Windows Phone 8: How to minimize your data usage
If you don’t have an unlimited data plan, you may be looking for ways to reduce your cellular data usage. Here are some tips that can help you do that.
Connect to a Wi-Fi network
When you can, connect to a Wi-Fi network. Your phone will try to use the Wi-Fi network connection first to send and receive data.
-
To turn on Wi-Fi, in the App list, tap Settings
> Wi-Fi, and then turn Wi-Fi networking to On.
Tip
When you’re out and about, you can use the Data Sense Wi-Fi Guide to find Wi-Fi hotspots that are nearby. To view the guide, in Wi-Fi settings, tap Find nearby Wi-Fi. You can also get to it by going to the App list, and then tapping Maps > More 
> Show nearby Wi-Fi. (Data Sense is not currently available for all mobile operators.)
Use Data Sense
Data Sense helps you monitor your cellular data usage. It can also help reduce the amount of cellular data that’s used when you’re getting near your limit.
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To open Data Sense, in the App list, tap Data Sense.
Note
Data Sense is not currently available for all mobile operators.
Have Internet Explorer reduce the size of webpages
Internet Explorer 10 for Windows Phone can reduce the size of webpages when you’re browsing the web on your phone. This can help cut down some of your data usage. Do the following to make sure this feature is selected in Internet Explorer settings:
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In the App list, tap Settings
, and then flick left to Applications. -
Tap Internet Explorer > Advanced settings, and then select Reduce data use by sending URLs to the Data Sense service.
Note
Data Sense is not currently available for all mobile operators.
Turn on Battery Saver
Battery Saver turns off some, but not all, of the features that require a data connection. You can turn it on whenever you want, or set it to turn on automatically when your battery is low.
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In the App list, tap Settings
> Battery saver. -
Turn Battery Saver to On.
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Tap Advanced, and then tap the option you want to use to conserve battery.
Change email sync settings
You can choose how often your phone automatically syncs email, or you can sync it manually just when you want.
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In the App list, tap the email account whose settings you want to change.
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Tap More
> Settings, and then tap Sync settings. -
Tap Download new content, and then tap a time. If you don’t want your phone to sync email from this account automatically, tap Manually.
Download new podcast episodes over Wi-Fi only
You can make sure that new episodes for podcasts you subscribe to are only downloaded to your phone over a Wi-Fi connection.
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In the App list, tap Settings
, and then flick to Applications. -
Tap Music + Videos, and then make sure the Only download new podcast episodes over Wi-Fi check box is selected.
Turn on airplane mode
If you want to quickly turn off your cellular connection and other connections as well, you can turn on airplane mode.
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In the App list, tap Settings
> Airplane mode. -
Turn Status to On.
Turn off your cellular data connection
The most thorough way to make sure you’re not using cellular data is to turn it off altogether.
-
In the App list, tap Settings
> Cellular. - Tap Data connection, and then tap Off.
Via Windowsphone
