What does it mean to limit mobile data on a smartphone? How to turn off traffic

Content:

A warning about the traffic limit in Android devices appears at the moment when a certain amount of GPRS traffic has been consumed during the month. The warning helps you stay within the limit, but can be annoying when it doesn't close - in this case, simply turn off the warning.

Steps

Part 1 Disabling the warning

1. 1 Open the Settings app. It is in the list of installed applications; To open this list, click on the “Applications” icon (looks like a grid). The Settings app icon looks like a gear.
2. 2 Click "Traffic Control". This option is at the top of the Settings window.
3. 3 Move the “Warn about used traffic” slider to the “Disable” position. The name of this option may vary between versions of Android.
   • The “Set traffic limit” option sets a limit on the amount of traffic that can be used; When this limit is reached, data transmission over the cellular network will be blocked. This feature is different from a simple traffic limit warning.
   • If your device does not have the described option, set the traffic limit so that the warning never opens (read the next section).

Part 2 Troubleshooting

1. 1 If the “Warn about used traffic” option is not displayed, activate the “Mobile data” option. Data transmission via cellular networks (GPRS) may be disabled; in this case, the specified option will not be displayed.
   • Activate the "Mobile Data" option.
   • Disable the traffic limit warning using the “Warn about used traffic” slider.
2. 2 If the warning persists, increase the traffic limit. Set it to a value that you will never reach.
   • Click “Settings” – “Traffic Control”.
   • On the graph, press and hold the orange line called “Warning.” If there are two lines on the chart, then the red one will be called “Limit”, and the orange one will be called “Warning”.
   • Keep the line pressed and drag it up.
   • Release the line when you reach a data volume that will never be used up. For example, if you're using 5GB per month, set the limit to 10GB and you'll never see the warning. If you use 10 GB per month, set the limit to 15 GB.
3. 3 Disable the traffic limit warning from your mobile operator. Some operators send warnings when you are approaching your traffic limit. Such warnings cannot be turned off in the device settings - do this using the application from your cellular operator.
   • Open your mobile operator's app. The name of the application depends on the operator.
   • Go to the "Notifications" section. To do this, you may need to open the application menu.
   • Disable traffic limit warnings. Notification types vary by carrier.

Part 3 Saving traffic

1. 1 Try to connect to wireless networks. In this case, GPRS traffic will not be consumed. If your device isn't connected to Wi-Fi, don't stream music or open YouTube.
2. 2 To download and transfer files, use your computer. If you download files on an Android device, the traffic will be consumed in a significant amount. Download the necessary files to your computer, and then copy them to your Android device using a USB cable.
   • Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable.
   • On your device, open the notification panel and tap USB.
   • Select "File Transfer" and your Android device will appear on your computer as a connected removable drive.
   • Copy the files downloaded to your computer to the appropriate folders on your Android device.
3. 3 If you use Chrome, enable the data saver feature. This way you will save a significant amount of traffic. If you enable this feature, the data will be pre-compressed and then sent to the device. This will result in longer download times, but the amount of data transferred will be significantly reduced.
4. 5 Set apps to update over Wi-Fi. When downloading updates, a significant amount of traffic is consumed. Configure Google Play Store so that updates are downloaded only via Wi-Fi; Also turn off automatic updates for many applications.
   • Open Google Play Store.
   • In the top left corner, click the menu button (☰).
   • Click “Settings” – “Automatic application updates”.
   • Turn off automatic updates or set them to only happen over Wi-Fi.

Mobile traffic consumption is the amount of data downloaded to and sent from the device via the mobile network. To reduce this figure, we recommend checking and, if necessary, changing your data transfer settings.

Note. Some of these steps can only be performed on devices running Android 8.0 and later.

Traffic saving mode

On devices with Android 7.0 and later, learn to use data saver mode to reduce mobile data consumption.

How to check mobile traffic consumption

Follow these steps:

How to set traffic consumption warning and overall limit

Limit background traffic for applications (Android 7.0 and earlier)

You can limit background traffic usage for individual applications. Please be aware that this may affect their functionality. For example, you won't receive messages from the app until you open it.

