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How to Check your Data Use on your Android Phone or Tablet
With ample so many affordable streaming services, millions of apps in the Google Play Store, and solid game streaming platforms at your fingertips, it's easy to use a lot of data on your Android phone. While some carriers are more generous with data than others, most unlimited plans have usage thresholds. If you go over this threshold, your service could be throttled or you might get a hefty bill.
Whether you use a Pixel device or one of the best Samsung Galaxy phones, the default Android data monitoring function can help you avoid slower speeds and large bills. You can set a data limit for your monthly cycle and enable Data Saver mode to reduce background use.
Read along to learn to check data usage on your Android phone and use the Data Saver mode to cap excessive data usage.
How to check your data usage on most Android devices
If you use a Google Pixel phone or a stock Android device (such as one from Nokia or Motorola), follow the steps below and check data usage.
- Swipe up from the homescreen and open the app drawer icon.
- Find and open the Settings app (the one with a gear icon).
- Go to the Network & internet menu.
- Select SIMs.
- Tap App data usage from the following menu.
- Check the set cycle, total data consumption in that period, and data usage by installed apps.
How to check your data usage on Samsung phones and tablets
Checking data usage on your Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet is a little different, as Samsung phones ship with the company's One UI skin.
- Swipe up from the homescreen and open the app drawer.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Connections.
- Select Data usage.
- Tap Mobile data usage.
- A data usage graph displays the relevant details such as billing cycle, data usage limit, data usage warning limit, and consumption by installed apps on the phone.
To check your Wi-Fi data usage, tap Settings > Connections > Data Usage > Wi-Fi data usage.
How to use Data Saver mode on most Android phones
If you're running out of mobile data, enable Data Saver mode and cut down data usage by preventing apps from using data in the background.
- Open the Network & internet menu on your Android phone (refer to the steps above).
- Tap Data Saver.
- Switch the Use Data Saver toggle to on.
How to enable Data Saver mode from the Quick Settings menu
- Swipe down from the top and open the notification center.
- Swipe down again and open the Quick Settings menu.
- Tap the pencil icon to open the Edit menu.
- Scroll down and then drag and drop the Data Saver tile in the quick toggles menu.
- Tap the back icon, and the Data Saver function is ready to use. Tap it to enable the function or long-tap the tile to open Data Saver Settings.
How to turn off Data Saver for essential apps
While Data Saver mode is useful for reducing cellular usage, you shouldn't keep it enabled for essential apps like Gmail.
- Open the Data Saver menu in Android Settings (refer to the steps above).
- Tap Unrestricted data from the Data Saver menu.
- Enable the toggle for relevant apps from the following menu.
These apps continue to consume data in the background and function normally.
How to use Data Saver on Samsung phones and tablets
Samsung offers a Data Saver mode and also packs an Ultra Data Saving function to trim data use.
- Open Settings and go to the Connections menu (check the steps above).
- Select Data usage.
- Tap Data saver.
- Enable the Data saver toggle and add exceptions to allow apps to use data while the data saver is on.
- Go back to the Data usage menu and scroll down to Ultra data saving mode.
- Enable Ultra data saving mode. The system then compresses images, videos, and received data.
The function blocks background data for all apps and compresses data using the Samsung Max service. You can customize Ultra Data Saving mode from the Data compression menu and add up to six apps that can use mobile data while running in the background.
How to check your data usage from the Android homescreen
Google and Samsung don't offer a way to check data usage on the homescreen. A third-party app called My Data Manager has one of the most useful Android widgets for keeping track of data usage on a mobile network and home/office Wi-Fi.
Download the My Data Manager app on your phone using the link below, and open the app to set data limits for cellular data and Wi-Fi. Place the app widget on the homescreen, and you are good to go.
Keep a close eye on data usage
Among all the Android 13 underrated features, Google still doesn't offer a dedicated widget to check live monthly data usage on the homescreen. While it's not on our Android 14 wishlist, we wouldn't mind one in 2023.
