Browsing and streaming seamlessly over your #FastestIW Wightfibre connection when you’re at home is all very well, but if you’re on a limited mobile data plan (or an ‘unlimited’ one that uses throttling), there’s nothing more annoying than finding that you’ve accidentally gone over your monthly allowance – especially when it’s because some random app has been using data in the background.
Finally there is now an app that will help your plight rather than hinder it – Google has just released a new app that aims to stop this happening.
Datally has a number of clever ways to help you monitor and minimise how much mobile data you use. It uses Google’s Data Saver technology, which is essentially a local VPN that monitors traffic and blocks unwanted mobile data use.
You can also view and control how much background data your apps consume. When you open an app, a small floating bubble displays the amount of mobile data it’s using in real time. Tap on the bubble to find out more about the app’s data usage or block it on the spot.
To help you learn more about how the apps on your phone use mobile data, Datally also provides detailed usage information, including history, trends over time and how much data each app has used. One of our favourite features is a built-in Wi-Fi finder that helps you save your mobile megabytes while you’re on the move by hooking up to a nearby hotspot instead.
On set-up, you need to give Datally permission to access your mobile data usage, although Google promises it won’t use this access for its own gain. It also asks whether you want to help improve Datally by sending your app usage data and SMS messages to Google – we’d advise tapping ‘No, thanks’ at this point if you’re in any way concerned about your privacy.
