Science & Technology

Easy ways to make your data, and your dollars, go further

(BPT) – Wireless providers would love for you to believe that a modern lifestyle requires an endless, unlimited stream of data; and by the way, they’d love to sell it to you! On its face, there’s probably nothing wrong with this assumption. Just think about how much of your day is spent on data-dependent activities, like streaming video or music, searching the internet or using GPS on your smartphone. They all require data, in some form, to deliver what you need.

But in our fast-paced, plugged-in world, don’t lose sight of the fact that all of these things can actually be done while using far less, and sometimes even none, of the data from your cellular plan. This means that in just a few simple steps, you can save considerable money each and every month. Here’s how:

Tame the video beast

The convenience of watching video on your smartphone can sometimes obscure an important fact: it’s a data glutton. For example, viewing a full-length movie on Netflix consumes about 1GB of data per hour in standard definition video, and up to 3GB per hour in high definition. At that rate, you’ll burn through even the most robust data package in no time.

Try connecting to Wi-Fi instead. It’s widely available, and lets you stream without using any cellular data at all, often with a faster connection. While connected to Wi-Fi, you can also download videos, TV shows or movies to your phone or SD card to watch anytime at your convenience, with no data required.

In addition, when you’re streaming video on a small screen, such as a cellphone, you really don’t need high resolution. Many apps give you the ability to change video quality settings, and therefore consume less data. For Netflix, log into your account and switch to one of three settings: low (using 0.3GB per hour), medium (which uses 0.7GB per hour) or high (using up to 3GB per hour). In the YouTube app, just tap the three-dots menu and click “Quality” to lower it.

Manage social media

Videos have also become a standard part of the social media experience. Adjusting your settings to prevent videos from playing automatically will prevent them from eating up your data. The steps to change this setting can vary between applications. On most platforms, like Facebook, you’ll go to your Account Settings and either disable the “Autoplay” feature entirely, or change it so that videos will only play automatically when you’re connected to Wi-Fi.

Try a smaller plan for bigger savings

By managing data effectively, you can save money by choosing smaller, less expensive data plans. Consumer Cellular, for instance, offers no-contract monthly plans ranging from 250MB to 10GB, for $5 to $40 per month. That’s far less than most “unlimited” options, and you also get the flexibility to change your plan as needed with no extra charges.

Also, be sure to take advantage of Usage Alerts, which most carriers provide for free. On an Android device, you can do this by going to your device settings, and then tapping the data usage option. Simply turn on “Alert me about data usage” to receive notifications about how much data you are consuming.

Follow these tips and you’ll enjoy streaming movies, listening to music and so much more while also keeping money in your pocket for things other than a colossal data plan. You can truly have it all, without needing an unlimited budget to do it.