Tracking data usage

Unless you have one of those cherished unlimited data plans for your smartphone or tablet, you may find yourself running out of megabytes before the end of your billing period.

Plenty of third-party apps for monitoring data use exist, but you may also be able to use free tools built into your device’s operating system to see how much of your monthly allowance you have burned through at any given time.

In recent versions of Android, open the Settings icon from the All Apps screen and in the Wireless & Networks area, tap “Data usage.”

Here, you can see how much data each app has used, set restrictions, set an overall limit and have Android display a warning when you get too close to it.

In recent versions of the Windows Phone system, the Data Sense app in the App List can be used to monitor data use and set limits.

In Apple devices running iOS 7, open the Settings icon on the Home screen and tap Cellular (or Cellular Data on an iPad) to see your current use amounts and choose which apps can, and cannot, use your cellular connection for downloading data.