Google on Thursday launched an app designed to help Android phone users understand, control and save on their expensive mobile data.

This app, called Datally, allows users to track their data usage in real time, and get personalised recommendations on saving data along with notifications of public Wi-Fi spots available nearby.

The app is now globally available on the Google Play Store for all phones running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and higher, Google said.

Datally is an initiative of Google's Next Billion Users division that aims to make Internet services more accessible even in countries with limited infrastructure.

"Mobile data is expensive for many people around the world. And what's worse, it's hard to figure out where it all goes.

"That's why we built Datally, an app that helps you to control, save more and do more with your data," Caesar Sengupta, Vice President, Next Billion Users, Google, said in a blogpost.

Tests of the app in the Philippines had shown that Datally could help save users up to 30 per cent on their data, Google said.

Datally helps users do three things. First, it allows users to see data usage on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis and get personalised recommendations for how they can save more.

Secondly, it also help users block background data usage and track real-time data usage while using each of the apps

"It's like a speedometer for your data," Google said.

And lastly, Datally also tells users if they are near public Wi-Fi so that they can save on data.





(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)