# Switching off phone apps.



## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

I had an "all you can eat data" deal with my mobile which has now ceased. So my data usage is capped. Problem being, the apps that are running on my phone (that I don't need) are using up more data than me. I've gone into settings and stopped them running, but within a couple of minutes, they've re-set and start running again. Any suggestions ?

Thanks in anticipation.


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## DJH584 (Apr 10, 2013)

Is there not an "uninstall" option to get rid of them, or do you use these apps sometimes?


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## hughlle (Aug 23, 2015)

For apps that come installed on the phone which you can't remove (twitter etc), you should be able to go into apps and rather than hit Force Stop, his disable. It'll tell you things may get unstable, but just ignore it and proceed. That is on the assumption that you're running android. If apple, then god knows.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

DJH584 said:


> Is there not an "uninstall" option to get rid of them, or do you use these apps sometimes?


 I don't ever use them. The one that seems to use the most is the weather app, but it cannot be uninstalled, same applies to the others which were all installed with the phone when new.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Switch off the mobile your mobile data and use WiFi wherever possible. Not many places you can't get connected for free these days.

Just go and stand outside a Mickey D's or ASDA. I can even pick up a signal from the Mecca Bingo Hall.

:laugh: :laugh:


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## DryEagle (Apr 3, 2018)

Go into each app's settings and disable background data. That stops them using data unless you have it actively opened.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Windows 10 Mobile has some useful features for limiting how much data apps can use when you're not on Wi-Fi










...OK, that's just me then :laugh:


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> I had an "all you can eat data" deal with my mobile which has now ceased. So my data usage is capped. Problem being, the apps that are running on my phone (that I don't need) are using up more data than me. I've gone into settings and stopped them running, but within a couple of minutes, they've re-set and start running again. Any suggestions ?
> Thanks in anticipation.


What's your OS? Version?

And you have NO data allowance, or you just ran out for this billing period?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

BondandBigM said:


> Switch off the mobile your mobile data and use WiFi wherever possible. Not many places you can't get connected for free these days.
> 
> Just go and stand outside a Mickey D's or ASDA. I can even pick up a signal from the Mecca Bingo Hall.
> 
> :laugh: :laugh:


 Been there. :thumbsup:



Chromejob said:


> What's your OS? Version?
> 
> And you have NO data allowance, or you just ran out for this billing period?
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


 It's the speed the data allowance is being used. I've identified the apps and stopped most of them, but for some reason there are two which restart and for some reason cannot be un-installed.


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## richy176 (Aug 7, 2013)

WRENCH said:


> Been there. :thumbsup:
> 
> It's the speed the data allowance is being used. I've identified the apps and stopped most of them, but for some reason there are two which restart and for some reason cannot be un-installed.


 Might help to know what phone you have and which apps are causing the problem. Do you have it set up to use your broadband when at home?


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> It's the speed the data allowance is being used. I've identified the apps and stopped most of them, but for some reason there are two which restart and for some reason cannot be un-installed.


 Depending upon the carrier, model and OS, it could be unlocked, rooted, or some apps disabled. As mentioned, you can restrict data use, or simply suspect updates. Until you tell us the specifics, there's only so much we could tell you. I've some intermediate experience in modifying and tweaking Android, so if you can divulge more explicit info, I could potentially give you some useful info. I also work with iOS devices.

Even when it doesn't appear so, you CAN limit the data consumption and activities of even carrier-installed cruft so that it doesn't eat away at your data plan.

So:



Phone manufacturer?


Phone Model?


Version of OS? (In Android, most all of this info is under Settings, About this phone)


Suspected apps that are misbehaving?


color of your pants (optional)


Sounds like it's the included weather app. Have you tried:



Going into the app settings, removing any unnecessary int'l cities?


Adjusted the update interval to 3 hours, 6 hours, or even longer (some offer "manual updates only" meaning only updates when you open the app)?


Removed all weather app widgets from the home screen (Android, Windows), or notifications (iOS)?


Turned off all notifications for the app (alerts, updates, moon phase, sunrise/sunset, daily forecasts)?


Checked if the app has a "update on Wi-Fi only" option?


Go into the Settings app, looked up the weather app, and "clear data" for that app (resets to defaults, which could be good or bad, but starts you from scratch)? '


BTW, FWIW, most weather apps are not downloading much data. What they update with is pretty lean, concise ASCII data, unless you're watching vids or updating every 15 minutes.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

Thanks everyone.

@Chromejob I shall study more about android, its all "ancient Greek" at the moment.



richy176 said:


> Might help to know what phone you have and which apps are causing the problem. Do you have it set up to use your broadband when at home?


 The main problem seems to be that I have changed service provider, and I didn't bother to read their T & C'. Once the daily data allowance is met on my tariff, 1 MB of data is charged @ £0.10 so leaving the data on has been a "costly" exercise.