Before opening your phone's settings, check whether you can limit data usage in the settings of the application itself.

To view and limit background traffic for an application:

Disable data transfer while roaming

If you're in an area where your carrier doesn't have coverage, you can connect to other carriers' networks using internet roaming. Some carriers charge extra for this. To reduce costs and save data, turn off internet roaming.

The smartphone writes “Data Usage Warning”, what is it? And why do you need to restrict data transfer? Thank you in advance

Victor Vishnevsky

This is a manual setting to turn off data transfer on the umts wcdma huspa+ LTE WIMAX network, let’s say you have 2GB of traffic on your traffic and no matter what happens next, a restriction is set... it is adjusted manually

Nikolai Gorobets

In case there are no restrictions (limit) on the use of mobile Internet.
I have YOTA - I don’t care!
It is treated like this:
Move the curtain at the top of the screen down as much as possible, and go to the settings (gear).
Further as in the screenshots, sequentially:
Ready!
Enjoy it for your health!!!

Explain what is excess traffic on the Internet? And how can it be exceeded? just be more detailed

Dmitriy

The amount of information on a computer and the Internet is called traffic. Traffic is usually measured in megabytes and gigabytes. For example, you paid your provider for 3 GB, which means that if you exceed this limit, you will either be disconnected from the Internet, or each next megabyte will be an order of magnitude more expensive than the prepaid ones. It is best to connect to unlimited traffic with a fixed price. Then you can safely surf the web for a month and download an unlimited amount of information (GB).

Sounds of the rain

This is on conditionally unlimited tariffs.
Example Megafon-Volga region unlimited Internet. they give 2 GB per month at high speed (1000 kbps) if you download/upload more, the speed drops to 64 kbps until the end of the month.
Another example: prepaid tariff.
You pay a fixed amount per month, for example 500 rubles. For this you can download/upload 5GB of traffic per month or less, and if more, then you pay on top for each MB, for example, 1 ruble for each MB over 5GB.

Data transfer warning

A red sign with an exclamation point appears indicating that data is being transferred. Opens further the cycle of mobile data usage for the last month, below in MB usage of each application. How to remove this sign? What does this even mean?

Nikolai Gorobets

What screenshot, what OS and computer!?
Android OS, not a computer, but a smart or tablet!
Everything is clear!
I won’t write anything more, I made graphic instructions from screenshots for clarity!
So:
Move the curtain at the top of the screen, down as much as possible (down twice), and click settings (gear).
Next, look and do as in the screenshots, in order!
Ready!

What is a traffic limit and how can I change it?

Dmitry50

Traffic limit is a limitation on Internet speed. Let's say the Internet speed is good, I have 4 GB - the traffic limit. After passing this threshold, the speed drops - in other words, slow Internet. To increase traffic, you can switch to a different tariff or connect to the “extend speed” service through your provider.

Traffic limit is a restriction on the maximum allowable amount of traffic on the Internet. To change the limit, contact the person who set the limit - your employer, boss, husband or provider, depending on the situation.

Long gone are the days when Internet providers everywhere kept track of megabytes spent by users on the Internet. Tariff plans for home Internet these days differ mainly in speed. But cellular operators are in no hurry to provide completely unlimited Internet and, as a rule, allocate only a certain amount of inexpensive traffic.

But today not only people, but also smartphones themselves cannot live without the Internet: it happens that he himself downloads something in the middle of the night, updates a couple of applications, and in the morning there is no more prepaid traffic left to download attachments from mail. Well, let’s think about how we can deal with this and how to save on the still expensive Internet.

⇡ Traffic control using standard operating system tools

First, let's see what we can do without installing additional applications. In the Android settings there is a “Traffic Control” item, with which you can separately monitor data transfer over Wi-Fi and through mobile networks. You can also turn off data transfer altogether, that is, the use of mobile Internet.

The operating system displays a graph of traffic usage for a selected period of time (you can change it by moving the sliders along the graph) and shows which applications consume the most data. By clicking on an application, you can see a consumption graph generated specifically for it.

