Google has devised a solution for those who wish to keep their mobile data usage under a tight leash in the form of a new app named Datally. Going by its name, the app is going to be our ally in our quest to save data costs and will likewise provide the most detailed info on data usage the user will ever need.
With Datally, users will have detailed information like which app is consuming how much data, which again will be mapped against time. That way, users will also know when data is consumed the most and so on.
Similarly, the app will enable users to have individual control over data consumed by each app, and shut it off as well if needed. Or the app also provides a big red button that will let users to cut data off of all apps save for the one currently in use.
Among another usage of the app include its ability to suggest ways to cut down on data consumption based on the user’s usage style. That is not all as the app will also suggest nearby Wi-Fi hotspots as well to save on mobile data consumption.
Google said their move to come up with the Datally app is the outcome of a research conducted word wide to find out more about the way people went about using their Android phones. Among everything else, what struck them is the means people adopted to save on data, which included keeping the phone on ‘Air Plane’ mode to limit data consumption. As Josh Woodward, the product manager in charge of Datally said, the new app is aimed for these sort of people.
Datally can also be seen as Google’s attempt to push further with its ‘Next Billion Users initiative’ which aims to reach out to those in the emerging markets who aren’t likely to go for high-end phones or elaborate data plans.
Google aims to appeal to this user group, and the new Datally should help it win hearts among this group. As is already evident in the Philippines where Datally has been in use for several months now, the app has gone for over half a million downloads and saving around 30 percent data on average.
However, all of this effort also has its downside in that it can hamper the overall smartphone experience quite adversely. In fact, the more data throttling is done, the less of a smartphone it will be. Timely notifications will also be hit which again can lead to curtailment of the functioning of several apps, with messaging apps likely to be most affected. Guess that is the price to be paid for saving on data costs.
Datally can now be downloaded from the Play Store is applicable to all phone running at least Android 5.0.
