If Your Mobile Data Doesn\’t Roll Over

If you’re looking at your mobile data balance and wondering how on earth you’ve accumulated so much unused data, don’t panic that it’s about to disappear into the digital abyss. There are clever and fun ways to make the most of your remaining data.

Update all your apps and games

The easiest and most useful way to use up your mobile data before it runs out is to update all your apps and games. To do this, go to your app store, navigate to your pending updates list and click “Update all”. You can also allow automatic updates on any network rather than just Wi-Fi.

Download new apps and games

If you’re like me, you probably have a few games you love, but this is the perfect time to try them out. Why not try a new genre or something different from your usual tastes? For example, if you usually like action-packed shooters, try a relaxing puzzle game to unwind after a long day. Or, if you\’re interested in strategy games, maybe dive into some more story-based games like RPGs (role-playing games).

Apart from games, this is also a great opportunity to download some productivity apps you\’ve been wanting to try out. Have you had your eye on a language-learning app like Duolingo or Memrise? Or maybe you want to get more organized with a to-do list app like Todoist or TickTick? Use this soon-to-expire data to download and set them up.

Make your backups run on mobile data

Most of us use some sort of cloud storage service these days—Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, you name it. These tools are very useful for keeping photos, documents, and even app data safe. And guess what? They all have backup features that can run on mobile data.

Secondly, I use Google Photos for all of my snapshots. I set it to upload over Wi-Fi only to save data during the month. But if I find I have extra data, I flip the switch to allow it to upload over mobile data.

Use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot

Turning your smartphone into a mobile hotspot is a great practical way to squeeze every last drop of utility out of your data plan before it resets.

I prefer to do it this way. If I\’m out, especially in a coffee shop or somewhere where public Wi-Fi is questionable, I\’ll turn on my mobile hotspot and connect to it from my laptop. Not only is it more secure, but it\’s also faster and more reliable than those questionable open networks.

Share your leftover data with family members or friends

Many mobile carriers allow you to share your data between devices or even with others on your plan. So, if you think you have a lot of data that you won\’t be able to use before the billing cycle ends, sending a few gigabytes to your partner, friend or sibling can be a real lifesaver for them.

Maybe they\’re running low on data this month – or maybe they always get less data because they keep watching videos on YouTube like it\’s their second job. Either way, it\’s worth sharing what you don\’t need.

Download high-quality YouTube videos or movies to watch later

If your mobile data doesn\’t run out until next month, why not maximize your usage by downloading high-quality YouTube videos or movies ahead of time? For YouTube, with YouTube Premium, you can download high-quality videos with just one tap and watch them offline whenever you want.

This trick also works great with popular streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. Most of these platforms allow you to download content to watch offline.

Download ebooks or audiobooks to read or listen to later

You\’ll need an app to browse and download these books. If you like ebooks, apps like Kindle or Google Play Books are great places to start. They offer a wide variety of titles, from bestsellers to lesser-known gems.

Audible is the big player in audiobooks, but there are many great alternatives to Audible that also have excellent audiobook collections.