Google unveils app to reduce mobile data usage

Google has unveiled Datally, an Android app that helps smartphone users understand, control and save mobile data.
Datally works on all smartphones running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and higher, and is available for download on the Google Play Store globally.
Speaking at the launch of Datally in Lagos, Google Nigeria’s country director, Mrs. Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, said, “For the last few years, our next billion users team has been doing a lot of research on the ground in fast-growing Internet countries like Nigeria. We have found that data is a major constraint for the the next billion users.
“Introducing Datally in the Nigerian smartphone market will help users understand how to control their mobile data better.
“Google tested Datally in the Philippines for most of 2017, and the insights from the product tests there shaped the final app. The user research showed that people testing the app saved up to 30 per cent of their mobile data, depending on the way they used Datally.
“Datally was developed to help solve one of the biggest concerns of smartphone users around the world, especially in Nigeria, worries about data usage. During extensive user research around the world, we found that many smartphone users worry about running out of data, especially the new generation of Internet users known as the ‘next billion users.’
“Not only are they constantly thinking about data balances, but they do not understand where their data is going nor do they feel like they can control allocating data to the apps they really care about,” she said.
The app will empower users to manage their data effectively on their smartphones through four key features.
Data saver: Apps frequently use data in the background for updating content and information. Datally’s data saver feature lets users control data on an app-by-app basis, so that data only goes to apps they care about.
Data saver bubble: Once data saver is turned on, Datally’s data saver bubble appears when a user goes into an app. Whenever that app uses data, the data saver bubble shows the current rate of data usage, and users can easily choose to block that app’s data use if things start to get out of control. The bubble is like a speedometer for mobile data.
Personalised alerts: Datally alerts users when apps start consuming a lot of data, and it allows them to see how much data they’ve used on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Wi-Fi finder: There are times when users want to use more data than they have on their mobile plans, such as when they want to watch HD videos. Public Wi-Fi is an important access point for high-bandwidth connectivity. Datally’s ‘Find Wi-Fi’ feature reveals the networks nearby, rated by the Datally community