On the mobile Internet tab, you can also set a limit on traffic consumption for a certain period. The limit is set on the same chart, and a threshold is selected using a separate slider, upon reaching which the system will display a warning about the imminent exhaustion of the limit. If the traffic ends, the device will automatically turn off data transfer.

Many Android applications communicate with the Internet in the background and, as a result, traffic is consumed even before the phone owner has time to wake up. To prevent this from happening, you can prevent certain applications from using mobile traffic in the background. To do this, click on the application name in the traffic consumption window and check the Restrict Background data box.

This feature can also be disabled globally. To do this, being in the “Traffic Control” section, go to the settings and check the box of the same name. You can also disable automatic data synchronization here. However, with a global ban on downloading via the mobile Internet, some important applications - such as an email client - may not work as you expect.

A lot of traffic is spent on application updates. To prevent downloading updates from eating up expensive traffic, you can go to the Google Play settings and in the “Automatic application updates” section, select updating only via Wi-Fi or (as an option) disable automatic updating altogether.

By the way, don't forget to check the settings of your favorite applications. In many, you can enable synchronization and downloading of data only via Wi-Fi.

⇡ Traffic control in Google Chrome

The data compression function is also available in the mobile version of the Google Chrome browser. It works like this: the content of web pages is first sent to Google servers, where it is optimized and loaded in a compressed form. The quality of the images, of course, suffers, but much less traffic is consumed.

You can find and enable this option in the “Settings → Traffic Control → Traffic Reduction” menu. Depending on what web pages you view on your mobile device, the savings can be significant - up to 50%. True, data compression will be useless when loading web pages that use traffic encryption - Google will not be able to send such data to its servers. In addition, it is worth keeping in mind that compression will not be performed even if you enable incognito mode in the browser.

To save mobile traffic in Google Chrome, you should also disable the function of preloading web pages. It is located in the same “Traffic Control” settings section. You can allow the browser to download pages in the background only when there is an active Wi-Fi connection, or disable downloading altogether.

⇡ Control over traffic consumption using specialized applications

The main purpose of mobile traffic accounting applications is to help you save money. For this, both simple consumption statistics and restrictions for different periods of time are used.

Perhaps the simplest traffic metering program is Internet Speed ​​Meter Lite. It only performs monitoring and statistics collection functions. The application monitors mobile and Wi-Fi traffic consumption in real time. The current data transfer speed can be seen in the notification panel, and if you expand the notification menu, you can also see the name of the current network and the amount of traffic that was consumed today.

The application window shows how much traffic was used in the last month by day, the amount for the last seven and thirty days, and the total since the beginning of the current month. Mobile and Wi-Fi traffic is counted separately.

The Data Usage application is interesting because it can count not only mobile, but also Wi-Fi traffic. And not only count, but also notify when a specified limit is exceeded, and also block data transfer when a certain value is reached. Why might you need Wi-Fi traffic metering? For example, some hotels practice providing free Wi-Fi access within a certain limit. If it is exceeded, you must pay additionally.

In the application settings, you can specify how much traffic (mobile and Wi-Fi separately) is provided for a given period. Data Usage will not only collect statistics for the day, for the week and for the reporting period, but also calculate how much traffic should be consumed ideally so that the Internet does not cost a penny. It also shows predicted consumption, separate statistics on received and transmitted data and, most importantly, how much free traffic is left until the end of the reporting period.

Data on mobile Internet and Wi-Fi are shown on separate tabs, but you can view the total history of traffic consumption on a visual graph.

Data Usage can warn you that your prepaid traffic is about to expire. Moreover, there may be three such warnings. The default is when using fifty, seventy-five and ninety percent, but this parameter is configurable. In addition, the application can completely turn off the Internet when a certain value is reached (99% by default) and automatically turn it on when the next reporting period arrives.

Another traffic monitoring application that may be useful is “My Internet Manager” (My Data Manager - Data Usage. Its feature is the ability to set separate data plans for roaming and mobile Internet. You can set a traffic limit, as well as the date and plan start time.

