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How can I use less data?

Some tips and tricks to help you use less data and yet get the most out of it at the same time.

View your data

You can view your data via your Belong app home screen or by logging in to your Belong account and viewing your dashboard. Find out how to check your data .

What happens when I go over my data allowance?

In Australia, when you've used up your data allowance, we won't charge you extra. Your data speeds will be simply slowed to a maximum of 1 Mbps and you can continue using it.

If you’re roaming overseas, travel packs don't automatically top up when you run out of data. We’ll let you know when the data runs out. If you need more roaming data, you can buy another pack. Note that you’ll forfeit any remaining inclusions.

Find out which apps and activities are using the most data

To start managing your data, you first need to understand how you use it.

All of these activities use data:

  • Streaming TV, movies and music (e.g. Netflix, Stan, YouTube and Spotify)

  • Gaming

  • Downloading podcasts, music, software updates etc.

  • Video calling and messaging apps (e.g. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype)

  • Uploading photos and videos to social media (e.g. Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook)

  • General website browsing (e.g. online newspapers, blogs, online shopping)

The amount of data you use is dependent on your device and the quality of the data you’re streaming, down or uploading.

  • Refreshing your Twitter or Facebook newsfeed: 50-200kB

  • Using Google maps for 10 minutes: 6MB

  • Sending and receiving email (100): 2.5MB

  • Streaming music (3 minutes): 3MB

  • Email (10 sent/received with attachments): 18MB

  • General web browsing (30 minutes): 10-20MB

  • YouTube, Vimeo video streaming at 720p (5 minutes): 37.5MB

  • Downloading a TV show or movie in SD: 800MB- 4GB

  • Downloading a TV show or movie in HD: 1.5GB – 4GB

Source: ACCC Manage your data

Change your video, podcast and music streaming settings

Most of your video and music streaming apps allow you to change your viewing settings to help you use less data.

Netflix

  1. Tap on the Netflix app and log in to your account (if you need to)

  2. Locate and select the More tab

  3. Choose App Settings

  4. From there, set Video quality to Standard

YouTube

  1. Tap on the YouTube app

  2. Locate the Account button on the top right of the screen and select Settings

  3. Toggle on Play HD on wi-fi only

  4. Next, toggle on Autoplay next video

  5. Select Off for Autoplay on Home

  6. Finally, select 360p for Upload quality

Most music and podcast apps let you listen to songs and episodes offline. You just need to make sure that you download your music and podcast episodes when you're connected to wi-fi. Once downloaded to your device, you'll be able to listen wherever and whenever you like, without it affecting your data allowance.

Change your device settings to help you save and track data

iOS devices

Turn off Mobile Data

  1. Open Settings on your device

  2. Tap Mobile

  3. Toggle off Mobile Data

Turn on Low Data Mode

Turning on Low Data Mode on your iOS 13 device can restrict background network use and save cellular and wi-fi usage.

  1. Open Settings on your device

  2. Tap Mobile

  3. Select Mobile Data Options

  4. Toggle on Low Data Mode

Switch off automatic downloads

  1. Open Settings on your device

  2. Select Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store (at the top, next to the devices name)

  3. Tap iTunes & App Store (yep, again)

  4. From there, toggle off Music, Apps, Books & Audiobooks, App Updates and Automatic Downloads

  5. Next, tap on App Downloads and select Always Ask

Match your devices mobile data usage report to your billing date

Aligning your devices data usage to your billing date is a great way to keep track of how much data you use each billing cycle.

  1. Open Settings on your device

  2. Tap Mobile

  3. Select Reset Statistics (you might have to scroll down a bit). It’s important to note that you’ll need to do this on the day of your next bill. You can find your next Belong billing date via your Belong app home screen or by logging in to your Belong account.

Android devices

Because Android devices differ so much, it's best to contact the manufacturer of your device for advice on how to adjust your data settings – their Help and Support pages often cover this.

Alternatively, doing a quick internet search using the following questions can help:

  • How do I set data alerts and limits for my Samsung Galaxy S9?

  • How do I match my devices (insert device type) mobile data usage report to my billing date?

  • How to switch off automatic downloads on my (insert device type)?

  • How do I automatically switch to wi-fi on my (insert device type)?

Connect to wi-fi wherever possible

One way to save on data is to turn off mobile data when you're not using it and use available wi-fi instead. It's always good to check your location to see if there are any available wi-fi networks you can connect to.

Another tip is to download podcasts, movies and TV shows when you’re connected to wi-fi so you can watch at another time and it won’t affect your data allowance.

Note: If you've used a wi-fi network before your phone will automatically connect to that wi-fi network when you're near it again.

Some final data saving tips

  • Take your maps offline

  • Close your apps

  • Make sure all your browser windows are closed

  • Only send big files (e.g. email, Facebook messenger) when you’re connected to wi-fi

  • Get more


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