New website informs users on app data usage prior to purchase
A first-of-its-kind website and corresponding service was rolled out on Thursday by CTIA - The Wireless Association with an intent to inform mobile device users about app data use and their impact on wireless data plans.
Screenshot of music streaming service Pandora's estimated app data use and plan impact. | Source: KnowMyApp.org
CTIA's KnowMyApp.org website allows users to estimate an app's data usage before they download, a service that is likely welcome to those with pricey wireless contracts, reports PCWorld.
While tools capable of measuring an app's data use after downloading have been around for some time, the new site is the first to offer estimated information prior to download, according to CTIA.
Users visiting the site can search for specific apps to find estimated data use and impact to data plans ranging from 300MB to 4GB per month.
For example, music streaming service Pandora for iOS showed an average use of 2526.57MB per month, which represents 842 percent of a 300MB plan, 246 percent of a 1GB plan and 61 percent of a 4GB plan. In this particular case, the testing system estimated one-day usage as a compilation of three sessions, each including the following actions: "Viewing the Feed, Profile, Settings, create a new station, play 5 songs, delete station."
Created by CTIA's Application Data Usage Working Group, which includes industry giants Apple, Microsoft, and all three major U.S. wireless carriers, among others, KnowMyApp was developed by product testing and certification firm Intertek. In practice, the tool generates app information by testing against a benchmark that taps into AT&T's Application Resource Optimizer, a diagnostic system that tracks network data.
Currently, the site is limited to the top 50 free and paid apps on Apple's iOS App Store and the Google Play Android app store. In addition to the app-specific information, users can learn about general data use and conservation.
CTIA said KnowMyApp also looks to help developers create more efficient apps and invites them to submit their wares for testing via Intertek Testing Services.
Screenshot of music streaming service Pandora's estimated app data use and plan impact. | Source: KnowMyApp.org
CTIA's KnowMyApp.org website allows users to estimate an app's data usage before they download, a service that is likely welcome to those with pricey wireless contracts, reports PCWorld.
While tools capable of measuring an app's data use after downloading have been around for some time, the new site is the first to offer estimated information prior to download, according to CTIA.
Users visiting the site can search for specific apps to find estimated data use and impact to data plans ranging from 300MB to 4GB per month.
For example, music streaming service Pandora for iOS showed an average use of 2526.57MB per month, which represents 842 percent of a 300MB plan, 246 percent of a 1GB plan and 61 percent of a 4GB plan. In this particular case, the testing system estimated one-day usage as a compilation of three sessions, each including the following actions: "Viewing the Feed, Profile, Settings, create a new station, play 5 songs, delete station."
Created by CTIA's Application Data Usage Working Group, which includes industry giants Apple, Microsoft, and all three major U.S. wireless carriers, among others, KnowMyApp was developed by product testing and certification firm Intertek. In practice, the tool generates app information by testing against a benchmark that taps into AT&T's Application Resource Optimizer, a diagnostic system that tracks network data.
Currently, the site is limited to the top 50 free and paid apps on Apple's iOS App Store and the Google Play Android app store. In addition to the app-specific information, users can learn about general data use and conservation.
CTIA said KnowMyApp also looks to help developers create more efficient apps and invites them to submit their wares for testing via Intertek Testing Services.
Comments
I have been constantly surprised by how little cellular data I use each month, because most of my time is spent on Wi-Fi networks….apparently this site does not take Wi-Fi into account.
Why would it take Wifi into account?
Because Wi-Fi allows for virtually unlimited data for a set price, while phone company data does not. So, if one uses Pandora on Wi-Fi at home, one probably does not care how much data the app might use. One is only concerned with data usage when one is on a limited phone company data plan, I think.
Um... You just answered with why it shouldn't bother taking Wi-Fi into account.
:???:
I remember being SO paranoid about data usage when I first got my 4S. This site would have gone a long way in assuaging that.
I presume they're taking all the ads associated with free apps into consideration...?
This is almost 2014 and at least in Canada, carriers are still pushing sub-gigabyte plans at us, while *also* pushing devices at us that are practically made for high-data usage.
I just changed my data plan from 3 to 5 GB per month. At 24€ per month with unlimited SMS and calls it's very cheap. 3GB is really not much when streaming music every day.
My biggest concern when considering giving up unlimited data to save $20/mo was GPS. Even if I knew where I was going, I liked the information my TomTom App on my iPhone gave me. Specifically, Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA). It took a lot of pressure off as far as arriving on time. Not just appointments and meetings, but seeing my daughter. She's 29 and I have never been late!
Needless to say, I didn't give up the unlimited data.
P.S. I moved from ATT ($110/mo) to Sprint ($93/mo) after they wanted to charge me an additional $40/mo to tether my new iPad and also lose my grandfathered in unlimited data plan. Stupid bastards.
I am seriously considering buying a 5s outright and moving to T-Mobile. Pay $50/mo.
Wow, plans in the US are extremely expensive. As I said, I have 5GB data, unlimited SMS/MMS and calls (unlimited calls to all landlines in the world), tethering, visual voicemail and conference calls for 24€/month.
No one has noticed that in the US, but what T-Mobile is doing is mimicking what Free Mobile has done in France. Even their presentation style, the language they used and the style of the CEO doing the presentation was copied from that of M. Niel of Free who broke the prices two years ago.
Sadly, the site appears to be down. No response from the server at the provided Knowmyapp.org link.
Oh well.
I needed it too. For some reason, my usage spiked like crazy, from 200mb/month to 800mb in the first week....
I suspect the new Yahoo! Weather App... Have reset how it behaves (no more background updates, etc.). Hopefully that will solve it.
PS:
I would use a tracking app like Onavo, but, in the case of Onavo:
a) they route 100% of your usage through their own servers and
b) they're owned by Facebook, and
c) the privacy/EULA says they can share your usage with third parties.
Meaning, using Onavo equals sharing 100% of all your mobile data behavior with Facebook.
Um. No thank you.
Any alternatives to Knowmyapp that isn't invasive like that?
Tribalogical, since you're interested in the data usage of an App that is already in use on your phone; go to Settings > Cellular and scroll down to the list of Apps showing how much data they have used. If you don't want to reset the counters just note down the current usage and go back in a few days to see what has significantly increased.
Thanks for that! Somewhere in the back of my brain I presumably knew I could do that (since I've perused that list more than once in the past). I needed that reminder though, so thanks again.
Still, I liked not having to 'experiment' first. It was nice to be able to find out how much an app typically uses, before installing it... I hope knowmyapp makes a speedy return.
Has anyone else installed the (gorgeous!) new Yahoo! Weather app, and left background updating on? Have you noticed any substantial uptick in usage? I added a number of cities to the location list as well. which probably added to the usage. Nothing like loading fresh images of a dozen cities in the background every time you call up the app...!
I'll turn background updating back on to test it after my monthly usage resets. I'm pushing the limits this month already (a first for me). For the first time, managing this stuff has become an issue...
All the more reason to hate 'metered' data usage.
in other news.... the knowmyapp.org link appears to be working again.
great!