As for data received via Wi-Fi, it is impossible to set a traffic limit here, but you can specify when the number of downloaded data is reached, the program should notify the user. “My Internet Manager” displays information about traffic consumption in a convenient form, with each type of connection located on a separate tab.

A full report of total data consumption can be seen in the graph. Also, information on consumed traffic is displayed on the notification panel.

The app also keeps track of the data consumption of different apps. This information can be presented in chart form or as a list.

Pleasant bonuses of the application include the ability to backup data to an SD card and quickly restore it.

⇡ Non-standard approach: not only control, but also traffic reduction

Even before the advent of smartphones, mobile browsers from Opera Software were extremely popular. And one of the most popular features of Opera Mini was traffic compression. Thanks to this, on the one hand, the loading of web pages on a slow connection was accelerated, and on the other hand, mobile Internet bills were reduced.

The same compression technology that was used in the Norwegian company's older products forms the basis of the Opera Max application for Android. It is currently being tested, but is already available for free download from Google Play in our country. The main difference between Opera Max and the corresponding function in the browser is that it works with all applications. That is, if Opera Mini compresses only the content of web pages, then Opera Max works with any browser, as well as applications for viewing video content, reading RSS, downloading photos, etc. In particular, with the help of Opera Max, traffic in the VKontakte, Viber, and Odnoklassniki applications is significantly saved.

Technically, Opera Max works through a VPN network. All network traffic from a mobile device passes through Opera servers, where it is compressed whenever possible. Thus, the user downloads much less data.

How much data has been saved is shown in the application window. Detailed statistics by date and by application are also available. As our testing has shown, web pages and photos are best compressed; with video, the situation is worse. But the application does not work with Facebook and Twitter at all - this is because these social sites use an encrypted connection. Accordingly, the application is unable to intercept this traffic in order to send it to Opera servers. It's also worth keeping in mind that the app is useless for compressing web pages if you're using the Google Chrome browser with data compression enabled. In this case, you cannot save even more. Opera Max also does not compress application updates or files downloaded to the device.

Opera Max only works with mobile Internet. As for Wi-Fi traffic, it is not taken into account and is not saved. But the application has a convenient option for banning the use of mobile traffic for individual applications. This can be handy since the Wi-Fi update option may not be found in all apps.

Finally, when using Opera Max, it's worth keeping in mind that the app works offline for seven days. For its further operation, you need to “recharge”, that is, click on a special button on the corresponding tab of the application. For now (at the testing stage) it is free, but in the future, most likely, you will have to pay to extend the service.

However, if Opera Max becomes paid in the future, it is worth keeping in mind that this application is not unique. The same functions have been available for more than two years to users of the lesser-known Onavo Extend program, the developers of which came under the wing of Facebook in 2013.

Like Opera Max, this free app works through a proxy server and compresses all mobile traffic from the device. When you turn on Wi-Fi, it turns off automatically. In the application you can see statistics on saved traffic for a week and a month. And in the settings you can control the quality of graphics, as well as set the cache size for saved graphic elements. This is true if you constantly load the same web pages. Onavo Extend saves the graphics from them, they are not re-downloaded, resulting in even greater savings.

⇡ Conclusion

I really hope that in five to ten years the demand for all applications for saving mobile traffic will decrease. Perhaps very soon they will become as rarely used as programs for monitoring traffic on a PC are now rare. And just as inexpensive internet via cable came to our homes without taking into account traffic, so our smartphones will receive inexpensive unlimited access to the Internet.

Consider a question received from a blog reader: “I have unlimited Internet, but Android blocks the 5 Gb traffic limit. Is it possible to remove the restriction so that Android does not block traffic and how to remove it?

Indeed, it’s a shame when you pay for unlimited Internet, but in fact you are modestly content with what is installed in Android.

Where to look for traffic settings

To get to the appropriate settings, we will take turns opening the nesting dolls, one after another. The largest of them is “Applications” (given for Android 5.0.2):

Rice. 1. Open Applications in Android

Having opened Applications in Android, we find Settings there:

Rice. 2. Android Settings

In the settings we need “Data Usage”:

Rice. 3. Open “Data Usage”

How to remove traffic restrictions on Android

If the Internet is unlimited, then you can forget about restrictions. To remove them, just uncheck the “Mobile restrictions” checkbox as shown below (number 2 in Fig. 4), because if there is no checkmark, there are no restrictions.

