Datally Lets You Track And Control Mobile Data Usage

Google has announced the launch of a new app to help users understand, control, and save on their mobile data. The app is called Datally, and it's supposed to help you understand where your data is going and cut down on how much you're using. The app was launched in beta form in limited markets, which included the Philippines, where the company found out that it helped users save almost 30 percent of their mobile data usage. Starting today, it's available globally and is compatible with devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop and higher. © Google Users can find out how much mobile data they are using on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Based on it, the app will give you recommendations on how you can save more data. There's a big button at the top of the app that lets you stop all background data usage, so only the app that's actively onscreen can use mobile data. A chat-head style bubble will also pop up to let you know how much data your currently running app is using up. Android Smartphones already have inbuilt data controls for apps. The new app, however, gives users more control over the data consumed by their devices. It can shut off data completely or for a specific app. Additionally, there is a “Find Wi-Fi” button in Datally that lists all nearby hotspots being provided by restaurants and other businesses. © Google Datally is being released as part of Google's Next Billion Users initiative, which is focused on making Google products more usable in countries that have limited mobile connections and lower end hardware, like India. This is also the reason why the app takes up only 6MB of storage. Google has already launched a payment app called Tez and a file management app called Files Go under the Next Billion Users initiative. Google Apps like Chrome, Maps, YouTube and Search already have more than a billion users worldwide. Google is now aiming at bringing aboard the next billion users onboard the smartphone train by deploying more localized apps that understand and work according to the market. “There is, in my view, a Silicon Valley blindspot. That is why with things like Next Billion Users initiative at Google, we are building technology which we know is meant for these markets. When we solve it, it brings those technologies to the world,” Peeyush Ranjan, VP of engineering for Google's Next Billion Users initiative, told FactorDaily in an interview.