What Do You Really Know About Your Favorite App?
December 27, 2013
Just how much data does your favorite app use? Now you can find out using a simple tool from Know My App. Created by CTIA - The Wireless Association, the free tool shows what effect an app or game has on data usage, battery life, and network speeds.
Created by CTIA's Application Data Usage Working Group, Know My App was developed by Intertek, a product testing and certification firm. The group has a number of clients including Apple, AT&T, Microsoft, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless.
For now, Know My App can only analyze the top 50 free and paid apps in Apple’s iOS App Store, and the Google Play Android app store. These are narrowed into subcategories.
Don’t have time to use the Know My App tool? CTIA offers the following general advice to conserve data on a smartphone:
Know My App looks like a great tool, especially with unlimited data plans going away for most of us. To date, the service is only available through a Web browser. Hopefully, an actual app will arrive in 2014. To learn more about this tool, or to analyze your favorite app, visit KnowMyApp.org. See also: Apple Unveils Best iOS Apps Of 2013: Duolingo And Disney Animated Take No. 1 Spots, and Your Turn: What Are The Best Apps Of 2013?
- Switch from cellular to Wi-Fi service where secure Wi-Fi is available;
- Adjust your apps' settings to stop or minimize updates unless you're on a secure Wi-Fi hotspot;
- Minimize apps that aren't in use so they're not running in the background;
- Uninstall any apps you don't use.
