How to Reduce Mobile Data Usage
- Thread starter Captain Larry-DH
- Start date
There is another- you give information about yourself. YOU are the product. You have to install the app and it won’t let you make calls unless you give it access to your contacts. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook. They monetize it with targeted ads. They know who you know, who those people know, how often you talk or message, where you are, etc. They run sophisticated analysis to profile everyone for targeted ads. Targeting makes the ads more expensive for advertisers, because if you’re a company like Forespar or North Sails, you will pay more for an ad that appears only for sailors than one that’s shown to anyone without regard to whether they might have an interest.
Edit - Facebook messenger will work through the web, but not if you’re on a cellphone. It requires you to install the app. Same reason. Cellphone data is valuable.
That's one reason why you can get data only packages for your phone now.
I use "Signal", because it is more secure and isn't owned by Facebook/Meta which is who owns WhatsApp.
In fact Signal is secure enough that certain organizations use it.
Unfortunately,.using WhatsApp, Signal, Skype,etc. All INCREASE data usage, and in some countries, an unlimited regional calling and texting plan, is cheaper than data.
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I'm amazed by how much I didn't know about WhatsApp! Thanks for the education! I did know that it's owned by FB...a British friend who was the chief engineer on oil tankers for more than 30 years told me he'd been using it for decades before they bought it from a Chinese company.
Tell me more about Signal,Dave...I like the idea that it's very secure. Does it also require that both parties be subscribers or can someone using WhatsApp connect to someone using Signal? I have an unlimited talk, text and data plan so I don't worry about data usage...and fwiw, I never use public wifi, opting for cellular data instead. I'm so cautious that my office computer modem connects using ethernet...my only wifi is my in-home network that I only use for the printer, laptop and iPad.
--Peggie
Tell me more about Signal,Dave...I like the idea that it's very secure. Does it also require that both parties be subscribers or can someone using WhatsApp connect to someone using Signal? I have an unlimited talk, text and data plan so I don't worry about data usage...and fwiw, I never use public wifi, opting for cellular data instead. I'm so cautious that my office computer modem connects using ethernet...my only wifi is my in-home network that I only use for the printer, laptop and iPad.
--Peggie
WhatsApp started in 2009 in California. Had nothing to do with a Chinese owner.
Brian Acton, one of the two founders of WhatsApp, started Signal in 2017, after WhatsApp was sold to Facebook.
Yes. Just like you need an account for WhatsApp.
Until recently Signal would also do unsecure sms/txt messaging, which enabled people to seamlessly use one app for both secure and normal.
Unfortunately that feature was removed recently to remove the risk of someone accidentally sending an insecure message when they wanted to send a secure one.
It was a great feature that allowed friends to slowly switch to using secure messaging. A lot of users are unhappy with it being removed.
Many of my friends use WhatsApp, and could care less about security, so the dual functionality was a great way to get them to switch to signal. That incentive isn't there now.
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Thanks, Dave. This has been a very enlightening conversation. And I'll give my British marine engineer friend who was using something very similar to WhatsApp that he said was Chinese decades before 2009 (he'd retired by 2000) a call to clarify its history. I haven't talked with him in a while...it's time I did and this gives me a good excuse.
Btw..are any of you old enough and/or have been online long enough to remember "newsgroups?"
--Peggie
Btw..are any of you old enough and/or have been online long enough to remember "newsgroups?"
--Peggie
Lol. Yup.
Surprisingly they still exist. Just not even close to mainstream anymore.
Funny you should mention that..I am cleaning out some old junk and I found some dot matrix printouts from Compuserve sailing forums..
Honestly Peggie, a better question here is, how few of you are NOT old enough to remember "newsgroups"... Hahahahaha
dj
Using something other than Windows or Android will further reduce bandwidth by not uploading analytical, personal data, "spellcheck", etc
PiHole DNS Server is good but probably not practical for a boat
The "OLYC" was my first venture into cyberspace...I joined in '94 or "95 and was there almost to the end. I remember those printouts well! I also remember that's where Chuck Hawley, of WM in those days, christened me the Princess of Poop..and it stuck! I was getting messages addressed to "your royal highness!"Funny you should mention that..I am cleaning out some old junk and I found some dot matrix printouts from Compuserve sailing forums..
--Peggie
Somewhat. If you have the skills you can choose a phone that allows you to have a custom operating system and even install apps that interfere with some company's business model.
Apple products prevent you from doing what you want with your hardware, if it interferes with Apple's business model.
