One of the most frustrating things that can happen is to run out of data or airtime at the least convenient time ie. When you’re in the middle of a chat, while watching an intriguing live or smack in the middle of the month when your budget may not allow you to buy more.
But when you’re essentially guessing how big your bundle should be, your chances of running out at an awkward time are pretty high. The solution: Use an airtime and data tracker app to measure your usage.
How Airtime And Data Tracker Apps Work
Airtime and data tracker apps give you a sense of how much airtime or data you use in a month. Once you know your usage, you can make sure you buy the right size bundle, so you never run out mid-chat. We’ve rounded up some of the best options for South Africa that work on both Android and Apple – and are free to download and use.
1. My Data Manager
Best for: Data tracking
This popular data usage tracking app monitors your data usage across mobile data and WiFi –convenient info to have if you’re going to be buying a mobile data bundle for the holidays but you normally connect to the WiFi at the office during the day. It uses a secure VPN and is used all over the world, so you have security and unbroken tracking when you’re travelling. You can view average usage, plus usage across specific apps, displayed in graphs, and it’ll send you alerts when data is running low.
2. Traffic Monitor
Best for: Overall network and device performance tracking
Comprehensive, fast and convenient, you can use this not only as a data usage tracking app, but also to monitor your network connection. It has a built-in speed test functionality and if your network connection is struggling, it can let you know what the problem might be. You can set alerts to tell you when you’re exceeding or close to reaching your limits, either daily or monthly. You can also see other information about your device at a glance, such as how much storage you’re using.
3. VodaPay App
Best for: Convenience to Vodacom customers with options for those from other networks
The dashboard, which can be accessed via My Vodacom on the VodaPay super app, makes it easy to see your airtime balance, SMSes, and data usage in one place. You can view a detailed usage report to see which apps and sites are using the most data and enable notifications, so you get alerts when your balances start running low. You can also see your bundle purchase history to get a sense of how long a particular bundle lasts. Conveniently, you can top up your data or airtime through the app as well – so there is no need to download multiple apps.
While tracking and viewing balances on the VodaPay app is only available for Vodacom customers, anyone on any network can purchase airtime and other bundles on it.
Now that you’re going to be tracking your usage, it would be a good time to consider getting a SIM-only deal from Vodacom.
