If your data usage is creeping up, this is pretty common – so don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many users find that come the end of the month, they have to connect to Wi-Fi as they have no data left.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep track of your monthly data usage statistics so that you’re never short. Here’s how you can see exactly how much data you’ve got left.
How to see how much data you have left
The method for finding how much data you have left will vary depending on which phone company you’re with. However, for the big four networks you can;
- Text BALANCE to 150 for EE devices.
- Text UK DATA BALANCE to 40506 for Vodafone devices.
- Text BALANCE to 21202 for o2 Contract devices.
- Access your My3 account and select Check Allowance Now for Three Mobile users.
This is the easiest way to quickly check data usage statistics for your phone and accurately find out how much data you’ve used, and more importantly, how much you have left.
How to see how much data you’ve used
Though it’s not well integrated with UK phones and data usage, it’s very easy for users to see exactly how much data they’ve used on their smartphone. This is actually true for both Android phones and iPhone users too.
For Android, you can simply;
- First, go to Settings.
- Then, select Connections.
- Finally, you can select Data usage.
This is the easiest way to see how much data you’ve used on an Android device.
For an iPhone, it’s a similar process but the steps are a little different;
- First, click into your Settings app.
- Then, select Cellular.
- And finally, click into Mobile data.
Here, you’ll be able to see just how much mobile data you’re using.
How can I reduce my mobile data usage?
If you find that you’re using all of your data before the month has run out, the obvious answer is to increase your monthly allowance.
However, that’s not an option for everyone. If you don’t want to increase your phone package, a few ways you can reduce your overall data usage is;
Make sure you’re logged into Wi-Fi whenever you can.
Close all of your background apps and switch off background app refresh (for iPhones).
Ensure that you only download music when connected to Wi-Fi (you can do this within Spotify settings).
Don’t play games or watch videos whilst you’re not connected to Wi-Fi – these are the biggest data killers.
Conclusion
Everyone hates getting a big bill at the end of the month, so monitoring how much data you’re using is a good way to save money and make sure there’s no extra surprises at the end of the month.
The data usage tool is usually accessible from your Settings app, and it’s useful in assessing monthly data usage and identifying what’s eating your data. Though, you need to set it up with your smartphone to really make use of it.
