5 ways to get the most from your cellphone data

Simple Mobile cellphone data tips

People are hungry for more data availability on their mobile devices — for photos, videos, music, games, texts, and other digital content. But at the same time we all want to keep our monthly and yearly service costs down.

Fortunately, there are several ways to operate mobile devices more efficiently. Here's how you can enjoy content on your device while not having to worry about using too much data — and spending too much money.

Deploy apps that track your data usage.

There are plenty of apps designed to track cellular-data usage. These offerings include features such as screens that show the percentage of cellular data used in a given month, notifications of how many days are left until the current allotment ends, and cellular usage versus WiFi usage. Users can set alerts to let them know when they've reached certain data-allotment milestones. Other features keep track of how much data is used daily and set monthly forecasts for expected use. And some even include the ability to track usage in real time so that you can quickly see when lots of data is consumed at any one point.

Sign up for a low-cost data provider.

Some providers, such as SIMPLE Mobile, offer data costs that are low, providing a way to operate your mobile device more cost-effectively. SIMPLE Mobile has a variety of 30-day no-contract wireless service plans that provide flexibility in terms of price and capabilities. The company provides nationwide coverage on a lightning-fast 4G LTE network, and offers 30-day service plans starting at $25 a month (plus taxes and fees).

Use data-compression apps.

One way to reduce data usage effectively on your smartphone is by using a data-compression app. It is especially helpful if you send and receive large data files, such as music and videos, which tend to eat up a lot of data if they're transferred without compression. Compressing such files before sending and receiving them can save quite a bit on data usage, and it's simple to do. The technology can also be used for web browsing and email. Best of all, some compression products can reduce the downloaded size of webpages by a huge percentage without affecting the online experience.

Delete apps you don't use much.

It doesn't make much sense to hold on to data-consuming apps you seldom or never use. Many of the apps you have installed on your phone might not be of any use anyway, depending on how you use it. Do an inventory of apps to find out which ones you can delete. This could enhance operation of the device and reduce data usage.

Limit the data usage of each application.

Limiting the amount of data usage by apps on your device is another good practice, and especially useful if you run a large number of apps. Many apps continue to run even after you close them, in some cases via background processes. Setting data-usage limits for all or most apps can ensure that the apps will not exceed a designated threshold for data usage. And it's easy to do: On an iPhone or iPad, simply go to the settings menu and select "enable restrictions." On Android phones, go to the settings menu and select "data usage" and then tap the "set mobile data limit" box.

Find out more about SIMPLE Mobile plans.

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This post is sponsored by SIMPLE Mobile.

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