Google launches app to help Android users save mobile data

Google has announced the launch of Datally, a smart and simple 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 on the Google Play Store globally.

Datally helps solve one of the biggest pain points for smartphone users around the world — worries about data usage. Google found during extensive global user research that many smartphone users worry about running out of data. This is an especially acute problem for the newest generation to come online, known as the “Next Billion Users.” Not only are these smartphone users 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.

Datally empowers users to solve these problems with 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. People testing the app saved up to 30% of mobile data, depending on the way they used Datally.
• Data Saver bubble. Once Data Saver is turned on, Datally’s Data Saver bubble will appear when a user goes into an app. Whenever that app uses data, the Data Saver bubble will show 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 Data Saver 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 also 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, so Datally’s Find Wi-Fi feature reveals the networks nearby, rated by the Datally community. Once connected, users can rate the Wi-Fi networks based on their own experience.

Google tested Datally in the Philippines for most of 2017, and the insights from the product tests there shaped the final app.

“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’,” says Google South Africa country director Luke Mckend. “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 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 WiFi.”

Edited by Fundisiwe Maseko
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