How Android Handles Metered Wi-Fi
Usually, large updates default to Wi-Fi on Android. The moment you connect, apps and even the system itself may try to update. This can quickly eat up your data, especially with larger system updates and apps. To help you avoid exorbitant charges, you can tell Android to treat Wi-Fi the same as mobile data. When you’re connected to a metered Wi-Fi connection on Android, nothing downloads without your permission. Occasionally, a critical security update may still install, but this should be rare. Google sometimes pushes these updates, despite the connection you’re on, to keep users safe. I think I’ve only had this happen twice in the last 10 years or so. Individual apps are still an issue, though. For instance, social media apps don’t care whether your Wi-Fi plan is limited or not. There are settings in most social media apps to reduce usage, such as not auto-playing videos.
Set a Metered Wi-Fi Connection
The process may vary slightly based on your version of Android. All steps are based on Android 12. However, the method should also work on earlier versions of Android, especially 10 and 11. Some Android devices (including those running Android 12) include a secondary method. My device doesn’t offer this option, but follow these steps to see if your device does:
Restrict Background Data Usage on Apps
There are several ways to restrict background data usage on apps. Even when apps are closed, they may still use background data. This is often to give you notifications or update a widget. For instance, weather apps use background data to update the temperature in your notification tray and send you alerts. You can turn off background data usage and limit overall data usage by changing the settings for individual apps.
Save Your Wi-Fi Data
While there are quite a few ways to reduce data usage on mobile, many of those same methods work for limited Wi-Fi plans, too. A few more quick tips for saving even more data on a metered Wi-Fi connection on Android include:
Use mobile data as much as possible if you have an unlimited data plan.Avoid streaming and/or use streaming services with offline options.Play games that offer offline play to avoid data-hungry ads.Turn off auto-play for videos on social media, YouTube, and any streaming apps.
The most important step is to monitor your Wi-Fi usage and pay close attention to heavy-usage apps. Best of all, prevent it from automatically turning on. This helps you avoid costly overages each month.
Monitor Android Wi-Fi Data Usage
You’ll still want to keep a close check on your Wi-Fi data usage on Android to make sure you’re not going over. You don’t need a special app to do so. Instead, do the following to quickly check your current Wi-Fi usage on your device during a set period and per app: Image credit: Franck via Unsplash Most Android devices have some form of security app built in, so you may not need anything else. However, be careful with what you download from the Google Play Store and always scan APK files when sideloading apps. For example, you can download content from Netflix to watch offline if you’re a subscriber. You can also use a video downloader to download content from certain sites and download certain videos, such as Creative Commons licensed content, from YouTube.
