Do you track how much you dwnload on your phone?

[Hornet]

I'm about to upgrade my phone and I have a feeling I could start to push the limits of my plan with downloads. Unfortunately my current plan doesn't expire until August 2012 so I'm locked in to a $49 cap with only 200MB of data usage per month.
(If I start to go over regularly I will look in to buying extra data plans or something but right now I don't see the point)

If got me thinking, do you track how much you download each month and, if so, how?
How much do you use?
What is the majority of your mobile data download used on? Email, apps using data (GPS downloads), webbrowsing?
Have you ever gone over and if you did, what did it cost you?

Who are you with and are you happy with the cost/speed/coverage?

[Viper]

iPhone records this data.

200mb won't be enough generally.

[Desmo]

Luckily we have wireleless at work, home and around the resort so the only time I use 3G is when I'm on the water (if I can get signal) so it's something I don't ever worry about.
Some pretty good plans out there for heavy usage now though.

[BlackFZR]

3G Watchdog.....

tracks your usage, and also has alarms associated with custom levels.

[Mutiny!]

Heaps of apps that will do it, though they may not all be 100% accurate. 200MB will be enough to check your email and facespace a few times a day, use maps and occasional browsing. You'll want to disable 3g when you are not using it and disable auto sync for email etc.

I have 250MB with Virgin. No hassles with coverage in the city. If it was my only internet access I would blow my cookies pretty quickly. Excess data charges are heinous, and you can't set your account up to auto-disable when you hit the limit, you just have to manage it so you don't go over.

On my Android SGS I use 3g watchdog and the Data Enabler widget. Works well enough.

[timmay]

for an extra $10 or so you might be able to get a data plan added - should not affect your contract.

[shmoo]

Hornet - email uses bugger all of your download quota. The way people with smart phones get stung is either things like google maps (which is constantly downloading the maps) or simply the background updating that most apps do - ie you might not be actively using an app, but it will still be syncing sometimes. Start downloading games and this last point is especially valid.

[Huggy]

I was just using the usage display in the settings folder on my iPhone to monitor my usage. Was a bit gay because you would have to reset the usage every month, and if you forgot to do it on the right day (mine is the 2nd day of every month being with telstra) it would throw your usage out and you'd lose track of where your at...

I lashed out and downloaded a $0.99 app that works it out for me now. Its good because it shows exact usage, how much data you have left, how much you've used since you last ran the app (handy for working out how much various apps use) and projected monthly use.

Because I use wifi at home i'm never going close to my 500mb data allowance, but when i've been away with work i have come close... using maps and youtube will chew your data very quickly.

Also, are you sure your only on a 200mb data plan? I know that when I signed up I was on a 200mb plan but telstra seem to have increased it to 500mb. Not sure when this happened, or if it was meant to? I see you started your contract about the same time as me, (aug 2010) so if your with telstra i'm thinking that perhaps you have 500mb usage and don't know it... I was never advised, i just went over the usage one month and expected a big bill but didnt get it, so i looked into it and saw that i had 500mb of usage.

[Mutiny!]

If you use maps a lot you can preload the tiles for a given 10km x 10km area. Options > more > Labs > Precache Map Area , then press and hold in the area you want to download. Do this when you're on wifi.

I think email does chew a fair bit of quota when it is updating in the background. Just set it to manual refresh.

[GETAGRIP]

Hey mate, I went on an additonal 10 dollar data plan which gave me 2gb. Depends how much you will be on the home network and if you have wifi at site you can use. any apps etc. can start to get hungry on data.

[Huggy]

If you use maps a lot you can preload the tiles for a given 10km x 10km area. Options > more > Labs > Precache Map Area , then press and hold in the area you want to download. Do this when you're on wifi.

I take it thats not for iPhone? I'd be keen to know how to do this for iPhone 4...

[Big_Dave]

Yep I use a app called consume for my iPhone.

Haven't gone over yet, tho I do have 5gb a month. I use my phone for everything including tethering to my laptop and web browsing or downloading videos


Sent from my iPhone using Tapacrapa

[Falcore]

I was on 49 plan with telstra hornet, extra 20 a month now sees me having 5gb to use.

Won't affect your current plan etc

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[r0gue]

I used to have a widget on my home screen to monitor my data usage, but I never really got close to using my 2GB of data since I have wifi at work and home. So now I do not bother.

[r0gue]

I take it thats not for iPhone? I'd be keen to know how to do this for iPhone 4...

It is an inbuilt feature of Android.

[Hornet]

Ah, see, this is where all the little tricks come into it with your different phone manufacturers.

Currently on a Nokia and I don't bother with e-mail, nor will I with my next phone. I don't get enough and none are important enough that they can't wait. Maps, maybe it'll be used more often. FaceAche and the odd bit of internet browsing will be the majority, me thinks.

[Cam]

I use 3G Watchdog to keep track, I *easily* chew through 3 or 4 gig a month.

[goof]

I monitored it at first, but as I have a cheap plan and am on wifi most of the time I don't bother looking any more. On my $1 per month plan I get 300MB quota then $10 per GB over that. So in a normal month I won't go over 300MB, if I go away on a trip I probably won't go over 1.3GB, so I'm happy with that -cheaper than internet in a hotel for 1 night.

The main usage for me is plugging it in to the laptop for work emails/browsing and skype in the evenings (10-40MB for a decent video chat).

[HarleyR]

Whos the service provider? Should just be able to ring up and ask them to put you on their current 49 cap plans. Should see an increase in data and credit. And it wont add additional time on your contract

[DaveR6]

Google maps automatically caches tiles too. So unless you are constantly driving through new areas, usage shouldn't be too bad.

Easiest way to monitor usage retrospectively is just look at your phone bills. Vodafone also has an app (for android) that tells you exactly how much you have used during the current month (data and call usage). Quite a handy little widget.