1. Set your WiFi or Hotspot connection as a Metered Connection
If you are on a computer running the Microsoft Windows Operating System, you should set your internet connection as a Metered Connection, this will exclude non-essential software from accessing the internet in the background. This will also temporarily disable software updates, which eases up on your internet data usage.
Useful Links
Internet Usage Monitor – https://www.venea.net/web/nettraffic
2. Disable automatic updates for your Operating System, and run the updates when you are on an unlimited WiFi connection
Software developers push updates and patches for their programs from time to time, and that is particularly true for Operating System software. If you are on a limited internet data plan, you would want to disable automatic software updates, and manually run the updates when you are connected to an unlimited internet connection.
3. Uninstall unused software or use a Firewall software to limit their access to the internet
You should uninstall software that you have not used in 90 days from your computer, and then reinstall it when you need it. If this is not an option, however, you should use a firewall software to prevent the software from accessing the internet in the background, as the may be feature updates and other communications between the software and the publishers servers.
4. Close unused browsers and tabs when not in use.
We all have that knack for leaving browser tabs opened for later reference, and they add up over time. You should bookmark the URL (Uniform Resource Locators)—the web addresses that you want to visit later, then close the tabs. If you feel that won’t cut it, then copy the addresses, and paste into sticky notes on your desktop, or into your To Do app. That way, you will free up usage of your internet data via websites that refresh in the background tabs that are not actively open on the desktop.
5. Reduce the quality of videos on streaming services when in use
The higher the video quality, the more the details and definition of the audio and other properties of the media experience. If you are on a limited internet data plan however, you should consider reducing the quality of the video. Instead of a 4k quality video, you would get the same experience from a mini-HD (720p), an HD (1080p) or UHD (2k) video quality. If you are not particular about every little detail of videos you watch, you would be very well served with standard definition—SD (480p) video quality.
6. Disable automatic downloads of media on chat apps – WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, – Audio, Video, Documents
Internet messaging apps, or chat apps have become all-encompassing globally, and have become the default mode of digital communications. This also means that all sorts of digital files are being shared through them. Case in point, WhatsApp allows the sharing of various kinds of files, and they can add up if you belong to a handful of WhatsApp groups which contain a lot of members. You should disable automatic downloads of media files from the app settings. This gives you the control to download the audio, video, documents and other files that you really need and approve. This will ease up on your internet data usage.