Enter the Ting Drop your Data Challenge

Andrew Moore-Crispin • May 5, 2014

How much mobile data do you use in a month? More to the point, perhaps: How much mobile data do you need?

Open to non-customers and customers alike, take the Ting data saving challenge to be entered in a random draw to win $1,000 cash or one of three $150 Ting credits!

Ting customers: You can save even more on your monthly bill and be in the running for the aforementioned prizes.

Not yet Ting customers: In addition to being entered into the random prize draws, we’ll give you a Ting credit for the percentage of your data savings from week to week to help you make the move. In other words, cut your data use by 74%, you’ll get a $74 Ting credit.

Key dates

May 5 – Challenge begins. Use your phone as you normally would.

May 11 – No usage change week ends.

May 12 – Drop your Data week begins.

May 18 – Drop your Data week ends.

May 23 – All submissions must be received.

The Ting Mobile Data Challenge is to use your phone as you normally would but take some small, simple steps to do more with less. In other words, conserve data without sacrificing your mobile phone experience. Take simple steps like connecting to Wi-Fi at home and at work, downloading your favorite audio and video podcasts automatically on Wi-Fi instead of over mobile networks and so on.

Here’s how the challenge works:

Download and install the Onavo Count app on your device (Android | iOS) Use your phone as you normally would for a full week. Take a screenshot of your Onavo Count app home screen and hold on to it for now. Cut your data use the following week (we’ve got links and some handy tips on how to do just that below). At the end of the second week, snap a screenshot of your mobile data usage numbers. Share your screenshots and your data savings numbers on our data saving challenge form.



Don’t want to use Onavo Count? That’s fine. You can use the native data counting options on your phone or another counting method. Just ensure that the screenshots you submit clearly show the time period and your mobile data use (not Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi plus mobile data) for the time period.



Top three data saving tips:

Download and use Onavo Extend (Android | iOS).

Ensure your apps only update over Wi-Fi.

If you stream video, audio or other stuff, pre-cache wherever possible and ensure you’re only streaming when connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Need some more tips on how to save data without sacrificing all the cool stuff your phone can do? Check out Six simple tips to save money on smartphone mobile data and Six (more) simple tips to save money on smartphone mobile data.

Want to be reminded of the important Drop your Data Challenge dates? We’ve embedded a calendar below with key dates that you can sync with your Google account (or you can add the ICS file).