Onavo’s features
You will get a couple key features when you install Onavo. You will have:
A data tracker to keep tabs on how much data you are using overall during the month.A warning system to let you know which applications are consuming the most data while it is happening.The option to restrict certain applications to Wi-Fi only.
Tracking Android data usage
When you are on a data budget, you may need to keep a close eye on your usage. Onavo lets you input your data limit, start of your billing cycle and even a cost for your data. The pay-per-use feature is great for people who have the option of pay as you go data plans.
Be warned
When you are using your mobile data to listen to music or watch video while you are commuting may be your biggest known data hog, but what about the application you just download? It may not seem like it would need a lot of data, but the initial download of the game and needed files may take a bite out of your data allowance for the month. Onavo will put a pig with an exclamation point by it in your notification bar to let you know when an app is using more than its fair share of data. When you see this pig, you can click on the notification to attend to the data hogging app.
Restrict applications
When you determine the applications that are using too much data for your liking, you can restrict them to Wi-Fi. If the application is something you know uses a lot of data and you do not want to see the warning pig icon, you can turn the warning off for that application. If you are super worried about going over your data, there is an option to block your data usage when you reach 99%
Advice
Once you use Onavo for a while, you will get some recommendations on whether of not your data plan is right for your needs or not.
Widgets
The Onavo widgets are probably the easiest way to see what applications are running and what is your top data consumption application for the month. Here is a picture of your 3 widget choices.
Conclusion
I like Onavo a bit better than similar apps because of the warnings and ability to restrict applications to Wi-Fi. It seems to be really on par with my usage. I tend to use a good amount of Wi-Fi during my normal month so I usually don’t even come close to my monthly data allowance. Download Onavo for Android and monitor your data consumption. What do you use to Android applications data usage?