7 Android Settings You Should Change Right Now

Android comes with a lot of features, but not all of them are enabled out of the box. With the ever-growing feature set, it’s easy to miss those deeply buried Android settings that can enhance your experience.

Whether you are looking to fine-tune your privacy and security or boost performance, here are some changes you should make in the Android settings menu.

1. Hide Sensitive Content From Lock Screen

Since Android 5.0 Lollipop, you can interact with the notifications directly from the lock screen. While this is convenient, it also means that anybody can go through your notifications — even when your phone is locked.

Fortunately, there’s an option to hide sensitive notifications on the lock screen.

First, you need to secure your Android phone with a password, pattern, or a PIN. Once you do, here’s how to hide sensitive notification content.

• Open Settings > Notifications.
• Tap the cog icon on the upper-right of the screen.
• Tap On the lock screen.
• Select Hide sensitive notification content.

Sensitive notifications will show “content hidden” instead of displaying the actual message. You’ll need to unlock your device to view the message.

If you would like to hide sensitive notifications on a per-app basis, select Show all notification content. Hit back and you should find a list of installed apps. Tap on the app you’d like to hide sensitive notifications from, then tap On the lock screen > Hide sensitive notification content.

2. Opt Out of Personalized Ads

There’s a shocking number of things that Google knows about you. Its huge tracking system is the reason why you see such precisely tailored ads. For instance, if you search on your desktop about noise-canceling earphones, you might quickly start seeing ads for them around the web.

If you’re paranoid about your privacy, there’s an easy way to turn it off.

• Open Settings.
• Navigate to Google > Ads.
• Enable Opt out of Ads Personalization.

Note that while you’ll still see ads in ad-supported Android apps, they’ll not be based on your interests.

3. Enable Auto-Lock and Power Button Instant Lock

By default, your Android phone’s screen turns off automatically after a set period of inactivity to save battery. But the lock screen only kicks-in a few seconds later. Mischievous people can potentially access your unlocked device if you leave it unattended during this period.

It’s recommended to lower your screen timeout. To do so, head over to Settings > Display > Sleep. Select the lowest acceptable number of seconds after which your screen would turn off.

Once you’ve lowered the screen timeout, it’s time to force the lock screen to kick in as soon as the screen is turned off.

• To do so, navigate to Settings > Security > Automatically lock.
• Select Immediately.
• On the same page, enable Power button instantly locks.

Note that this setting might be located elsewhere depending on your Android manufacturer. An easy way to find the appropriate setting on any custom Android skin is using the search option in the settings.

4. Disable Doze Mode for Specific Apps

Introduced in Marshmallow, Doze is a nifty feature that helps you save battery on your Android device. The basic idea is that your apps “sleep” while your phone is off, preventing them from running amok in your absence.

While this works great for most apps, you might get delayed notifications from your favorite messaging apps. Also, you might experience issues with VPN apps as they need to run constantly in the background. In such cases, Doze mode can do more harm than good. Fortunately, Android lets you disable Doze mode on a per-app basis.

• To do so, open Settings > Battery.
• Tap the three-dot overflow menu button.
• Select Doze and app hibernation.
• Tap the app you would like to exclude and select Don’t optimize.

Note that you should create exceptions only for the apps that really need it, otherwise they can cause a major battery drain.

5. Enable Persistent Number Row in Gboard

If your job involves dealing with numbers, it can be cumbersome to toggle your keyboard between the number and the alphabet mode.

If you use Gboard, which I guess most of you do, you can enable a persistent number row at the top of your keyboard. It’s a great way to utilize the growing screen real estate on mobile devices.

• To do so, open Gboard.
• Hold the emoji/cog icon and tap on Gboard keyboard settings.
• Tap Preferences.
• Enable Number row.

You should see a persistent number row at the top of your keyboard. This can help you substantially increase your typing speed.

6. Enable Instant Apps

Instant Apps are a pretty innovative idea: you can check out Android apps without having to install them, thus saving time and data. It started out as an Android Oreo-exclusive feature, but Google started rolling it out to devices running Lollipop or later a couple of months ago.

