My friend once passed out with his Facebook feed open and scrolling whilst we were on holiday in Barcelona. The ensuing phone bill cost more than the vacation itself and left him eating tins of tuna for the rest of the month in an effort to stay afloat financially. Now, My Data Manager can’t prevent you from partaking in drunken shenanigans, especially of the Spanish variety, yet it can help you pinpoint exactly where your cell phone’s money is going (in Francis’s case it was all in to Mark Zuckerberg’s bottomless pocket) and help you cut costs accordingly.
The interface of the app is very smooth and easy to use; I particularly like the little glasses, mustache and tie emblem that greets users when they first open the app. In its essence, the app manages your phone’s data (so it’s not just a clever name), however, the detail in which it goes into as well as the ability to tailor a month’s plan to alert you to excessive data use is what makes it stand out from the rest.
Anyone who plays online games or downloads free apps will know how annoying the adverts that constantly pop up are; what they might not know is that certain apps and video ads actually drain your phone’s data every time that you view and ad (which you can’t control, given the nature of smartphone advertising). Concurrently, some news apps actually update at nighttime, the sneaky little so-and-sos, so you aren’t aware of them draining your data. My Data Manager shows you which apps are most active and where all of your data is going when you’re online.
You can even custom alerts to ensure that you don’t breach your data limits and set a timer to limit the amount of data used over a certain period, for example, when you are abroad (mentioning no names, Francis). Also, by tracking WiFi as well as roaming usage combined with the geo-localisation of Google Maps, My Data Manager show users where they could be saving data by logging in to free wiFi zones.
My favourite element is the fact that you can take a historical retrospective look at your data usage and then create a plan around that, focussing on which apps are the leeches and which can be better utilised. Consolidating all of your messaging into, say, Facebook Messenger as opposed to iMessage, WhatsApp, Viber, etc. may save you lots of $$$ in the long run.
The app is compatible with iPhones, iPads, smartphones and tablets and works with key operators all over the globe, so there’s no more excuses for having to explain a $700 phone bill to your bank manager.
With millions of users worldwide and a 4.4 overall rating on the App Store, it’s tough to argue with the virtues of Mobidia’s My Data Manager; then again, if Francis had have had the alerts switched on that summer night in Barcelona, we would never have been able to revel in such delicious schadenfreude. Swings and roundabouts.
