Even when they are not in use, some Android apps can use Cellular Data. Apps that waste your pricey cellular data may be easily identified and stopped by following the steps below.
How to Stop Apps from Using Mobile Data – Android
Most social media apps, including Twitter, Facebook, and others, have a built-in inclination to stay connected with their respective parent servers to get regular updates. This happens in the background, so even when you aren’t using the App, it is sucking down your precious and pricey cellular data. Depending on your data plan, you may disable cellular data for all apps or certain ones on your Android device.
Examine Which Apps Are Consuming Too Much Cellular Data
Your Android device’s settings are located under “Data Usage,” where you can see which apps are eating up the most of your mobile data plan.
If you go to the Mobile tab on the Data Usage Screen, you’ll find a list of apps ranked by how much data they use. The graphic above shows which apps use the most data and currently use the most. Click on the App that piques your interest to read further descriptions. Data utilized by the App in both foreground and background operations will be displayed on the following screen. Twitter’s background activities consume more than twice as much data as their regular usage.
Twitter isn’t the only program that may use many cellular data in the background; Facebook and Skype are also common examples. Below is a simple method to disable app background data usage.
- Go to Settings
- Data Usage
- Select the App you wish to limit background data from the list on the “Data Usage” screen’s “Mobile” tab.
- To disable restrictions on mobile data, tap ‘Next.’
The measures above must be retaken for any other apps with excessive background cellular data usage. This will restrict background app activity only while your smartphone is linked to a Wi-Fi network, rather than the more expensive cellular data plan.
Disable Cellular Data Use for All Applications
You can avoid using your Android phone’s cellular data for any apps until you upgrade your data plan.
- Select “Data Usage” from the Settings menu
- Swipe to the Mobile tab, and hit the “More” in the upper right corner dots.
- When the drop-down menu appears, choose the option to limit access to background data.
- For all apps on your Android device, hit OK on the confirmation pop-up to disable background data use.
Some apps may cease functioning as intended if background data is off and you are not connected to a Wi-Fi network. Suppose this is an issue for you rather than restricting cellular data for all applications. In that case, you may disable cellular data for background activities for certain apps instead.
Use the Background Limits setting in Android’s Settings menu
If you follow these instructions, you can stop applications from accessing your data on a Samsung, Google, OnePlus, or Android device. Though the specific menu options may vary by phone maker, the general process should be the same.
- Access the Settings section of your phone. Most smartphones allow you to do this by swiping down from the top of the screen. Then, on the upper right, click the gear symbol.
- Use your device’s menu system to access Network & Internet > Data use or Connections > Data consumption. You’ll see your current data use total at the top of the menu.
- Choose App or Mobile data to view how much data each App has used recently.
- Choose the most data-hungry App by scanning the list. The data consumed by the program, including any data used in the background, will be shown. You might be astonished, for example, at how much bandwidth is consumed by YouTube alone.
- With the help of the “Allow background data usage” toggle, you may disable mobile data for specific apps.
Disable data consumption when the Data saver is active
Whenever your phone’s data saver is activated, the App will not access mobile data. If you follow these instructions, data-hungry applications like YouTube and Chrome won’t use mobile data even while they’re in the background. It also aids in limiting their access to Wi-Fi solely.
Nonetheless, if you need to limit your data consumption, go back into the Data usage option and pick Data saver. If it isn’t already, activate the switch to the right of Turn on now. Your ability to utilize mobile data will be capped if you select that option.
Create a Data Usage Alert and Cap
While the measures mentioned above are crucial, you should also think about establishing a data warning and use limit to control your mobile data consumption further. That is to say:
- Check the settings on your phone for a “Connections” or “Network & Internet” option.
- Check your billing cycle and data limit alerts by selecting Data consumption > Billing cycle and data warning.
- Switch on Limit data collection (you may need to tap a Settings icon first).
- View the Data Capture page. Choose between gigabytes and megabytes in the menu on the right. The next step is establishing a cap on how much data may be used at once, such as 5.
- Also, make sure the “Set data warning” option is activated.
- A warning to tap your data. In the same way, you establish a data limit and enter a data warning value.
When your data consumption hits your limit, your mobile data will be turned off immediately. The only information you get from a data warning is that your consumption exceeds a predetermined limit. However, the data alert figure may fall within the acceptable range for your plan. However, you may prefer to set this amount lower than the data cap. If your monthly data warning limit is 8GB, you can raise your monthly data use limit to 10GB.
Data Limiter
Data Limiter is an Android add-on that allows users to set data caps. Various third-party tools are available, but NetGuard is the best for monitoring and limiting data consumption. NetGuard is a firewall application that blocks connections through Wi-Fi and cellular data. It gives you control over which applications can and cannot access the internet. In this way, you can conserve mobile data. Still, you can also extend the life of your device’s battery and avoid annoying app alerts, pop-ups, and advertisements.
How can I use NetGuard to stop apps from using data?
NetGuard displays an alphabetical list of installed software on your system. Wi-Fi and mobile data toggles are located to the right of each App. Press the corresponding button to stop an app from using mobile data or Wi-Fi.
For instance, to restrict an app’s cellular data usage hit the corresponding symbol on the App’s far right. Tap the Wi-Fi symbol next if you don’t want to access the App via Wi-Fi. To completely off data use, tap the two arrows that signify data connection. Each severed connection type will be marked with a corresponding strike. Select the arrow to the left of each App for further options and exemptions.
When you select an option from the menu that appears: If you wish to use the App even while your mobile data is disabled, you may check the option to the left of Allow mobile while the screen is on. The procedure is the same if you want to disable Wi-Fi when using a specific app. This time, though, you may choose to enable Wi-Fi just while the screen is on. You may also help or disable data roaming in “lockdown mode.” Pre-installed apps are not shown in the App to keep things simple.
- The menu can be accessed by selecting the three vertical dots in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings and click Advanced.
- Activate the System Apps Management toggle.
Data transfer rates on individual mobile network connections might be capped. You may also limit LTE and 5G while allowing unlimited 3G. You may adjust the settings accordingly using a metered Wi-Fi network. Settings > Network options will provide access to these customization settings. You may enable or disable them as you see fit. When it comes to banning mobile data, NetGuard isn’t your only choice. It may also be used to keep tabs on any and every online activity generated by your apps. This can shed light on how apps use cellular data. If you enable these options, you reduce the risk of unexpected data loss.
Games and other programs that need an active internet connection might be limited. Bear in mind, though, that you may also find games that can be downloaded and played offline.
Conclusion
Your Android device’s battery life may be seriously compromised if you don’t take steps to control your data consumption. Limiting your data use might be helpful. You can modify your data usage if you can’t afford unlimited internet plans, which can be prohibitively costly or unavailable in your area.