Instant Apps are disabled by default, but enabling them is just a flip away.

• Open Settings > Google.
• Enable Instant Apps.
• Tap Yes, I’m in to confirm.

Once you enable it, simply search for the app on the Play Store. The Play Store listing supports just 5 apps for now: BuzzFeed, NYTimes, RedBull TV, OneFottball, and ShareTheMeal. To try an Instant App, tap Try Now besides the Install button.

To search for other Instant Apps, search for the apps from your mobile browser.

7. Move Chrome’s Address Bar to the Bottom

Reaching the top of the screen, especially with just one hand, can be quite a pain. Chrome’s address bar is placed at the upper-half of the screen, making it harder to reach on larger-sized phones.

Thankfully, there’s a quick way to move Chrome’s address bar to the bottom for easier access.

• Type chrome://flags in Chrome’s address bar and hit Enter.
• Find Chrome Home and enable it.
• Tap Relaunch Chrome.
• Tap the Recent button to open up the multitasking screen. Swipe away Chrome to force close it.
• Re-open Chrome.

You may need to restart Chrome a couple of times to make it work. It’s kind of weird, but this is how it works for now.

That’s it! The address bar should be moved to the bottom, thus making it more accessible than ever.

Make the Most of Your Android Phone

Tweaking these settings will help you get the most of your Android device, without dramatically changing the way you use your favorite operating system. Whether you’re looking to protect your privacy or enhance your everyday Android experience, a few tweaks are all you need.

Which of the above settings have you changed on your Android phone? Do you know of any other settings that can help you level up your Android experience? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

- makeuseof

OnePlus Two is Coming next Week, What to Expect?

The OnePlus One was considered by many to be a flagship killer in 2014.

The reason was simple, as the phone packed more than great specs and performances and the price was on the lines of the middle range phones. This year, the Chinese company expects to have the same success with the OnePlus Two, a phone many consider will shake the technology world. Here are the preliminary specs of the phone.

Design and Display

The OnePlus Two will keep many of the core design lines of the OnePlus One. The phone still has almost no bezels, which allows the users to take full advantage of the display, while holding a relatively medium phone in their hands. The display size is set at 5.5 inches with resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. The only downside is the weight of the phone, as the OnePlus Two weighs 166 grams.

Hardware and Operating System

The OnePlus Two will feature the same chipset as the HTC One M9, the Snapdragon 810. Even the clocking power is the same, with the more powerful cores clocked at 2 GHz. The device boasts of 3 GB of RAM and is available with 16 or 64 GB of internal storage. The downside is there is no microSD card slot, but if you purchase the 64 GB version, the likelihood is that you won’t need a microSD card. The OnePlus Two will come with the latest, Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box.

Camera

Preliminary rumors are that the OnePlus Two will feature a 16-MP camera sensor on the back with dual LED flash. There is no optical image stabilization. Also tipped is a 5-MP front snapper.

Price and Release Date Rumors

It is all but confirmed that the OnePlus Two will be available from Monday, June 1st. As for the price, the CEO of OnePlus Pete Lau said last week that a price of $400 seems more than reasonable to him. The phone will again be available via the invite-only process.

-   ordoh

LG G4 – Five Tips for Great Photos with the Camera

The LG G4 comes with a superb camera both on the front and the back of the phone.

The raw numbers show a 16-MP sensor on the back with LED flash, optical image stabilization and a new color spectrum sensor. On the front, the LG G4 has an 8-MP snapper for selfies. And while the camera is powerful, a few tips can help you take even better photos.

Use the Potential of the Lens

The LG G4 has the wider lens on any phone in the market. The f/1.8 lens is as wide as possible. This wide aperture makes sure your pictures get more light which results with clearer and sharper photos. Taking pictures with such aperture requires a bit of adjusting. But once you get the handle of it, the lens of the G4 will help you make the best photos in your surroundings.

