10 ways to cut your mobile phone data usage

It's one modern convenience most of us can't live without: our mobile phone.

These touchscreen devices have evolved into pocket-sized computers, capable of messaging, Web surfing, video conferencing, gaming, photography, GPS navigation, social networking, fitness tracking and the handling of work documents.

Oh, and they let you make calls, too.

But many of the fun things you can do on a smartphone today require "data," therefore you likely have a monthly plan with your carrier that gives you a certain number of megabytes or gigabytes to use up by the end of the month.

If you find yourself nearing your limit or going over — and paying the price for doing so — the following are some tips and tricks to using less data.

1. Try to save the activities that eat up a lot of data — like streaming video — for when you're in a Wi-Fi network at home, a coffee shop, airport lounge or hotel lobby. Do you really need to watch Netflix while in line at the supermarket? This is especially a concern if you're using up data while "roaming" in another country, which can really add up.

2. Be sure to properly close apps when you're not using them as they still might be running in the background and possibly using up data (and battery). With iPhone, double-tap the Home button and swipe up to close apps; Android users can usually press and hold the Home button and swipe apps to the right to close them (on newer Samsung phones, tap the lower-left icon to close open apps).

3. Try to limit apps that have regularly pushed content — such as stock quotes, weather updates, or live sports scores — as your smartphone will use up data on an ongoing basis. The more apps you have that look for online updates, the more data you'll consume.

4. While tempting, try not to create a personal hotspot with your smartphone — and then wirelessly tether it to a laptop or tablet to get online — as it can eat up your data. And yes, using a USB cable to tether your phone to your laptop also uses up the same amount of data.

5. If you need to do any major email correspondence, extensive Web surfing, streaming or downloading, ask yourself if it can wait until you get to a computer. Just because you can do it on a smartphone doesn't mean you should — especially over cellular connectivity.

6. Try to find apps that use less data by doing your research prior to download and use. For example, a GPS navigation app called CoPilot Live Premium doesn't use up any data at all, whereas Google Maps and Apple Maps do eat up data while you're getting directions.

7. In your email settings, turn off "Push" mail if you really don't need to know whenever an email comes in right away. Then, when in a Wi-Fi hotspot, "pull" it all down. On a related note, enter your email settings to choose "View only," rather than downloading full attachments. The wording may vary a bit, but you'll see what you need in the Options/Settings area of your phone's email app.

8. When traveling to another country, be sure you're well aware of their roaming rates as it'll be significantly higher (and on top of) your existing data plan. Some carriers offer various travel plans, so be sure to consider one to avoid a nasty surprise on your bill. When in doubt, disable data roaming on your smartphone altogether. Those traveling overseas might consider renting a SIM upon landing as it'll likely be cheaper than roaming on your existing carrier.

9. Instant Messaging (IM) programs are affordable solutions for friends who want to keep in touch. Programs like WhatsApp, Viber, BBM, Kik or Facebook Messenger use little data, they're fast and reliable, and they offer advantages over texting (such as getting a confirmation when a message has been delivered and read).

10. Don't update apps over the air if you can do it on your computer — and then synchronize the updates to your smartphone via a USB cable. You may want to charge up your phone via your computer's port anyway, perhaps before you go to sleep, therefore sync apps over the cable instead of downloading them over cellular connectivity.

Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at techcomments@usatoday.com.