Gone are the days of unlimited data; now most everyone with a data plan is paying for a flat rate, with exorbitant overage fees. And overseas data use fees? Yikes. Luckily, no matter how much data you’re allowed to use on your plan, the LTE-equipped Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 provides features to help keep you in your limits. Check it out:
Use Wi-Fi as often as possible
Mobile devices –and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is no exception– are configured to use Wi-Fi instead of cellular data whenever it’s available. So your first strategy to use less of your data plan is to connect and use Wi-Fi as often as possible. In the US at least, almost all Wi-Fi internet connections are unmetered, and therefore essentially free data for your mobile device.
Restrict data use
By default, apps are allowed to use as much cellular data as they want (even though well programmed apps try to limit how much data is used). To set a hard limit to the amount of cellular data your LTE-enabledTab S2 can use:
- Tap on Data usage in the Connections section of the Settings app, then tap Set Mobile Data limit to set a specific amount your tablet can use, and the date for resetting the counter. Make sure to set this below what you’re allowed on your plan to have a buffer in case your carrier counts your usage differently.
Make sure data roaming is turned off
Data roaming is a nifty little trick for carriers to charge through the nose for data use outside of their coverage by letting you use other carriers’ networks. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 usually has data roaming turned off by default, but let’s make sure:
- Open the Mobile networks menu from the Connections section of the Settings app.
- Make sure Data roaming is unchecked.
Keep an eye on data usage
Certain apps can sometimes take advantage and abuse their privileges by eating up tons of data. Luckily, we can get some insights on how much data apps are using and we can potentially prevent them from using too much. To have a look at the breakdown of data usage by app:
- Tap on Data Usage in the Connections page of the Settings app.
- The screen is split into two sections: a graph showing data usage over time, and a list of apps showing data usage from each, sorted by most data to least.
Turn off mobile data
If you find yourself nearing your data limits and you don’t want to incur overage charges, or just want to disable mobile data for any other reason, there are a couple different ways to turn off mobile data:
- Toggle Airplane Mode from the quick toggles in the Notification Drawer. This turns off every wireless radio on your device, including Wi-Fi, bluetooth, and cellular.
- Open the Mobile networks menu in the Connections page of the Settings app, then select a network type from the Network mode menu.
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