ISO

Adjusting the ISO is recommended when taking photos in low light conditions. To get photos with little noise, it is recommended that you lower the ISO for night shooting. Whenever you play with the ISO, make sure that you have enough light in the picture. If the outside conditions are bright, you want a higher ISO.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed determines how much light your phone will let into the image. Slower shutter speed lets more light as the phone makes the shutter opened for a prolonged amount of time. Slow shutter speed is not recommended only in situations when you want to snap moving objects and sports events. Adjusting the shutter speed can lead to creative and neat pictures. One advice is to adjust the speed to 1/4 seconds. This will increase the amount of light the phone gets and thanks to the optical image stabilization, you will still get clear and sharp images.

White Balance

Another option you can adjust in manual mode is white balance. This variable determines the color temperature of your picture. One trick to best use white balance is to put your camera in live view mode. This will let you adjust the white balance and see how the picture might look. As for tips, low temperature results in orange and red shades, while higher temperature delivers blue and violet shades.

Color Spectrum Sensor

This one is more of an advice than tip. The LG G4 has a special color spectrum sensor located below the camera. The sensor ensures you always get accurate and natural colors. At first, you will notice your photos look different than on any other smartphone you’ve used previously, but that is a good thing. Embrace the sensor and enjoy its benefits.

-   PAU

Top Tricks and Tips for Zenfone 2, 4, 5 and Zenfone 6

Asus has brought some powerful specifications to their smartphones, including their custom interface (Zen UI).

Here are a few tips and tricks that you can use on Zenfone 2, Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6 smartphones.

HINT: In case you are not using the latest Zen UI edition, a few features might not work, but once you update to the latest version, they will work without any problems.

App Drawer Customization

The Zen UI comes with an application drawer, which allows you to arrange your applications the way you want. To do this, open the application drawer and you will notice that it comes with separate sections for applications, search option, widgets, view mode and a detailed menu which allows you to customize the app drawer.

The Zen UI retains the app drawer and has added several customization features to arrange your apps as you like. Open the app drawer by tapping the menu button. Once the app drawer opens, notice that the header appears just below the top notification bar. It features separate sections for apps, widgets, search option, view mode and a detailed menu for customizing the app drawer.

Quick Trigger

The Zenfone 2 smartphones comes with a 5.5inch display, which is quite big and you might find out that’s pretty difficult to use it with only one hand. However, thanks to the Zen UI, you will see that’s not that hard. Go to Settings->Asus Customized Settings and turn on the Quick Trigger option.

After that, tap the home key twice to activate “One Hand Mode”, which will allow you to resize the window or change the position of a window. This way, you will be able to control the device with only one hand. In order to turn back to “normal mode”, tap the home button twice.

Screen Pinning

A new feature that the Zenfone 2 models came with is the screen pinning. Since this feature is based on the Android 5.0 Lollipop cosmetic interface, you can use it once your smartphone is updated to Lollipop.

You will be able to pin one application to the home screen and keep it active until you unpin it. In order to activate this feature, head to Settings->Security->Screen Pinning and turn on toggle on Screen Pinning.

Auto-start Manager

Are there some applications that you want to auto-start once your Zenfone 2 boots? Well don’t worry because auto-start manager can do that without any problems. In order to access this feature, tap on the Auto-start manager icon from the home screen and set which applications you want to auto-start once your smartphone boots.

Manage your Home Screen

The Zenfone 2 allows you to customize every single inch of your home screen. You are allowed to change the wallpaper, install more icon packs, install new fonts, download themes and even change the scroll effect.

-   culturemob

10 Amazing HD Games for Android 5.0 Lollipop Smartphones and Tablets

Once you buy a powerful device like the Nexus 9 or the Asus Zenfone 2 running on the Android 5.0 Lollipop, you would definitely wish to test its power, using high quality HD games.

Here’s a complete list of all the games that you could never miss and they will look simply glorious on a high definition 1080p or 2K resolution display. Make sure you have enough RAM and processing power to handle them all.

