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How to Stop Apps Using Mobile Data on Android

How to stop apps using mobile data on Android: checking per-app usage, Data Saver, unrestricted exceptions, data warnings and limits, and Wi-Fi-only habits.

By Published 4 min read

Reign Creative LLC makes Video Player All Formats PRO, which this article links to, so we have a commercial interest in it. How we write and check articles.

AI-assisted article. Drafted with AI tools from the sources cited below and checked by automated tests and an AI editorial review. No person has reviewed it yet. How we write and check articles.

Key takeaways

  • On a Pixel, Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, App data usage shows how much mobile data each app has used.
  • Data Saver lets most apps get background data only over Wi-Fi, while the app you are using can still use mobile data.
  • Apps that must work in the background can be given 'Unrestricted data' as exceptions to Data Saver.
  • A data warning sends an alert at a level you choose; a data limit turns mobile data off when you reach it.
  • Set app updates to Wi-Fi only, and play videos stored on the phone instead of streaming them on mobile data.

A data plan can disappear in a weekend: a video that kept streaming, an app that synced photos over the mobile network, a pile of updates downloaded away from Wi-Fi. Android has good tools to find the culprit and stop it. This guide uses Google's Pixel help, so the paths are for Pixel phones; Google itself notes that if the steps do not work on a custom Android version you should check with your device manufacturer, and menu names may differ on other brands.

Step 1: find out what is using data

Google defines data usage as how much data your phone uploads or downloads using mobile data. To check it on a Pixel:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Network & internet, then SIMs. The total appears at the top.
  3. Tap App data usage for graphs and details, and choose a time period with the arrow.
  4. Look below the graph for how much each app has used.

Start here: the list shows which apps to look at first, so you can deal with them directly rather than relying only on a blanket setting.

Step 2: turn on Data Saver

Data Saver is the broad fix. Google explains that it lets most apps and services get background data only via Wi-Fi, while currently active apps and services can still use mobile data. Turn it on in Settings, Network & internet, Data Saver. When it is on, a Data Saver icon appears in the status bar and a notice shows at the top of Settings. Google also suggests adding Data Saver to Quick Settings for one-tap access.

Step 3: make exceptions for apps that must keep working

Google notes that some apps and services will not work as expected unless they can run in the background even when you are not using them. Its help describes Unrestricted data exceptions: open Settings, Network & internet, Data Saver, Unrestricted data, and turn on each app or service that should keep using mobile data in the background. Google Play's own help notes that the Play Store may be affected when Data Saver is on and Wi-Fi is unavailable, and that you can let it keep getting background data the same way.

Step 4: set a warning or a limit

For a hard ceiling, Google describes Data warning & limit under Settings, Network & internet, SIMs:

  • a warning sends a notification when usage reaches the number you set;
  • a limit turns mobile data off automatically when you reach it, with a notification. To turn data back on, switch the limit off.

Google warns that some features will not work while mobile data is off.

A worked example: a 10 GB plan

Suppose, as a hypothetical, your plan gives you 10 GB a month. Set a warning at 8 GB and a limit at 9.5 GB, leaving a small buffer, because Google notes the phone measures the usage shown in Settings and some carriers measure it differently. Check App data usage after the first week: if one app has used 3 GB, that single app is on course for about 12 GB over a four-week month, more than the whole plan. Restrict that app, or use it only on Wi-Fi, before reaching for anything else.

Step 5: build Wi-Fi-only habits

Several big data users have their own settings:

  • App updates: Google Play's help explains that Auto-update apps can be set to update over Wi-Fi only, under the Play Store's profile menu, Settings, Network preferences.
  • Auto-sync: Google notes that turning off auto-sync uses less data, though you then need to sync apps manually.
  • Roaming: Google notes some carriers charge extra for data roaming, which can be turned on or off under SIMs.
  • Video: if App data usage shows a streaming app near the top, download or copy videos to the phone over Wi-Fi where the service allows it, then watch them offline.

Check again after a week

New apps and new habits change the picture. A week after changing settings, open App data usage again and compare the list with what you saw before. If the total is falling and no single app dominates, the settings are working. If one app is still climbing, look inside that app's own settings for options such as Wi-Fi-only downloads or lower streaming quality before restricting it further.

Watching offline

A video stored on the phone does not have to be streamed. Our Video Player All Formats PRO plays video files stored on your phone or tablet, such as downloaded movies, saved clips, lessons and your own recordings, and its app page is clear that it is not a streaming service. Its free version is supported by ads, so check App data usage if you want to see what it uses. The Android video player guide covers formats, and casting video to a TV covers watching on a bigger screen. It is one of our video and utility apps.

How to update apps on Android covers update settings in more detail, and freeing up storage helps when downloaded videos fill the phone.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

How do you see which app uses the most data on Android?
Google's Pixel help says to open Settings, tap Network & internet, then SIMs, then App data usage; you can pick a time period, and each app's usage is listed below the graph. Paths vary on other phones.
What does Android's Data Saver do?
Google says Data Saver lets most apps and services get background data only over Wi-Fi, while the apps and services you are actively using can still use mobile data. A Data Saver icon appears in the status bar when it is on.
How do you make an app keep working in the background with Data Saver on?
Give it unrestricted data. In Google's Pixel help the path is Settings, Network & internet, Data Saver, Unrestricted data, then turn on the app or service that should keep using mobile data.
How do you set a mobile data limit on Android?
Google's Pixel help describes Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, Data warning & limit: set a warning to get an alert at a chosen level, or set a limit to turn mobile data off automatically when you reach it.

Sources

  1. Use less mobile data with Data Saver (opens in a new tab)Google Pixel Phone Help — accessed
  2. Reduce & manage mobile data usage (opens in a new tab)Google Pixel Phone Help — accessed
  3. Turn on background data (opens in a new tab)Google Play Help — accessed
  4. How to update apps on Android (opens in a new tab)Google Play Help — accessed

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