We moved from an era where we used what we colloquially term as ‘feature phones’ that had limited functionality and data use to smartphones which gobble up data.
That is why we have ended up buying more data for our daily use and it has become necessary to track all that usage. Android for example has an inbuilt data usage tracker that shows you how much data the apps you’ve installed have used over a period of time.
Today, Google has launched a simple Android app that will help you manage data and they have named it Datally.
“Datally is a solution to the data constraints and is aimed at helping users be connected everyday by increasing transparency on how data is used, enabling more control over the data usage to get most out of their data plan, and finding good free Wi-Fi,” Google Kenya Country Manager, Charles Murito said. Google found from extensive user research that many smartphone users worry about running out of data, which is a situation we’ve been in.
Datally has 4 key features: Data Saver, Data Saver bubble, Personalized alerts and Wi-Fi finder.
Data Saver lets you control data on an app to app basis and Google found out that this helps people save upt 30% of their data bundle. Data Saver bubble appears when you’re in an app and will show the current rate of data usage. You can also set personalized alerts which notify you when apps start consuming a lot of data. Datally’s Wi-Fi finder will reveal the highly rated public Wi-Fi nearby so that you can connect.
When you install Datally, it requires you to give it permission to manage your phone calls, texts and location. Afterwards, you will be greeted with an interface shown above where you can manage your mobile data, Wi-Fi or find Wi-Fi hotspots. When you enable mobile data or Wi-Fi, it sets up a VPN, which is similar to what we have seen on Opera Max.
This app was initially tested over several months in the Philippines where it eventually hit 500,00 users and a positive 4.5 rating on the Playstore.
This is a good option for the data conscious users out there and it will give Kenyan users another way to save their data, apart from using the inbuilt tools on their phones or apps like Opera Max or My Data Manager.