NBA 2K15

Basketball is fun for every gamer around the globe and NBA 2K15 on your Android device is the most authentic experience that you could get. It even supports controllers.

http://www.amazon.com/2K-Games-NBA-2K15/dp/B00OGJL48I

Modern Combat 5 Blackout

Most people wonder when it comes to playing first person shooters on a touch screen, but Modern Combat 5 has been designed for it and sports an amazing storyline that will pull you in.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftM5HM

AVP Evolution

Did you know there is an Alien vs. Predator game on the Android 5.0 Lollipop platform? Download it and you are sure to be mesmerized by the amazing graphics and the RPG system.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fde.avpevolution

Godfire Rise of Prometheus

The Godfire Rise of Prometheus is the equivalent of a Ryse Son of Rome from the consoles. It has brutal action, realistic fight sequences and visuals that would blow the PS3 off the table.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vividgames.godfire

Leo’s Fortune

This game might make you think twice, because it looks so gorgeous yet uses little hardware power from the Android 5.0 devices. The game’s puzzle solving style and platformer design is sure to appease many.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.leosfortune

Game of Thrones

While the fans of the series can never say no to this Game of Thrones title on Android, even new comers can experience it purely for the characters and the world. They might become GoT fans soon.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.telltalegames.gameofthrones100

SimCity Build It

If you enjoy building real cities and controlling every activity to ensure that things go smooth for the citizens, SimCity is an appropriate choice for those who love city simulators.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ea.game.simcitymobile_row

Asphalt 8 Airborne

Racing games are a must have on any Android device and even though there are many in the market, Asphalt 8 Airborne, the latest in the series is a perfect fit for your device.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftA8HM

GTA San Andreas

It’s an old PC and console game, but with the HD re-mastering done, it actually looks all new and refurbished on any Android 5.0 device. It is worth the price and a must have open world title.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rockstargames.gtasa

FIFA 15

Get FIFA 15 and your collection are ready now. Start pushing your device to its limits.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ea.game.fifa15_row

-   ordoh

Soon, smartphones that could charge themselves

WASHINGTON: Imagine charging your smartphone without reaching out to a power source or even a portable charger!

Scientists claim to have developed a new technology that converts radio frequencies into power that can charge devices.

The technology consists of a case that converts the wasted 90% of energy your phone produces trying to pump out a cell phone signal, and puts it back into the phone, thus powering it for up to 30% longer, 'Tech Crunch' reported.

US-based Nikola Labs aims to bring the product to market within one year, in partnership with Ohio State University, where the technology was originally developed.

The technology could be put into many different devices, such as wearable technology, embedded sensors and medical devices which do not require massive amounts of electricity.

-   TOI

Nexus 5 – Top Tricks And Tips For Enhancing The Battery Life

This article will teach you how to extend the battery life of your Nexus 5 mobile device. You can either try setting-up the Elemental X or scroll down even further and try the less complicated options.

But let’s begin by telling you about the Elemental X which is a good kernel alternative if users wish to change the stock Android. This ”kernel” we are referring to is the major link that helps communication run smoothly between the hardware and the software of the mobile device. So, in order to substitute the kernel, you will need a bootloader, root and also a personalized recovery installation.

How does this function?

You can either choose the preset alternative with default elements, or you can play experiment with the settings and change them by hand. The latter is a more avant-garde alterative and it is not an easy one to handle.

Quick tips on how to set-up Elemental X kernel :

• Go to ElementalX website on your Nexus 5 and set-up the kernel for the version of Android you are currently operating on.
• Switch off your device and begin the reboot process to the bootloader. You have to press&hold power as well as Volume Down. Hold these buttons until you notice the screen with a tiny robotic figure.
• By using the volume keys you must point up Recovery mode and then simply hold power to validate the operation.
• When you phone is in recovery mode, you must find the kernel you just downloaded. The whole procedure will depend upon the type of custom recovery you set-up on the device.  You have the ClockworkMod recovery and the Team Win Recovery Project.

If you think this is too much or too complex, try the following gimmicks:

Switch off the luminosity

Of course the display of your phone is a pretty strong source of battery dissipation. So in order to fix this, go to Settings—Battery. If you have the tendency to believe that you can fix this by tailoring the optimal luminosity, you’re wrong. This is because the phone’s light sensor hasn’t got the capacity to readjust to this kind of fix-up. So instead, choose the lowest luminosity level, one you feel comfortable using.

