Smartphones are now getting, well, smarter, and so is the technology surrounding them. With that in mind, smartphone apps now get hungry for more data than ever before. According to research, the average data consumption of the common user has more than doubled over a period of 18 months.
With that in mind, you might start asking yourself some questions. How much data are you using? How much data are my children using up with their apps? Is there a way to conserve data? Do I need to make my phone my television or media streaming device? These are the questions we’ll be answering in this post. So if you’re looking for answers to these queries, then you’ve come to the right place.
How Much Data Am I Using?
One of the best ways to know how much mobile data you’re using is to check the bills you receive from your mobile carrier. Don’t throw them away as soon as you pay them because these will still have important information to help you gauge how much mobile data you’re using on a monthly basis. According to some reports, the average smartphone owner will consume approximately 2.9GB of mobile data per month. Still, there’s still a large percentage of smartphone owners that only use less than 500MB per month. You can also download helpful apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to help you monitor your mobile data usage.
How Much Data Are My Kids Using?
Kids are now getting more-and-more technology savvy by the day, and some reports state that children can learn how to use a smartphone or tablet as early as 4 or 5 years old. Not only will they know how to access apps like YouTube for Kids and Netflix with no assistance from their parents, but they can also consume more mobile data than the average adult user. Some studies indicate that the average mobile data user with ages 55 or older will consume an approximate 1.4GB of data per month. On the other hand, kids can use more than double than that figure on a monthly basis. If you have children and they know how to use mobile devices, then perhaps you ought to consider getting more data allocation for your little ones.
Is There a Way to Conserve Data Usage?
You can start by searching for places that offer free public Wi-Fi such as coffee shops. While you’re required to purchase an item from their menu to use their Wi-Fi and Internet connection, at least it’s going to better than spending a ton of money in excess mobile data usage. You can also turn off your mobile data on your phone whenever you’re not using it. One of the leading causes of excess charges because of excessive mobile data usage is background apps. When you “close” an app on your phone, most of the time the application will just stay in the background. Learn how to stop the app from running in the background entirely, or better yet just turn off your mobile data when you’re not using it.
Do I Have to Use My Phone as a Television?
That really depends on you; are you on-the-go most of the time, or perhaps you’re constantly traveling? If so, then you might want to ask your mobile broadband service provider to allocate you with more data so that you don’t miss any of your shows while you’re not at home.
When opting for a mobile data service, make sure to read everything that’s part of your chosen plan to avoid an instance known as “bill shock.” For more information about mobile data and mobile broadband networks, feel free to check out forbrukeretaten.