BackHow Google’s Datally app can help save 4G data
Google's new app can help users reduce mobile data consumption but requires regular monitoring
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A significant amount of mobile data that you subscribe to is lost to apps running in the background in your smartphone. Most Android smartphones come with some built-in data management feature but they are usually hidden under several layers in the Settings page, which makes it hard to find them. To make things easier, Goggle has made an app called Datally. It is free to download on the Play Store, takes up 16MB of space after installation, and is compatible with all smartphones running Android (5.0) Lollipop or higher.
Datally is an upgraded version Google’s Triangle app, which was released on an experimental basis in Philippines in June 2017. Google claims it garnered over 500,000 users, and helped them reduce their mobile data consumption by up to 30%.
Datally can help users identify and block apps which are using more data. The elements on the homepage which work on these lines include the Data Meter, Data Saver button and Manage Data section. The Data Meter shows the daily data consumption. The Data saver button activates the data-saving tool.
The Manage Data section shows the break-up of data spent in the last one hour, day, week or month. It also allows users to allow or block any app they want from using mobile data. The only limitation is that if users want to use a blocked app again, you have to switch off the Data saver mode or you will have to go back to the app management page and allow that particular app to use mobile data. This can be a bit annoying.
The other highlight of the app is bubbles feature. It is a hidden tool, which provides real-time update on data consumption of an app in one session and then shows the details on the home screen in a bubble-shaped pop-up.
In case you are approaching the mobile data cap allowed under your plan, and want to switch to a WiFi network, the app can assist by finding public Wi-Fi hotspots in the vicinity. However, it doesn’t rate the WiFi network or tell if the network is safe to use or not.
Datally is only a data management app, unlike the now discontinued Opera Max app, which saved data consumption by compressing apps and webpages. Datally requires regular monitoring by users, which can be annoying, but for users who are on slower mobile networks or have limited data cap, it can be helpful.
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