Set “sleep mode” to 15 seconds

If you turn off your screen, you will significantly improve battery life. Normally, your phone’s display should shut down, but this is not working as it should. So rather then leaving the screen of the phone in” on” mode for a couple of minutes, make sure it stays ”awake” for just a few seconds. You can set it to 15 seconds, thus improving you battery’s life span.

Battery Saver: on

This is a great option for all you Nexus 5 users. This solution will immediately make major improvements. But it will cost you a few features, for instance the vibration mode of your phone will no longer function, or you won’t be able to synchronize your accounts. But if you come to think about it, it’s a sacrifice worth making in order to have a long-lasting mobile device.

Make sure your Nexus 5 is updated

When you upgrade, you automatically improve your battery. If you have the Android 5.0 Lollipop, you actually add 10% to you battery’s life span. Not bad at all. So make sure you constantly search for these updates. For this you must go to Settings—About phone—System Updates.

Bluetooth&Location Off

This is a pretty basic rule: Bluetooth must not be active, when it is not used. With the Location feature it can be pretty tricky though. This is because you use it for all kinds of services and even applications. But this should also be off for the sake of your battery.

-  PAU

Your phone is private. Use these 10 tips to keep it private

Smartphones have come a long way, so has the extent of security and privacy issues related to them. We are now increasingly dependent upon smartphones for more than just making that all-important call or send out that text.

Since you do so many things on it, the smartphones are very personal devices with a lot of personal data on them. This means they are also a massive privacy risk. Your data can be leaked by apps through internet or someone can have a glimpse of it while you are showing an interesting image to a friend on your phone.

So how can you minimise the privacy risk?

To tell you the truth, there is no such thing as 100 per cent privacy while using a smartphone. But, if you remember certain important tips and tricks, and follow them right, chances are that you could at least reach a 75 per cent, maybe more. And, that's a significant margin in the online world.

Here are 10 key tips and tricks to improve smartphone security:

All important security pin/password/pattern anything

This is one of the most primary steps to ensure your smartphone is locked for anyone but you, at all times. However, as basic as it may seem, most people are too lazy to set it up. Setting up a screen lock is very important, as is setting it up right. Make sure your pin/password is not lame enough as say, a 1234 so that anyone can crack it in first go. At the same time, don't make it so confusing that even you don't remember it. It's totally your call.

Ideally, you should select a combination of numbers and alphabets.

In addition, set your screen lock time somewhere between 1-5 minutes of non-use.

That said this is not a full-proof plan to secure your smartphone. Those with some technical know-how can unlock your phone in a few steps. But it's the very basic that you could do, and so you must.

Every phone now has a free tracking/wiping service. Use it!

Every smartphone OS, whether it be Android, iOS, BlackBerry or Windows Phone comes with some kind of remote tracking and wiping tool. Android phones have what you call a Device Manager, while iPhones come with Find My iPhone and so on.

Essentially, these tools/services come into play when your phone is lost/misplaced or stolen. Using these tools, you can remotely lock, track, and even wipe your phone data using a computer and Internet. The trick here is to have these tools up and running on your smartphones at all times.

Download some kind of file lock app

There has to be something on your smartphone, whether it be a chat, a picture or anything for that matter, that you would want to save from prying eyes at all times, even from close ones. There may be some apps that you don't want others using your phone to access.

A file lock app comes handy in such situations. There are many good ones available in app stores.

Download and install them, then password protect the data that you wish to hide. Only you or someone who has the password can then access them.

Set up a Guest Mode/Parental Lock on your phone

Android 5.0 Lollipop and iOS 8, the latest iterations from Google and Apple come with something called as Guest Mode. Basically, the trick is to restrict access to the content on your Android/iOS smartphone when you're giving it to somebody.

Using the Guest Mode, you can create a separate user profile on your smartphone and assign it with the apps and content that you deem fit to be accessed by someone else. Once you have this profile up and running, next time you hand over your phone to someone you simply have to enable Guest Mode and he/she will gain access to this profile, hiding all the other stuff.