In a blatant incident, they were caught intentionally slowing down older iPhones to encourage people to buy another overpriced one. There other less obvious things.
That why I would never touch an iPhone or iPad.
Agreed.
That’s a little out of context. They slowed the phones to prevent older batteries from suffering a voltage drop that would cause the phones to crash.
Apple settles with states for $113M over iPhone battery throttling
The problem wasn't so much what Apple did, states said, as what Apple hid.
PiHole on a boat is not impossible. You would just need a cell hotspot to connect to the cell network and a pi to act as a router. Connect the pi to the hotspot and set it up as an access point. Then just have your phones/computers/etc connect to the Pi access point instead of directly to the hotspot.
Or course..you could use a raspberry pi as a multi use, pihole and a media player etc etc. But why the heck bother with that when you can simply have an app on your phone ? It's a solution looking for a problem.
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thanks for the link. i havent been following the details since it was originally reported and.confirmed.
that said, apple does everything they can to limit what apps you can install, to fight right to repair etc. every android device i owned hasnt had those issues, and allowed custom os, or de-googling the device for privacy if you care about that.
Then you have dual and quad sim options. And cost.
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I should mention that the DNS66 or similar DNS resolution blocking apps can not only block ads, they also work for parental controls, blocking some analytics etc.
I fyou are a social media user, you can save data by disabling: automatic video play, auto download of images, or even auto download of messages.
If the official app doesn't allow turning that off, there are usually 3rd party apps that will.
I fyou are a social media user, you can save data by disabling: automatic video play, auto download of images, or even auto download of messages.
If the official app doesn't allow turning that off, there are usually 3rd party apps that will.
yes, and there are apps like OpenDNS/Umbrella (and others) that will block viruses and other malware, as well as offering parental controls and NSFW filters.
I think that info is out of date. When you enlightened us about eSIM earlier in this thread, I did some online research. Since iPhone X, owners of unlocked phones can install eight or more eSIMs on an iPhone and use two phone numbers at the same time. Here’s a reference About eSIM on iPhone
Thanks Larry, that is really helpful information. Great news for travelers!
How is that out of date ?
An esim is not a physical SIM slot which is what I was referring to.
Unfortunately many carriers don't support esim.
Eventually they will. It just makes sense.
A true dual or quad sim phone with 2 or 4 physcial SIM slots is what I was referring to when I said it was something that iPhones didnt have and android did.
Dual active numbers is the most common setup.
Other esim capable phones can also have a bunch configured but only a couple active at a time.
Some are a mix...
My current phone allows 1 real sim and 1 esim active.
Some physical dual and quad SIM phones are also only capable of 2 active numbers with others on standby.
But some physical quad SIM phones may have 1 active data SIM, and 2 active Sims for phone numbers. Handy if you are constantly in 2 countries, or want personal Vs business.
Was very common for Hong Kong residents for example with mainland china and Macau being nearby.
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Here's a list of current esim capable phones:
m.gsmarena.com
Here's a list of dual SIM phones:
m.gsmarena.com
Triple SIM phones:
m.gsmarena.com
Quad SIM:
m.gsmarena.com
Based on the fact that site only lists 2 quad SIM phones.. both discontinued, I don't think they list all phones available, but it's a good start. (I had a off brand quad SIM years ago that I bought in Bangladesh which isn't listed)
When searching the list, you can narrow it down to the frequencies you need and other features like sdcards and removable batteries.
Those features are disappearing on flagship phones but still found on cheaper ones.
In some cases you may want to carry a second, cheaper, world or Asian market phone instead of replacing your main phone. Or maybe leaving your better flagship phone at home often makes sense due to risk of theft or security concerns.
In one case my wife and I bought a new dual SIM phone for under $100 for local use, and gave it to our friends when we flew home.
So many options.
Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com
Here's a list of dual SIM phones:
Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com
Triple SIM phones:
Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com
Quad SIM:
Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com
Based on the fact that site only lists 2 quad SIM phones.. both discontinued, I don't think they list all phones available, but it's a good start. (I had a off brand quad SIM years ago that I bought in Bangladesh which isn't listed)
When searching the list, you can narrow it down to the frequencies you need and other features like sdcards and removable batteries.
Those features are disappearing on flagship phones but still found on cheaper ones.
In some cases you may want to carry a second, cheaper, world or Asian market phone instead of replacing your main phone. Or maybe leaving your better flagship phone at home often makes sense due to risk of theft or security concerns.
In one case my wife and I bought a new dual SIM phone for under $100 for local use, and gave it to our friends when we flew home.
So many options.
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