As business owners, we need to stay on top of our numbers. Beyond keeping receipts organized and maintaining good records to enhance productivity, it’s essential to keep track of certain costs that can skyrocket, like phone data charges. When you take an in-depth look at these costs (that also directly affect our bottom line), you may be surprised at how much you pay for mobile phone data. I know I was shocked! For advice on reducing my phone bill, I talked to Cully Duffin, a Managing Partner at PCB Communications Inc. He agreed that data overage is expensive and often unnecessary and offered some great tips on reducing the amount of data we use on our mobile phones.

1. Turn off WiFi Assist.

If you use the latest iOS firmware in your iPhone, you will find a feature in Settings under Cellular, called WiFi Assist. It ensures that video streaming stays smooth throughout by automatically hopping onto your phone company’s network if your WiFi connection weakens. Turn it off to save on mobile data.

2. Manually turn off cellular data usage for individual apps.

iPhone users can track how much data each app consumes by clicking on Settings and Cellular. They can also turn off mobile data use for individual apps (e.g., YouTube, FaceBook, etc.), so you can only use them on a WiFi connection. Android users can also track how much data each app consumes by clicking on Settings and Data Usage. To restrict the amount of data used by individual apps, turn on Restrict Background Data.

 3. Turn off the video autoplay feature on social media sites.

Social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) will automatically play videos and suck up precious data. You will have to go to each app’s Settings section and turn off the video autoplay feature.

4. Turn off automated updates to also reduce your phone data charges.

The default setting on most phones allows apps to update automatically via cellular data. Turn it off completely to allow only manual updates or set it, so they only update when there is a WiFi connection. Android users can go to Play Store, Settings, and Auto-update apps. Turn off the auto-update feature or select auto-update only over WiFi. iPhone users can go to Settings, then iTunes & App Store to turn off updates.

5. Be Careful with automatic photo/video backup.

Programs such as iCloud and Google Photo can backup all data and videos, and it can use a lot of data! Check to make sure they are set to WiFi-only and they do not sync over mobile data.

6. Turn off cellular roaming.

Always have cellular roaming turned off unless you intend on using data when travelling outside of Canada. Newer devices will automatically search for the strongest signal, and when you are near the border, the strongest signal might be from the United States.

 7. Use a third-party app to monitor your roaming.

We’ve had success with:

• Android – RadioOpt Traffic Monitor
• Apple – Mobidia – My Data Manager

I hope these tips from Cully Duffin help you reduce your phone data charges.