Rice. 4. No mobile data limit (none)

In Fig. Figure 4 shows that there are two types of Internet traffic on an Android smartphone:

1. via Wi-Fi,
2. mobile traffic via SIM card (below it goes under the name Nadezhda).

It is also shown that the amount of consumed Internet traffic is so far 292 kb.

How to disable traffic on Android

If you remove the green checkmark next to “Mobile data” (1 in Fig. 4), a warning will appear:

“Without a Wi-Fi network, you will not be able to use the Internet, mail and other applications that require data transfer. Mobile data will be disabled."

If we click “OK” in such a window, we will thereby turn off the traffic and Android will be completely free from the Internet, access to which is given to us by the mobile operator (not for free, of course).

How to set up traffic limiting

We are interested in how we can change Internet traffic restrictions in order to fully take advantage of the Internet access services provided by the mobile operator.

Click “Mobile Restriction” (2 in Fig. 4), after which a window will appear:

Rice. 5. Limit data transfer

I duplicate the message in the “Limit data transfer” window (Fig. 5):

“The data connection will be disconnected when the specified limit is reached. Data usage is measured on the device and your service provider may calculate your traffic differently, so set a tighter limit."

Here we can only click on the “OK” button, confirming our desire to limit data transfer so as not to overpay and so that Android monitors the volume of traffic and stops access to the Internet in a timely manner.

Rice. 6. Traffic limit set – 5 GB

In Fig. 6 shows that the Internet traffic limit is 5 Gigabytes. If you click on the number 5.0 GB, which is visible on the Android screen, then in the window that appears (Fig. 7) we can set any other limit by typing numbers on the online keyboard, for example, 15 GB.

Rice. 7. You can set a traffic limit using the online keyboard

Or you can simply “move” the top line, which limits traffic to 15 GB, as shown in Fig. 8. You need to move by hooking the line in the place where the bold dot is located - at the opposite end from the inscription 15 GB. The line moves easily both up and down.

Rice. 8. The traffic limit is set to 15 GB.

We will move the line limiting the traffic limit down, hooking it to the bold point at the top right (circled in a frame in Fig. 8).

Thus, for example, we will set the upper limit at 2.9 GB (Fig. 9). You can also move it by catching the bold dot and the “Warning” line. This line shows at what volume of traffic on Android a warning will be displayed about reaching the specified limit, but restrictions will not be enabled; Android will still have access to the Internet. But when the upper limit is reached (in the version in Fig. 9, this is 2.9 GB), the Internet will turn off.

For those who are too lazy to move the black line up or down, they can simply click on the number next to the “Warning” line to use the on-screen keyboard (Fig. 7) to indicate the amount of traffic at which a warning will be received.

Rice. 9. Finalized values ​​for Warnings and Internet Traffic Limits on Android

Results

That, in general, is all the wisdom of setting warnings and limiting mobile Internet traffic on Android. It must be said that the established warnings and restrictions apply on Android for any type of Internet use, be it accessing the Internet on Android, or accessing a Wi-Fi hotspot, using mobile applications with Internet access, using email, etc. .All traffic will be taken into account by this access restriction control system.

Unfortunately, the traffic that Android counts may not match the traffic that the mobile operator itself counts. In my experience, it happened when Android had not yet limited access to the Internet, but the mobile operator had already sharply reduced the Internet speed or turned it off altogether.

To avoid such a discrepancy (whether we like it or not, mobile operators and Android devices will always count traffic differently), on Android it is useful to set traffic limits a little less than what the mobile operator assumes. In particular, in Fig. Figure 9 shows the installation of a limit of 2.9 GB with a given limit of 3.0 GB from the mobile operator. With such restrictions set, there will be no conflicts between Android and the mobile operator, and Android will notify in time and then turn off the Internet, without waiting for the mobile operator itself to do this.