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First smartphone for Christmas? 6 tips for saving data
AT&T offers six tips on ways to manage a smartphone's data.
On Christmas morning, many teen and tweens received the git of a first smartphone. With the excitement of a new mobile device, they will be watching TV, shopping, talking to Siri and listening to streaming music. But doing all those things can eat up data on that new device, and fast.
Below are some tips compiled by AT&T that will help stretch data farther:
1. Turn off Wi-Fi Assist if you have an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus. This feature, introduced with the iOS 9 update, allows you to automatically switch back to cellular data when Wi-Fi signals are unreliable. However, the feature can eat up a lot of your data.
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2. Keep Wi-Fi on all the time. While this can drain your battery more quickly, it can save you from unnecessarily using data. With Wi-Fi enabled, your device will automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks when in range. If you’re an AT&T customer, your device will automatically connect to any of the company’s hotspots when you’re out and about.
3. Close out your apps when you’re not using them. Leaving apps open on your device means they’re constantly running in the background. This not only eats up data, but can also drain your battery faster.
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4. Disable syncing in cloud and photo apps. These types of apps revert to your wireless data if a Wi-Fi connection is not available. So while it’s nice to be able to sync your content across multiple devices, using these apps can use a ton of wireless data too.
5. Use streaming music services offline. Streaming music on your wireless device can quickly deplete your data. Instead, download your favorite tracks directly to your device. The most popular streaming music services also allow for offline listening.
6. Turn off the auto play feature for videos and social media sites. Streaming video is one of the biggest drains on mobile data. Switching off the auto play feature for videos can limit data usage. Also, try to keep video viewing whole on the cellular network to a minimum. According to AT&T’s data calculator, just one hour of high definition video can chew through 1 GB of your data plan.