel > Settings > (General Settings) Auto-Play videos on Wi-Fi only

Full instructions for Android and iOS.

Didn’t see your favorite app?

Make sure to check the app’s settings page for any data saving toggles that have been added. Developers are constantly improving their applications and may have included the feature since the last time you checked!

Interested in learning more about reducing your cellular data usage? Check out our second article, Six (more) simple tips to save money on smartphone mobile data! We’ve also put together a comprehensive list of guides to help you save by reducing mobile data usage.

How else do you save on mobile data each month?

We’d love to hear your tips in the comments below. We may even include your idea in our next data saving blog post!