Optimizing your iPhone to save on Data Costs

Does your iPhone constantly run out of included Data Bundles long before the next Data allocation kicks in?

Follow these essential tips and get the most from your iPhones Data Package while avoiding excessive Out of Bundle Rates.

1. Disable Wifi Assist

Wifi Assist is a feature of iOS 9 and 10 designed to redirect your phones data connectivity to 4G if your Wifi connection is giving sporadic problems. It can be the culprit of extensive data usage if not tightly monitored. This feature can be disabled in Settings >Mobile Data, and scrolling down to turn off Wifi Assist.

2. Stop Heavy Usage Apps from using Mobile Data

Did you know you can determine which iPhone Apps can use your mobile Data? Access this through Settings; Cellular/Mobile Data. It will give you a breakdown of data usage per App. Decide which Apps you can go without, on the go, and count the savings on your next bill. Secondary to this, you can also set your iPhone to only allow automatic downloads. Also disable Settings/iTunes and App Store automatic downloads and the use of cellular data for downloads

3. Turn Off Autoplay Video in all your Social Feeds

Both Facebook and Twitter recently introduced automatic streaming of video content as your scroll through to your feeds, consuming large chunks of Data needlessly. To disable on Facebook, click on onscreen. Then select Account Settings; Videos and Photos; Video Settings; Auto-play and select On Wi-Fi Connections Only or Never Auto-plays Videos.

There are a number of other tips to avoid excessive Data usage, not the least, Turning Off 4G completely, and opting to use Facebook and Twitter Lite Apps in place of their more extensively featured counterparts. Consider carefully, how much data you really need to be consuming.

And enjoy the bonus of the extended battery life that lower data usage gives you back! Lastly, identify what special offers your current service provider is running across the week. Vodacom offers its subscribers unbeatable deals on Streaming, Instagram etc, while other networks provide unlimited monthly access to certain social networking applications for a minimal fee. Know your network, in order to decimate your data bill!