How to check which apps are using your data

Whether you have an Android phone or an iPhone, your device is filled with apps and almost every app you download and use takes some amount of data to run. How much data an app can use varies dramatically depending on its usage. And for people that have restricted data plans, checking those unwanted apps that eat up your data is highly crucial. And even if you have an unlimited plan, most telecom operators slow down your data after you reach a certain limit.

To avoid one app ruining your monthly data pack, your smartphone now comes with the ability to track your data use directly within its settings and can also reveal which apps are using most of your data.

On Android

Go to the menu then to Settings.

Tap on the Connections and then on Data Usage. In the next menu tap on the ‘Mobile Data Usage’ which will list apps that you’ve frequently used in the current month and how much data they use. Android also offers you to manually select the time period allowing you to compare data of two months.

For instance, if you use Instagram often and the app is eating a large amount of your data, you can set data limit to this app, if you do not have an unlimited data plan. Try uploading photos or videos when you are connected to Wi-Fi, wherein you can restrict the data usage.

On iPhone

The setting on iPhones are slightly different. Go to the Settings menu then tap on the Cellular Tab. Scroll down until you see ‘Cellular Data.’

This section will display the apps that are using most of your data. The ‘Last Billing’ period tells you how you have used your data in the past month.

Source: Lifehacker