How to check your mobile data usage

On mobile phones and tablets, we quickly burn through our mobile data doing the things we love – watching Netflix, browsing the web, or listening to Spotify. Here’s how you can keep tabs on your usage to avoid getting caught out.

Especially during the lockdown, when we’ve all spent more time at home and therefore plugged in to our devices, it’s now more important than ever to make sure you know how much data is left on your phone before you hit your monthly cap.

If you’re on a Pay As You Go SIM, you’ll have to buy more data to top up; but if you’re on a contract and exceed your limit, you’ll have to pay much higher rates for extra data.

When checking your data using the following advice, check out the options available on your phone – you may be able to limit data usage, or set a notification for when your phone exceeds a certain amount each month. If you’re the forgetful type, this might be the best way to stop yourself going over your limit by accident.

Here’s how to check your mobile data usage for Apple and Android devices:

iPhones and iPads

According to the official Apple website, here’s how you can find out your mobile data usage:

To see how much cellular data you’ve used, go to Settings > Cellular or Settings > Mobile Data. If you’re using an iPad, you may see Settings > Cellular Data instead.

Android Devices

Each Settings app is a little different depending on which manufacturer your Android phone is made from. Samsung phones employ the following navigation: Settings > Connections > Data Usage.

Most other Android phones follow a similar pattern; for example Huawei devices require the following pathway: Settings > Mobile Network > Data Usage.

But if you’ve had a look through the Settings app and still can’t locate the right option, then try using the search bar usually present at the top of the screen when you open Settings, and search ‘Mobile Data’.