I didn't need a smart phone for a long time. My old phone was working just fine for me, and I'm so connected at home and on free WiFi from other places that I had much better things to do with my money than spend it on more connectivity.
But, it got to the point that my phone threw fits over emoticons in incoming texts and we found a GREAT deal on phones in December. It became obvious that it was time to invest. So I'm now the proud owner of a Moto Z Droid, and I'm very happy with it.
Luckily it works pretty much the same as a tablet, so the learning curve was really low. And the texting is a million times better than it was on my old phone, even though it had a full keyboard. And I've used the GPS drive/mapping app, and it's pretty sweet.
Which brings me to one of the things that I've finally been faced with - just how does cell phone data work, anyway? I use WiFi whenever possible, of course (which is the vast majority of the time), but sometimes (like when in a car), you can't get around turning on the 4G.
So basically, with your plan you've paid to be able to download a certain amount of information a month over 4G, a.k.a. the same network you get calls on. Emails, video, songs, games, surfing the web, anything that you see on your phone that comes over the internet counts as data or information. And that counts as money spent. Here's a great article from Lifewire that explains how much data common tasks use as well as some other useful tips. (Further down the page are articles about specific cell phone plans. Use
with caution; always check with the provider to make sure that you have
up-to-date information.)
You can also use your phone as a mobile hotspot, also called tethering, which means your phone can take its 4G signal and translate it to WiFi for your laptop or tablet. WiFi where ever you go; how cool is that? So then you're paying for the data you're using on whatever you have tethered to your phone (i.e. your tablet or laptop); your phone just acts as a conduit. Because your tethered devices (especially laptops) might not designed to run on 4G, it's probably not as data-efficient as your phone. Be sure to check out this blog post from Here's the Thing about data hogs on your computer that might drain your data faster than you'd expect.
Also be aware of Airplane Mode, which turns off all connections, with
one control. (Your phone fruitlessly searching for signal all the time
can be a power hog.) It's really handy when you're out of range of
everything, like on a road trip, or while flying. (Hence the name. :))
So, know how to use the WiFi, 4G, Hotspot, and Airplane Mode settings on your phone so you can control your data use while using it to the fullest. To find them, try swiping down from the top of your screen (you'll see notifications) and then again. Otherwise check your Settings app. That gets you into the guts of your phone and lets you set all sorts of technical and app related things.
Enjoy your tech!
Melissa.
