Cellular Data Conservation tips on the iPhone

For anybody who has an iPhone (or an Android device) with a limited data plan (instead of the previous unlimited plan), it may be quite troublesome to keep that data usage under control, especially if you are in the habit of data-crunching unconsciously from your unlimited plan). From my experiences with the 200MB data plan, I've come up with a few tips that can help conserve data and make it last the entire month:

1. Turn off data sucking apps that you don't need to use. I'm not including Mail in this because push mail least of my worries (it doesn't use as much you think, unless you get loaded with email daily). Such apps would include internet audio streaming (Pandora, TuneIn Radio), and GPS apps that receive traffic information (Navigon). I haven't really found news apps to be a data hog (AP Mobile, and others). This also applies to Android devices, whose multitasking is much more active than iOS (and thus has the ability to drain battery and cellular data quickly). Kill the apps that you don't need so that they don't run your data reservoir dry.

2. If you are on the 200MB plan, don't you dare use YouTube while on the cellular network. It can obliterate as much as 10-20 megs in one video. If you are on the 2GB plan, try to use YouTube sparingly, otherwise, you'll rip through those 2 gigs quickly. I'm pretty sure this applies to Android devices as well :P

3. Keep track of your data usage by periodically going to your phone app and dialing (not texting) *3282# and this will have AT&T send you a text message saying how much data you've used out of how much you have left (this applies to any AT&T smartphone, not just the iPhone). I find it useful to divide the amount I have left by the number of days left until the billing cycle, just to see what my daily usage limit is. It really helps.

4. Use DataMan ($1.99, iOS), a data usage tracking app on the App Store. I found it extremely useful. It allows you to set daily, weekly, and monthly limits on your data usage that helps you stay on track with how much you are using. It allows you set the percentage at which you would like it to remind you of how much data you've used today, this week, or this month. It can also do precise checking of your consumption every 10 minutes, geotag your location so you can see on the map where you used a certain amount of data (you can turn this off), and it also allows you to check your data usage history through a certain period of time (which you define). Bottom line, this app is a must for anyone with the 200MB plan because there is always that voice in your head going "WATCH OUT! If you go over they WILL charge you!" :P There is a lite version that doesn't allow you to set daily and weekly limits, only monthly.

I use these techniques and 200MB always lasts me. The closest I've gotten to my limit was 195MB, and that's with daily web browsing, Facebooking, checking email, news -reading, and instant messaging (I hate SMS texting, costs way too much). I hope these few tips will help some people stay in control of their data usage on their limited-data-plan-equipped iPhones. If you are wondering about Android devices, there are great apps on the Android Marketplace that are comparable to DataMan. Dialing *3282# goes for any AT&T smartphone that has a data plan.

Cheers!