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Android Basics: How to Prevent Going Over Your Monthly Data Limit

Apr 2, 2016 04:00 PM
Jun 10, 2016 12:33 AM
Android character with a graph showing data limit settings.

Mobile data is expensive. The internet connection that comes with your cell phone plan is generally limited to a certain amount of gigabytes that can be downloaded before your monthly cap kicks in, at which point you run the risk of incurring costly overage fees.

Luckily, though, your smartphone can help with this problem. The Android operating system has a built-in mobile data monitor that can be set to warn you when you're getting close to your monthly cap, or even prevent your device from using any more data. So if you've been struggling with your cellular data limit, I'll show you how to set it up below.

Set a Data Usage Warning Level

If you'd like your phone to warn you with a notification when you're getting close to your monthly data cap, head to the main Settings menu and select the "Data usage" option. You'll see a graph with a line above it on the following screen; Drag this line up or down to change the warning threshold. I'd suggest setting it to 75% of your monthly data limit. If you're not aware of your monthly data limit, visit your carrier's website.

Mobile settings menu showing connectivity options.
Data usage graph showing cellular data limits and usage over time.
Mobile settings menu showing connectivity options.
Data usage graph showing cellular data limits and usage over time.

Note: If you don't see a line in the graph, make sure "Cellular data" (or "Mobile data" on older Android versions) is toggled on.

Next, you should adjust the billing cycle so that your phone's data usage meter resets on the same day that your bill is due. So tap the date field on this menu, select "Change cycle," and select the day of the month that your bill is normally due. From now on, your phone will be able to warn you more accurately when you're about to hit your data limit.

Data usage screenshot showing mobile data limits and app usage details.
Data usage settings showing mobile data limits and usage for selected dates on a smartphone.
Data usage settings screen on a mobile device.
Data usage screenshot showing mobile data limits and app usage details.
Data usage settings showing mobile data limits and usage for selected dates on a smartphone.
Data usage settings screen on a mobile device.

It should be noted, though, that the data usage numbers depicted in this menu may differ from your carrier's official numbers. In general, it's safe to use this as a rough estimate, but when you start to get really close to your monthly data limit, you should double check with your carrier's website to be extra cautious.

Set a Data Usage Limit (Optional)

Even if you're not actively using your phone to browse the internet or stream media, your apps can sync in the background, which uses data. This means that when you're really close to your monthly data cap, your apps can automatically and silently put you into overage fee territory.

If you'd like to avoid this, consider setting a hard cap on your data. To try it out, enable the "Set cellular data limit" option (called "Set mobile data limit" on old Android systems) in the same settings menu, then adjust the orange slider that appears to a point just below your monthly data limit.

With this setting enabled, your phone will automatically block all data traffic when you hit this threshold, which means that apps won't be able to sync data in the background until your next billing cycle.

Mobile data usage statistics for March 2023.
Data usage statistics on a mobile device showing limits and usage details.
Mobile data usage statistics for March 2023.
Data usage statistics on a mobile device showing limits and usage details.

How to Disable Data Usage Warnings & Limits

But let's say you're not worried about overage fees—perhaps you have an unlimited data plan, for example. In this case, the data usage warning and limit would only serve as an annoyance, right?

To disable either of these features, go back to the "Data usage" settings. From here, turn the "Set cellular data limit" switch off to prevent your phone from blocking data traffic. As far as the data warning function goes, there's no way to truly disable it, so your best option would be to simply raise the slider up to a very large number that you'll be unlikely to hit.

Data usage settings on a mobile device showing cellular data limit and usage statistics.
Data usage settings on a mobile device showing cellular data limit and usage statistics.
Data usage settings on a mobile device showing cellular data limit and usage statistics.
Data usage settings on a mobile device showing cellular data limit and usage statistics.

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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