ISSUE 46 • ANDROID ADVISOR 89HOW TOstop rogue apps from surreptitiously using it up. So,
if you get a message from your carrier about using
an abnormal amount of data, you can use Datally to
pinpoint the app that’s doing the most damage and
shut it down.
There’s nothing necessarily new in Datally – data
trackers have been built into Android for a while – but
never has it been presented in such a user-friendly
way. Many Android users don’t know to venture deep
into the Settings app to see their mobile usage, so
Datally pulls those features out of Settings > Network
& Internet > Mobile network, and presents it in an
easy-to-understand way.
After a brief setup, where you’ll need to allow
Datally access to a VPN in order for it to work, you’ll
be taken to a screen that clearly shows how much
data you’ve used today. From there, you can dial into
your weekly or monthly usage (via the manage data
button), set up threshold alerts, and control which
apps have access to your mobile data. There’s also a
Data Saver kill switch that will shut down all mobile
data at a tap.
But the coolest feature might be its Wi-Fi tracker.
Tap the ‘Find Wi-Fi’ button and Datally will retrieve a
list of nearby places that offer public Wi-Fi networks.
You can even get directions via Maps and rate the
quality to help other users in the area.
Google says it has been testing Datally in the
Philippines over the past few months and it has saved
people up to 30 percent in their data. The app is
available in the Play Store for phones running Android
5.0 and above.