@richy176. Never had broadband. I'm joining the 21st century soon. :thumbsup:


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## martinzx (Aug 29, 2010)

Rooting your Android is your best bet IMO. If you do not want to root, download an app called BK disabler from the play store. You can then disable without becoming unstable.

Cheers Martin


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> Thanks everyone.
> 
> @Chromejob I shall study more about android, its all "ancient Greek" at the moment.
> 
> ...


 DAILY?? Ouch. And 10p for a single MB is outrageous (at least here; we pay $10 per 1GB overage depending on the plan). WTH's your daily allowance before overages? By comparison, I'm on a T-mobile prepaid account with 5GB high speed[1] monthly allowance, and 100 mins (I pay overage for minutes, which I don't use much of, rather than data).

[1] Drops from LTE to lower speed after the limit is reached.

Android has a Data Usage setting where you can set limits (monthly in 6 and 7), and restrict data when you've reached that limit. I don't know about daily. :sign_wtf:

I would get out of that contract ASAP. You're being gouged.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

Chromejob said:


> I would get out of that contract ASAP. You're being gouged.


 I have done, today.


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

WRENCH said:


> @richy176. Never had broadband. I'm joining the 21st century soon. :thumbsup:


 What next? Fire? plumbing? :tongue:


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

scottswatches said:


> What next? Fire? plumbing? :tongue:


 Soft toilet tissue. :laughing2dw:


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## DryEagle (Apr 3, 2018)

10p per MB??? How do you have such a terrible contract?

I am with vodafone, I'm paying £17/month which gets me unlimited calls, unlimited texts and 20GB data, which I am free to use for tethering. Amd as they gave me 3 months free out of the total 12, its effectively £13/month...


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## hughlle (Aug 23, 2015)

Within android settings you will find a data usage chart. You have a slider to give you a warning when approaching a set amount, and to turn off data when hitting a set amount. E.g if you get 1gb a month, you can set the warning to 900mb,cut off at 950mb, and you'll not go past your limit, and still have a little bit spare for emergencies.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> Moistened, flushable toilet tissue. :laughing2dw:


 I fixed that ^ for you, too. Best invention of the last 20 years. Or so I've heard. 

I do exactly what @hughlle suggested, I have a 5GB high speed allowance, have a warning at 4.5GB. It's in Settings, Data usage in most recent versions of Android.

If you can get a plan that doesn't prohibit or interfere with "hotspot" or tethering, it can be handy if you're somewhere with no wi-fi, and want to use a laptop or Chromebook or tablet.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

WRENCH said:


> Soft toilet tissue. :laughing2dw:


 Such an outlandish modern concept. We use the Daily Record on weekdays, and the Sunday Post on Sundays obviously!


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## sabailand (May 28, 2010)

Take it to a phone shop, a shop of your service provider perhaps!


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

Problem solved. Changed service provider. Thanks all. :thumbsup:


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## Karrusel (Aug 13, 2016)

Have you allowed for feed cost, Wrench ?










:tongue:


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## Cassie-O (Apr 25, 2017)

I know Wrench' s problem is different but you could fry an egg on my phone how hot it gets sometimes.  Tried several things to try and "cool" it but nothing seems to work.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

themysterybidder said:


> I know Wrench' s problem is different but you could fry an egg on my phone how hot it gets sometimes.  Tried several things to try and "cool" it but nothing seems to work.


 Was it charging? Running some apps? try putting it into "Airplane mode" for 30 minutes and see it it's still hot.


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## Cassie-O (Apr 25, 2017)

Chromejob said:


> Was it charging? Running some apps? try putting it into "Airplane mode" for 30 minutes and see it it's still hot.


 Not charging, just browsing the Internet. I even deleted apps to see if a app was causing it.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

Browsing the internet can do it. Radios create heat in the case, and the web pages or whatever can cause the CPU to heat up.

Easier ways to find out what's running the CPU hot ... install tools like System Panel 2 to see what is using the most CPU cycles ... or use the built-in Data usage setting to determine what's consuming data.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

Oh, and BTW, that advice applies to Android, not iOS/iPhone. What model phone do you have again? :sorry:


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## Cassie-O (Apr 25, 2017)

Chromejob said:


> Oh, and BTW, that advice applies to Android, not iOS/iPhone. What model phone do you have again? :sorry:


 Running Android Lollipop 5.1.1 on a LG G3.


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

Oh, 5.1.1? LG released 6.0 for that which has some stability and security improvements, any phone/tech shops nearby that could load an update on it for you? (I'm still running 6.0.1 on a Google Nexus 5, and 7.0 on a Nexus 7.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_G3#Software

The app I recommend is this. You can set it up for monitoring, and when the phone's hot, run the app and click on CPU, to see how busy it is, and what apps are most active (hyperactive) using the CPU. You can learn a bit about how your phone works by exploring the app. 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.sp

Old, free (trial) version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.systempanel


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