Author: He Yuanping
For a long time, many netizens have been asking: why does my phone still consume mobile data even though I have uninstalled UC Web browser and haven't opened any web browsers? Is the telecom operator secretly charging me again? Moreover, with the popularization of smartphones, this phenomenon has become increasingly common. So, will we not generate any mobile data if we don't open a browser or access the internet? How is this data generated? In the following article, we will delve into these questions in detail, exploring which functions cause mobile data consumption on smartphones.
We take Android smartphones as an example. When you first turn on a brand-new Android smartphone, you enter the account setup process. This process requires connecting to the network to synchronize some data. If the user hasn’t turned on Wi-Fi, then this part of the data traffic actually goes through the mobile carrier, quietly consuming your data plan. Even at this point, without opening any webpage, this synchronization process can still use about 1MB of data, which is a typical example of how mobile data is consumed.
Android system's advantage lies in its network browsing capability
In fact, it’s not only on the Android system but also on S60 and iOS systems where many applications have the automatic internet connection and update features. For instance, some weather widgets, RSS readers, and social media-oriented apps. Even some commonly used apps like caller ID services, themes, and antivirus software automatically connect to the internet for updates and synchronization. These are the sources of many inexplicable data consumptions.
Background-running or startup-running apps can generate data traffic
How to monitor your phone's data usage?
So, are there any ways to manage these apps or stop this kind of data synchronization? The answer is definitely yes. Still taking the Android system as an example, using apps like ANP Switch is the most direct way (Android smartphones can also disable network data links in settings), allowing you to control network connections from the source, which is the simplest and most effective method. Additionally, there are some third-party management apps similar to firewalls on desktops that can selectively block some apps from accessing the internet, thereby controlling data consumption.
The Android system's account itself consumes data
Many netizens have raised some questions about mobile data usage, and I am happy to share them with everyone. One typical question is: does hanging QQ (a popular instant messaging app) consume mobile data when there is no chatting? The answer is still yes. Although there is no direct data transmission, it still consumes a small portion of data, and under poor network conditions, it consumes more data.
Another question is whether third-party browsers such as UC Web Browser are better than the built-in browser on phones. The answer is still yes. The main reason is that they provide excellent compression packages and webpage rendering, saving more data. This is also why third-party mobile browsers are so popular now. You can download related resources from ZOL Mobile Channel's software resource station.
Third-party browsers are an effective way to save data
Although 3G networks have become widespread, many users are still using 2G networks, with data plans mostly concentrated within 100MB per month. Therefore, for friends who enjoy browsing online, this can feel quite tight. Relatively speaking, watching videos and TV shows online consumes the most data (including Flash videos, excluding CMMB). Additionally, online radio and image browsing are significant data consumers. Some background network connections of certain apps may not consume much data individually, but due to accumulation, especially when the phone has a large number of installed apps, the overall data consumption becomes quite severe. Thus, it's not just the mobile browser that leads to data consumption; a lot of mobile data is quietly consumed by various other factors.