Google has launched the Datally app for Android users to save on their mobile data. One of the biggest concerns people have when using their smartphone is maxing out their data. Smartphones without due diligence can leave you with huge bills from your mobile service carrier.
Mobile data is particularly a big concern in the developing nations, where more often than not, the cost of connecting to the internet is not only slower, but higher compared to the developed nations. Datally runs on any phone running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and higher and is already available on Play Store globally.
Datally resembles Opera Max, a data compression app by Opera Software. They both address one of the biggest pain points most smartphone owners around the world have; mobile data usage. Google did an extensive research and established that majority of smartphones users around the world worry often about running out of data.
The problem is more pronounced in the newest generation of users to come online, statistically referred to as the ‘Next Billion Users.’ These cohort of users are constantly thinking about their mobile data balances, they are puzzled continuously about where their data is going, and feel not to be in control of the situation.
Google has been testing this app in the Philippines for the most part of this year. The insights they got from that pilot project was impressive that they moved forward to avail the app to every Android user globally.
Datally features
Data Saver: There are some apps in your typical smartphone that are continually updating their content and information. As a regular user, it will be hard for you to know exactly which apps they are and how you can limit their activity. Datally makes it simple for you to control all the apps with regards to which app you allow to use data in the background. Users who have already used the app during beta stage say they were able to save up to 30% of their mobile data with the Datally Data Saver feature.
Data Saver Bubble: When you turn on Data Save and go into using any app, the Data Saver Bubble springs up showing you the rate each app is using data. If you see any of the apps using too much data, you can simply block the app from using mobile data.
Personalized alerts: This feature sends you alerts when apps (foreground or background) all of a sudden start using too much data. You can also get these alerts in terms of daily, weekly, and monthly data usage.
Wi-Fi Finder: For those occasions when you want to use a lot of data; say you want to watch an HD video, Wi-Fi Finder will scan for public Wi-Fi access points near you. The Wi-Fi Finder will also give you a rating on the speed and reliability of the available Public Wi-Fi hotspots so that you can connect to the one highly rated by previous users who were alerted about the hotspot through the Wi-Fi Finder.
Luke Mckend, the Google South Africa country director said, “In many parts of the world, people feel constrained by the cost and availability of data. Managing and controlling data can feel daunting, and where data goes can seem like a ‘black box.’ Google’s research showed us that users in developing countries are data-constrained and spend less days connected to mobile data per-month than users in developed countries. Datally aims to help users to be connected every day by increasing transparency on how data is used, enabling more control over their data usage to get the most out of their data plan, and finding good public Wi-Fi.”