One thing that I’m very conscious of since switching to AT&T’s 3 GB data plan, is the amount of internet data I download on their cellular network. With the unlimited data for my old Sprint network, I could stream Google Music, Podcasts, Pandora, etc. (albeit very slowly) without a care about how much data I was downloading. Now with a 3 GB per month cap, I’m very aware of how much data I’m downloading.
Although I’ve now got a data cap, I still try to go about my daily business using my Smartphone as I normally do. I’ve so far only made a few changes to my setup and usage:
- Instead of streaming music from my Google Music cloud account, I now download all my music files to my smartphone and play them locally.
- When possible, I try to download my daily podcasts while on WiFi instead of streaming on the cellular network.
- I’ve set the Google Play Store to not download updates for my apps unless I’m on a WiFi connection.
- I usually don’t stream videos unless I’m on WiFi.
So far, my plan seems to be working ok. I can still access news feeds, forums, email, via the AT&T Network, and do any high-bandwidth data transfers while on WiFi. And if I go over my 3 GB limit for the month, I’ll only be charged $10 US for another 1 GB of data transfer (which is about the cost of a single average lunch). Can’t complain!