How to stop apps from using mobile data?

[User788]

I only want two apps, Internet Explorer and WhatsApp, to work on mobile data. I want all my other apps to only connect to the internet when on Wi-Fi. How can I do this?

 

[Muessig]

Honestly I'm not sure you can do this. You can set your phone up so that only certain apps are allowed to run in the background, but I'm not sure you could limit this down to just two.

The easiest way to regulate this would be to either setup Data Sense for a specific limit and enable the app to restrict apps from using data when you are near your limit.

 

[User788]

Honestly I'm not sure you can do this. You can set your phone up so that only certain apps are allowed to run in the background, but I'm not sure you could limit this down to just two.

The easiest way to regulate this would be to either setup Data Sense for a specific limit and enable the app to restrict apps from using data when you are near your limit.

Thanks for the reply.

'Running in the background' includes both mobile data and Wi-Fi right? I'm quite confused if this is to do with saving battery or it to use data.

I understand what you mean with Data Sense but I need those other apps to use zero (absolutely nothing) data. In your case what you said, the apps *will* continue using data until it gets *near* the specified limit.

 

[Muessig]

'Running in the background' includes both mobile data and Wi-Fi right? I'm quite confused if this is to do with saving battery or it to use data.

Honestly its both - when your phone is on lower power its going to stop your phone apps from syncing regularly and using your data.

 

[User788]

Honestly its both - when your phone is on lower power its going to stop your phone apps from syncing regularly and using your data.

Battery life is not really what I'm asking here, it's simply the usage of mobile data.

 

[mj0]

As far as I know there's no way right now. All you can do is restrict background usage, aka data usage when the app isn't your active task.

 

[colinkiama]

Disable mobile data when using other apps. Enable for the apps that you need.

 

[Twodawgzy2015]

cant u turn of data Just use Wifi like Android???

 

[BritDad]

How can I minimize my data usage?
How can I minimize my data usage on Windows Phone? | Windows Phone How-to (United States)

Turn off background tasks
Some apps may continue to use cellular data even when they're not open. You can reduce your data usage by turning off any background tasks you don't need.
1.In the App list, tap Settings > Battery saver, and then swipe over to Usage.
2.Tap any apps running background tasks, and then turn off Allow app to run in the background .

I hope this helps.

 

[mj0]

BritDad: that's just aforementioned background data usage. You cannot, however, disable mobile data for an app completely. Don't know about Android but iOS certainly lets the user decide whether or not an app is allowed to use mobile data. It's enabled by default but can be disabled on a per-app basis in settings. Windows Phone doesn't have that yet but then again it's been a long way for iOS to get to where it's now.

 

[User788]

As far as I know there's no way right now. All you can do is restrict background usage, aka data usage when the app isn't your active task.

But restricting background usage would also stop apps, like News and Weather, from updating their Live Tiles right? I wouldn't want that of course.

Disable mobile data when using other apps. Enable for the apps that you need.

Yep, that is a solution. However it will be annoying to disable mobile data and then re-enable it every time I'll use IE or WhatsApp.

 

[mj0]

It most certainly would. Like I said, there's no real solution to your problem on Windows Phone just yet.

 

[cincykid76]

Yes

 

[Wam1q]

I only want two apps, Internet Explorer and WhatsApp, to work on mobile data. I want all my other apps to only connect to the internet when on Wi-Fi. How can I do this?

Workaround: Use Data Sense. Turn 'Restrict background data'>'on' and 'Always'. Now, no background apps will be able to use your data connection. You can use Whatsapp, but it won't update in the background using your data connection. Everything would still work fine when on WiFi.

 

[User788]

You're right. I was confused between the 'background data' in Battery Saver and the one in Data Sense, see my previous post.

So say I'm on the Start screen, then no data would be used at all, but if I'm inside WhatsApp, the app that would use data right?

 

[Wam1q]

So say I'm on the Start screen, then no data would be used at all, but if I'm inside WhatsApp, the app that would use data right?

Yes, that's how it goes. You just don't need to open other apps which might use data. (Only open IE and Whatsapp when on data. Nothing else will use your data then.)

 

[User788]

Okay, there's a problem. Many other apps are using mobile data when data is on. I don't want to restrict background data in Data Sense simply because I won't receive any WhatsApp messages/push notifications. However, when data is on...

-'System' has used 2MB in two days. What is this?
-Data to Restore, Transfer my Data, Outlook (sync is disabled) and Nokia Reading have all used <1MB. Why? I have never opened these apps in these two days.
-People, Battery app and my music app have all used <1MB. Once again, why? What do these apps have that need data connection? (note that my music app has ads, maybe that, but Battery does NOT)

By the way WhatsApp refuses to start when background data is disabled (Never) in Data Sense, meaning that I have to turn it off everytime I want to use it.

Microsoft need to wake up increase our control of which apps should use what data, like iOS. Anyway, why is there no third-party app yet to solve this?