Limit Your Data Usage With These Plans and Phone Settings

Digital detoxing might sound like it’s as easy as putting your phone down, but you might find it harder than it sounds. If you’ve been looking for a way to spend less time tied to a tiny screen, you can start by limiting your data usage.

Switching to a low-data plan can set a hard limit on the time you spend scrolling TikTok, eye-glazing at YouTube, or whatever your personal phone kick happens to be.

In particular, a prepaid plan cuts off your data once you’ve hit your limit, but you still have full access to calls and SMS. The exceptions are felix and Vodafone, which limit your download speeds to 1.5Mbps once you’ve reached your monthly data cap, instead of cutting you off. Unfortunately, these two providers don’t offer plans with particularly low data allowances.

To help keep you on track, most phones have at least some kind of built-in feature to help limit data usage. That said, Android users will benefit more than those with an iPhone when it comes to self-imposed techno-castigation.

Cheap mobile plans with low data

The cheapest plan in WhistleOut’s database right now is Dodo’s 2GB plan for $10 per month. Dodo plans aren’t prepaid, but it will limit you to a paltry 256kbps once you’ve gone over. 

Even for a digital detoxer, this plan could make life difficult. You might even end up spending more time thinking about your phone, rather than less, if only to make sure you use your 2GB as efficiently as possible.

If you’re keen on cutting back, but with a little less stress, mobile plans around the 10GB mark could be a good idea. While some are limited to 4G connectivity, don’t let that deter you – 4G can reach similar speeds to an NBN 100 plan. If you need faster speeds on your phone, let’s face it: a low-data plan probably isn’t on the cards.

Here are some cheap mobile plans starting at 10GB, ranked by total cost over the first 24 months:

You might even consider limiting yourself to Telstra Network resellers. These mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) still need to offer cheap plans to stay competitive, but pay a premium for access to Telstra’s towers. As such, they tend to include less data than providers on the Optus and Vodafone networks.

Here are the cheapest Telstra Network plans in our database, starting at 10GB and ranked by first 24 month cost:

Setting data usage limits on your phone

While you can set up mobile data usage limits on Android and iPhone, remember that your phone will auto-connect to WiFi when you’re at home.

You might find it useful to turn off WiFi – your low-data mobile plan might end up being more than you need if your home internet plan does all the heavy lifting.

A quick tip for limiting data usage on Android

Androids have a lot of options for limiting screen time and data usage, but probably the most useful are warnings and limits based on how much mobile data you’ve used. 

Your menu system might differ a little based on which Android phone you have, but the basic process is Settings > Network and internet > Internet and tap the Settings icon next to your 4G or 5G connection. 

Scroll down and select Data warning and limit and toggle on Set data warning and/or Set data limit. Tap on either setting and enter the number of GB you’d like to be limited to (or warned about) each month.

These settings will only measure and affect your mobile data and won’t track or cut off WiFi usage.

How to limit data usage on iPhone

iPhones don’t let you set up alert notifications based on when you’ve used a certain amount of data within a given time period, but there are still some things you can do to limit your usage.

The first is ‘Low Data Mode’, which stops automatic updates and background tasks while you’re not connected to WiFi. While this doesn’t stop you from using the internet, it can make going with a low-data plan more viable because it means you won’t suddenly be cut off thanks to an unexpected update.

To enable Low Data Mode, go to Settings > Mobile > Select your current SIM > Data Mode and then select Low Data Mode.
You can also disable mobile data for specific apps or services. Go to Settings > scroll to your chosen app and select it, then toggle Mobile Data off.

Alex Angove-Plumb is a journalist at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website

Lead Image Credit: iStock