How to Prevent Android Apps From Using All Your Data
Not all of us are fortunate enough to have unlimited data plans, which can cause a lot of anxiety about monthly allocations for web browsing, video streaming, and other mobile activities. Going over the data limit costs a fortune, and it can be difficult to track down where all that data went.
As reported by The Verge, some Android users recently faced excessive costs due to their Google News app using tons of data in the background. In some cases, this error is costing users hundreds of dollars in bills, and the only way to fix the problem is to turn off background data or uninstall the app.
Regardless of whether you use Google News or not, you probably have apps on your phone that are consuming data even when you are not actively engaged in it, and this can cost you dearly. To check your data usage, go to your device’s Settings app and tap Network & Internet> Data Usage . From here, you can see how much general data you have used over a certain period.
Once you understand your usage, you have several options for controlling the selection. According to Google, some features may only be available on Android 8.0 and above.
Configure alerts and restrictions
If you’re worried about apps taking away all of your data without your knowledge – and you’ll end up with a big bill afterwards – you can enable notifications that will alert you when you reach a certain level of usage, or set limits that will automatically turn off mobile data.
To set up alerts, go to Settings> Network & Internet> Data Usage> Mobile Data Usage> Settings. Click Data Alert, enter the threshold, in megabytes or gigabytes, at which you want to be notified, and click Set.
The data limitation feature is also found under Mobile data usage> Settings. Turn on Set Data Limit, click OK> Data Limit, and enter the megabyte or gigabyte limit at which data should be automatically turned off. Tap Install.
Limit background data to specific apps
Another option is to restrict data to specific applications. This means that apps might not perform as expected – for example, you won’t receive push notifications – but it might prevent them from eating up all of your data allocation when you’re not using them.
In some cases, you can restrict the use of data in the application. Otherwise, open Settings and select Network & Internet> Data Usage> Mobile Data Usage. Scroll down until you find the app you want to restrict, tap the app name and turn off Background data.
Disable mobile data completely
This can be a last resort if you’re on the go, but if you can connect to a Wi-Fi network, you can turn off mobile data. To do this, go to Settings> Network & Internet> Data Usage and tap Mobile Data.
Finally, if you want to make sure the app is not using data in the background, as is the case with Google News, you can delete it entirely.