From browsing the web, to streaming videos, to using social media, there are just too many ways to burn through your telephone'southward data allowance. Unless you're lucky enough to accept an unlimited program, at that place'southward a skillful chance you notice yourself rationing your usage at the cease of each month.

There are ways to go around the problem. With the right choice of apps, you can reduce how much data yous use without having to reduce how much you employ your phone. Let's have a look at some of the all-time data saving apps for Android.

Opera Max

Opera Max is a VPN app that uses compression to reduce your data usage past as much every bit 50%. Whenever one of your apps makes a connection to the internet, the connexion goes via Opera's servers. They compress any data before information technology downloads to your phone. It monitors both mobile and Wi-Fi data, and it works with but virtually every app, including YouTube.

Opera Max also has a range of privacy functions. Every bit a VPN, it gives you a greater level of anonymity online, stripping out ad trackers and other potential privacy concerns.

Opera Max is not without limitations. Free VPNs are oftentimes not as good as paid alternatives, and to get unlimited utilize, you practise have to put upwardly with ads on your charging screen. Plus at that place's the question of whether you're happy to accept every data connection on your telephone pass through Opera'south servers.

Download: Opera Max (Gratis)

Opera Browser and Opera Mini

The company also has browsers that piece of work similarly, merely but with your spider web data. Opera Browser has a data saving feature called Opera Turbo. It compresses web pages, including all the content such as images and video.

The browser is Chromium-based, so it renders pages exactly as Chrome does, but it has a few actress features not seen in Chrome as well. These include a very useful "reflow" function that ensures text always fits within the width of the screen no matter how shut you zoom in.

Opera Turbo tin can compress your web content by upwardly to 50%. If you're on a very tight data plan, you can use Opera Mini instead. This reduces web pages to 10% of their original size, although yous may lose some functionality in certain sites every bit a result.

The reward of using a browser for data pinch is that you only demand to use it when you want to save data. Yous can use your normal browser when you're on Wi-Fi, and merely switch to Opera when you lot need to.

Download: Opera Browser (Free) and Opera Mini (Free)

Facebook Lite

Most people utilize Facebook, and almost utilize information technology with the official Facebook app. It isn't the most like shooting fish in a barrel-going app when it comes to data use. The Facebook app will be constantly connecting in the background and bombarding you with notifications throughout the solar day.

Fortunately, you don't accept to settle for the official client. There are a huge number of alternative Facebook apps that are worth investigating.

Facebook Lite is an official client designed for regions where lower spec phones and very express data plans are commonplace. It isn't available if you aren't in 1 of those regions (hither'south the link, if you want to attempt). Information technology will reduce your data usage, and it also performs better on less powerful devices.

Otherwise, check out Friendly for Facebook. This free app is an enhanced wrapper for the mobile version of the Facebook website. This means information technology has all the expected features, like notifications and Messenger support, simply it goes much easier on both your battery and your information plan.

Twitter also has countless tertiary party clients that are more information friendly. With Snapchat and Instagram, though, y'all will demand to stick to the official apps.

Download: Facebook Lite (Gratis) and Friendly for Facebook (Complimentary)

NetGuard - No Root Firewall

One surefire way to burn down through your data assart is to install apps that desire to constantly become online to sync and download stuff. The trouble is, it isn't possible to know which apps are going to do this. Since Android 6.0 Marshmallow, apps have non had to explicitly request the internet permission, meaning any app can go online without yous knowing.

Android offers ways to reign these apps in, but they're not especially easy to utilise. Nougat has a bones Data Saver feature that enables you to foreclose apps from going online (go to Settings > Data usage > Data saver). On older versions of the operating organization, you need to do it manually for each app -- go to Settings > Apps, choose the app, then select Data usage > Restrict app background data.

Both of these methods simply piece of work to forestall background data utilize and just restrict mobile data. A better selection is to use NetGuard, a firewall app that gives you complete control over which apps can access the internet and when.

It'south easy to apply. Simply grant or revoke access to mobile, Wi-Fi, or roaming information for each app. Then, fine-tune your settings by determining whether you want to allow access at all times, or only when you're really using the app.

Information technology'southward an effective way of preventing apps -- especially things similar news and atmospheric condition apps -- from automatically syncing in the background. They'll only update when you need them to.

Download: NetGuard (Gratuitous)

My Data Manager

My Data Manager is an app that enables yous to keep an eye on all aspects of your phone's data usage. Similar the built-in Android tools, information technology lets you see which apps are using data, and how much they're using. Just information technology goes much further than that.

You go the choice between a persistent notification or a home screen widget. Both update in real time to show you how much of your allowance is being used.

If y'all're on a very restrictive plan, this will help ensure you don't get hit by any excess charges. Especially with the assist of a set of configurable alarms that will not only warn you when y'all get close to your limit, but will too give yous a heads-up if your current usage patterns are probable to button you over.

Handily, My Information Manager doesn't only track mobile and Wi-Fi information usage -- it too tracks roaming data use. This is usually both the most limited and the well-nigh expensive option. So even if y'all're on an all-you-tin can-swallow plan at dwelling, the app is notwithstanding useful when you aren't.

Download: My Data Director (Free)

More than Means to Salve Data

You can make sure your data program goes as far as possible with the right option of app. Forth with these, there are a few other techniques you tin apply to avert wasting information:

  • Plough on the Data saver characteristicin Chrome to compress all the information you utilize within the browser.
  • In Spotify, download music over a Wi-Fi connection. Set the app to work in Offline mode whenever y'all're using mobile data.
  • Download content wherever possible in apps that ordinarily use a information connectedness. Google Maps and Amazon Video are amidst those that support downloading.
  • If a free app offers a paid upgrade to an ad-costless version, then consider paying. Ads use small amounts of data and battery, especially in apps that don't otherwise demand an internet connectedness.

You should exist able to make your information terminal the full month with these tips and apps, thereby reducing your chances of being hitting by excess charges.

What data plan are you on? Practice you take any tricks to make it last as long every bit possible? Share your tips with us in the comments beneath.

Image Credit: Daniel Krason via Shutterstock.com

Originally written by Chris Hoffman on June 30th, 2014.