The normal profile will be password protected and cannot be accessed until it is typed in right.

Update your Smartphone software regularly

Software developers release periodic updates to their software, improving upon an already existing version. These improvements include security and stability updates as well.

Therefore, as and when updates (no matter how big or small) come up for your OS, for instance, make sure you update it, and have latest version running on your smartphone at all times.

It's more important from a security point of view, since these updates may have some fix for some security issue that might be plaguing an earlier version. Also, software developers tend to push out fixes to security bugs (as and when something is detected) therefore it is highly advisable to update your phones periodically.

Beware of installing apps from untrusted sources

Android smartphones have something called an Unknown Sources option in security settings. Checking it allows you to install third-party apps from sources other than Google's official Play Store. You don't have such an option in the iPhone, and you need to jailbreak it if you want to install third-party apps.

Ideally, you mustn't do either of these. Always install apps from trusted sources, meaning the Google Play Store and the iTunes Store. Apps therein meet the desired standards of official safety and security. Everything else is just calling for unnecessary trouble.

Keep your location settings in check

Every smartphone now comes with a built-in GPS or location tracking feature. Essentially, these keep your apps and services like 
Google Maps and others live and active at all times. While, it may seem convenient to have your location settings open for such apps, even others like Facebook, Twitter etc, there may come a time when you don't want others to know where you are.

But more than anything, you wouldn't want your apps to know where you are, at all times. It is possible to individually allow/deny apps to ascertain your location. You can control your location settings, even shut it off completely. 

 

Public Wi-Fi is dangerous, avoid it

Public Wi-Fi, or the Wi-Fi you get at places like some restaurant, coffee shop or whatever is the breeding ground for some of the most dangerous cyber attacks.

Miscreants who have good technical know-how tend to use these networks to push man in the middle attacks. Basically, using some cyber sorcery, hackers can gain access to your smartphone (in the event you're connected to the public Wi-Fi network) and can do a lot many dangerous things, ranging from gaining your online passwords, to getting access to your confidential bank records. While you must refrain from using the smartphone for sensitive dealings, the truth is we are doing it a lot these days.

Therefore, the one way to ensure your security is to avoid public Wi-Fi networks.

Turn off Wi-Fi/Bluetooth when not in use

Many people have their Wi-Fi on at most times. As and when some Wi-Fi network becomes open, they like to have it up and running on their smartphone to save on their data charges. It's not safe to do this.

Also, having your Bluetooth on when you don't need it is also calling for trouble.

Hackers may use an available connection on your phone to access your files. Therefore, have these on only when you need to.

Backup your data

This is more the precautionary step in the event your smartphone does get lost or stolen. Have a backup of all your data/contacts/documents etc ready at all times. Ideally, you should have it in some physical drive, but saving it up in the cloud is also a handy option.

-   indiatoday

5 Amazing Tips for New iPhone 6 Users

Now that you are a proud owner of an iPhone you not only deserve to be congratulated, but also need to be tipped on how you can get the best out of your adorable gadget. Read on.

Install iTunes

You can download iTunes for free, in case it is not pre-installed on your device. It is a must have app since most of the critical settings for your iPhone reside in here. iTunes is not just a music app that enables you to store and play music, but it is also where you control the apps that get installed into your iPhone.  You can also remove apps, music, videos and photos from your iPhone via the iTunes.

Set Up and Sync Your iPhone

Setting up your iPhone is important, since it sets the stage for synchronizing it with your computer. You get to add lots of music, eBooks, photos, movies and articles by just linking up your amazing phone with your MacBook.

Use a USB cord to synchronize your content and update it via the internet or the Wi-Fi.

