7 hacks to get lower Etisalat and Du bills
It's a common problem in Dubai to end up paying excess in your monthly phone bill. How many times have you received your monthly statement and the amount written on it is double, sometimes triple what your plan has There are many reasons why you could end up with outrageous phone bills but the usual suspect for mobile users in the UAE - Cellular data. So here's how you can minimise your cellular data usage and eventually get cheaper phone bills in the long run!
Turn off background app refresh
With this feature on by default, your apps keep refreshing even if you're not using them. So even if you don't have Facebook or Snapchat on your screen, the feed keeps on refreshing and is consuming your data plan. For the iPhone: Turn off the background app refresh by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. For Android: Go to Settings > Data Usage > Restrict app background data.
Minimise the number of apps that use data
Or you can limit it to apps that you really need. If you need to have around the clock access to your email then you can leave that on. But if you can stand not having to get Candy Crush notifications all the time, you can turn data access off for that app.
DON'T use data to update/download apps
App updates are usually bulky files so leave those updates for when you have WiFi access. The same goes for downloading apps.
Turn off WiFi assist
WiFi assist is an iPhone feature that allows your device to use data automatically when WiFi reception is poor. Disable it and don't let your phone bills rise up unexpectedly.
Turn off Cloud services
Both Android and iOS devices have dedicated cloud services which transmit your data in and out of the cloud for security purposes. Some Dubai smartphone users don't even know what the cloud is neither do they use it. So it'll be more convenient and practical for you if you turn it off.
DON'T stream music
Don't stream music, videos or podcasts which can eat away your data plan pretty quickly. If you really want to listen to a song you can't get out of your head, download it over WiFi.
Turn off data when you don't need it
If you worry that you might be shocked by your bill, lessen your worry by turning cellular data off completely. You'll be limited to accessing Internet services using WiFi BUT you'll also save a ton on battery life.
