One of the main concerns when we are going on a trip is saving on mobile data. In the digital age, we must pay attention to the GB we spend if we do not want to end up without a connection when we need it most. For this reason, Orange has taken advantage of the fact that we are in summer to give a few tips.
Orange is one of the most prominent operators in Spain. Many Spaniards contract its mobile phone services. And it is no wonder, it has very attractive offers, with 100 GB for 6 months or up to unlimited dataHowever, not everyone has plans with so many gigabytes and it can be scary to be left without a mobile connection in the middle of our summer vacation.
The orange operator is aware of how much we use GB in summer when we are not at home. Even if we have access to a public WiFi signal, we prefer to use mobile data for security and privacy reasons. Given this situation, it brings us the solution so that mobile data does not collapse on our first day of travel. Even using Google Maps, or publishing photos on social networks to show off a little.
Activate data saving mode
Almost all current smartphones have a function in settings that allows you to enable data saving mode or reduced data mode. This tool is essential if you want to have greater control over the use of your gigabytes during the holidays.
In addition, some mobile phones have a section in their settings from which we can limit data consumption per day. Once the megabytes or GB limit is exceeded, they will be deactivated. Or, for example, in the case of iPhones, we can disable the use of mobile data in some specific applications, to avoid using them unintentionally.
How to use apps in the background with data saving mode?
As Orange reports, there are some applications that may stop working with the data saving mode. This is because, many times, this function prevents even the apps that require it from running in the background.
For this reason, the telecommunications company explains that, if we encounter a problem, we could activate the special permissions. To do this, we must go to ‘Settings’ or ‘Configuration’ on the mobile, access the ‘Networks’, ‘Internet’ or similar section and click on ‘Data saving’ > ‘Unrestricted data’. There, we will only have to choose the apps in which we do want background execution to be enabled, even with the saving mode activated.
Reduce data on Instagram and TikTok
These are the social networks we use the most when we are on holiday. Whether it is to entertain ourselves during the car journey, to find out about our friends’ lives, or to post how we are doing on the beach or in the village.
You should pay attention to the mobile data you use on Instagram and TikTok, and luckily, there are tricks to reduce consumption.
On Instagram, you just need to go to ‘Settings and privacy’. Once there, scroll down to ‘Data usage and media quality’ and click on ‘Data saving’. On TikTok, you’ll need to go to ‘Settings and privacy’ and activate ‘Data saving’.
Compress your data in certain applications
Not all apps have the ability to compress your mobile data, but there are some that do. This way, we can reduce GB usage and not worry about it while using the Internet.
According to Orange, they are able to optimise images, videos and texts so that they look good on the screen, although with lower quality. The lower the resolution, the more mobile data you save.
Apps like Telegram have this option to compress data natively. But you can also choose to install apps that manage it and are able to limit data consumption in real time. For example, Orange recommends ‘Datally’ or ‘GlassWire’ on Android, and ‘My Data Manager’ on iOS.
Disable automatic updates
There are times when apps or the operating system have pending updates and these are updated automatically. Orange recommends that we set this function to only activate when we are connected to a secure and known WiFi network.
This will help you save mobile data. Downloading updates is probably what consumes the most gigabytes. So, before you start your trip, during which you will rarely be able to connect to Wi-Fi, make sure you have it activated in your smartphone settings.
Reduce streaming quality
Whether you listen to music with Spotify or Apple Music or watch Netflix, YouTube or Prime Video with mobile data activated, we recommend that you do so at a reduced quality level. Of course, Orange considers that it is better to download the content that we want to consume from home, with WiFi, and disconnect the gigabytes during the trip.
However, if by any chance you resort to listening or watching streaming with mobile data, at least reduce the quality. The lower the quality, the more mobile data savings you will save.
More tips from Orange to save data
But the orange operator’s advice doesn’t end here. Although it doesn’t go into detail, it has a few up its sleeve that are also worth considering if you’re going on holiday this holiday and want to save mobile data:
- Close background apps.
- Disable autoplay for videos.
- Disable the option that usually comes by default on Android and iPhone to automatically download when there is a WiFi connection.
- Always check the consumption of each app to identify the ones that consume the most.