Configure iCloud

iCloud gives you a second chance at owning that treasured piece of information that could get lost if mishandled. You can download lost files straight from the Apple servers for free. iTunes Store also enables you to back up your data in the Apple’s servers and reinstalling the backups via the internet with just one automatic click of a button

GPS settings

Your iPhone is fitted with tracking software that enables you to find the phone, if it is stolen or you accidentally drop it. But the phone is not automatically programmed to locate itself. You must set up the GPS tracking system in order for you to find your iPhone, whenever you lose it. The information can also be shared with the police who can assist you in finding your iPhone. Insurance agencies also use the app to recover your iPhone should you happen to lose it, when they have covered you. They will find it and give you a brand new one in line, to the time tested principles of insurance such as subrogation.

Set Up Medical ID

Apple takes your health seriously. You only need to feed its network with valuable medical information that will help first responders to take urgent care of you in case you will not be able to.  Include your emergency contacts, allergies, blood group and relative contacts that will enable Good Samaritans to save your life-and thank Apple later for that.

-   culturemob

10 ways to cut your mobile phone data usage

It's one modern convenience most of us can't live without our mobile phone.

These touch screen devices have evolved into pocket-sized computers, capable of messaging, Web surfing, video conferencing, gaming, photography, GPS navigation, social networking, fitness tracking and the handling of work documents.

Oh, and they let you make calls, too.

But many of the fun things you can do on a smartphone today require "data," therefore you likely have a monthly plan with your carrier that gives you a certain number of megabytes or gigabytes to use up by the end of the month.

If you find yourself nearing your limit or going over — and paying the price for doing so — the following are some tips and tricks to using less data.

1. Try to save the activities that eat up a lot of data — like streaming video — for when you're in a Wi-Fi network at home, a coffee shop, airport lounge or hotel lobby. Do you really need to watch Netflix while in line at the supermarket? This is especially a concern if you're using up data while "roaming" in another country, which can really add up.

2. Be sure to properly close apps when you're not using them as they still might be running in the background and possibly using up data (and battery). With iPhone, double-tap the Home button and swipe up to close apps; Android users can usually press and hold the Home button and swipe apps to the right to close them (on newer Samsung phones, tap the lower-left icon to close open apps).

3. Try to limit apps that have regularly pushed content — such as stock quotes, weather updates, or live sports scores — as your smartphone will use up data on an ongoing basis. The more apps you have that look for online updates, the more data you'll consume.

4. While tempting, try not to create a personal hotspot with your smartphone — and then wirelessly tether it to a laptop or tablet to get online — as it can eat up your data. And yes, using a USB cable to tether your phone to your laptop also uses up the same amount of data.

5. If you need to do any major email correspondence, extensive Web surfing, streaming or downloading, ask yourself if it can wait until you get to a computer. Just because you can do it on a smartphone doesn't mean you should — especially over cellular connectivity.

6. Try to find apps that use less data by doing your research prior to download and use. For example, a GPS navigation app called CoPilot Live Premium doesn't use up any data at all, whereas Google Maps and Apple Maps do eat up data while you're getting directions.

7. In your email settings, turn off "Push" mail if you really don't need to know whenever an email comes in right away. Then, when in a Wi-Fi hotspot, "pull" it all down. On a related note, enter your email settings to choose "View only," rather than downloading full attachments. The wording may vary a bit, but you'll see what you need in the Options/Settings area of your phone's email app.

8. When travelling to another country, be sure you're well aware of their roaming rates as it'll be significantly higher (and on top of) your existing data plan. Some carriers offer various travel plans, so be sure to consider one to avoid a nasty surprise on your bill. When in doubt, disable data roaming on your smartphone altogether. Those travelling overseas might consider renting a SIM upon landing as it'll likely be cheaper than roaming on your existing carrier.

9. Instant Messaging (IM) programs are affordable solutions for friends who want to keep in touch. Programs like WhatsApp, Viber, BBM, Kik or Facebook Messenger use little data, they're fast and reliable, and they offer advantages over texting (such as getting a confirmation when a message has been delivered and read).

10. Don't update apps over the air if you can do it on your computer — and then synchronize the updates to your smartphone via a USB cable. You may want to charge up your phone via your computer's port anyway, perhaps before you go to sleep, therefore sync apps over the cable instead of downloading them over cellular connectivity.

-   13wmaz