Data Management 101

[signoff icon=”emo-grin”]Disclaimer: This post is not for the big boys and gyals dem who can afford unlimited data. It is targeted at those who have to practice financial prudence, like students and Plain Joes (e.g. Me).[/signoff]

“Me sef I don’t understand how my network cuts my data. It never lasts!”

This is a complaint which almost every Nigerian smartphone user has made; especially those using Android & Apple devices. How can one manage their data to last for the period in which it is valid?

A Step-by-Step guide to Data Management

1. Subscribe for your data bundle.
2. Divide the total amount of data purchased by the number of valid days to get Maximum Daily Data Usage (MDDU). Example: My legacy BlackBerry monthly subscription gives me 3GB of data valid for 30days. As such my MDDU is 3GB/30 i.e. 0.1GB or 100MB per day.
3. Track your consumption to ensure it stays in line. This may be a challenging part but like everything these days, there are apps for that.

Data Usage Management Apps

Smartphone apps that help manage data usage are highlighted below according to their respective OS’s.

Android & iOS: Most apps nowadays are made for Android & iOS first. On both the Google Play & iTunes app stores, the top rated data management app is My Data Manager (free on Android and iOS). Another good one is Onavo Count (free on android and iOS) or Onavo Extend (Paid on android and  iOS). For iOS, there is also Data Usage (paid). Android also has a built-in data data manager that you can use. It is particularly handy as you can set alerts to let you know when you reach certain thresholds.

BlackBerry Legacy: The two top apps which I came across for this purpose were Data Traffic Counter (free) and Data Monitor (PAID).

BlackBerry 10: There are a couple here, but the only one I can vouch for is Data Monitor for BlackBerry 10 (paid). I guess you can use android apps well.

Windows: Data Usage (FREE) and Data Usage Pro (PAID)

In-Built Data Management Settings

Sanusi highlighted that BlackBerry10.3 OS comes with a data management setting that enables data monitoring and setting of usage thresholds. Perhaps he would give us a brief review on that.

Android 4.2 JellyBean has an in-built data usage tracker, however it cannot set daily limits.

I am unaware of the capabilities of Android 4.4 KitKat, iOS or Windows Phone as yet. Got any details on this? Hit us up in the comments section.

P.S.: If you have issues with your network provider, you can request for transcripts of your data consumption over a specified period.