Smartphones are an integral part of our daily lives. When we don’t use it for work or catching up with friends and family, we spend a lot of time on social media apps. However, the convenience comes at a cost, and that cost often includes hefty data bills. If you're looking to keep your data consumption in check, you're in the right place becuase we'll explore the latest data-saving tips for your favorite social apps, helping you make the most of your online interactions without breaking the bank.
Here’s how you can save data per social platform:
We all love consuming content on Instagram because it’s where we hang out with our friends and family, but it’s also data intensive. It’s not surprising that it is one of the top apps that uses the most data. Head to your settings tab, then account, and data usage. Simply toggle the buttons for “use less mobile data” and “high quality uploads”. This will ensure scrolling and posting doesn’t finish your data bundle quicker.
TikTok
One of the biggest culprits and highest data consuming app there is, mostly because we end up going down a rabbit hole watching strangers entertain us with their unique content. For those on Android, you can download the TikTok Lite app, otherwise head to your profile, tap on the three lines on the top right, and go into settings and privacy, and simply turn on the data saver button and that’s it.
The original of all social networks also uses up a lot of data if you don’t pay attention. Facebook has a Data Saver feature that compresses images but doesn’t lose quality, and won’t autoplay videos in your feed. Simply go into settings, media, data saver – this uses up to 40% less data; otherwise you can select “optimised”. AutoPlay settings appear beneath it, which you can toggle.
X (Twitter)
If you’re tuning into Twitter for your daily dosage of news all day, you may want to also consider either downloading the Twitter Lite app for Android or simply adjusting your settings. Simply go into the menu tab and scroll down to settings and privacy, and into accessibility, display and languages. This is where you will locate data usage and the option to turn on Data Saver. You can also choose upload options for video and images, and autoplay.
WhatsApp is a messaging app that can also consume a significant amount of data. Limit Media Auto-Download. In the settings, customize your media auto-download preferences to Wi-Fi only or select specific contacts to avoid downloading data-heavy files. You can also use WhatsApp Web on your computer to send and receive messages without using your mobile data.
Whether you’re hunting for a new job or keeping your professional profile active and up-to-date, LinkedIn can also consume a lot data based on the multimedia content appearing on your feed. Simply go to your profile and click on settings, account preferences and autoplay videos to disable it. If you’re using LinkedIn Learning tools, you can save videos for offline viewing, only via the mobile app, not on desktop or laptop.
Doing all of the above, as well as turning off background refresh settings, should help you save on data. Remember, you can also make use of Vodacom’s data limit locks to prevent out of bundle rates from kicking in.
With Vodacom’s self-service options on the VodaPay App, you can keep an eye on your data usage and your bill. Buying data bundles through Just 4 You means you have access to better rates that are personalised for you. The VodaPay App helps you keep track of your account from your smartphone.
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