Want to know exactly where your mobile data is going? Google has an app for that

Google has launched a new Android-only app that helps users understand which apps use the most data on their mobile devices.

Datally, which launched worldwide today, is a data management app that tracks mobile data in real time and allows you to turn data on or off for a specific app. The app is similar to many built-in data usage trackers on mobile devices, except that it is more streamlined, has an in-app pop-up bubble and helps you find Wi-Fi hotspots.

The data bubble, which acts like a speedometer, appears onscreen when an app is opened while using mobile data. The bubble shows how much data that app is currently using. By clicking on the bubble, which can be moved around the screen, one can block data to that particular app or go back to the Datally home screen. The data-saver feature also blocks background data.

The app is specifically designed to track mobile data and does not track data while connected to Wi-Fi networks. But what it does do is help you find quality Wi-Fi networks that are close by or within a certain radius (about 1.4km is what I’ve experienced). It seamlessly connects to Google Maps to direct you to a particular Wi-Fi.

The 6MB app is part of Google’s Next Billion Users initiative, which has been working on developing products aimed specifically for mobile devices with low specs and constrained data ecosystems.

Mich Atagana, Google South Africa spokesperson and who is part of the Next Billion User team, said that the initiative looks at where the next generation of internet users will come from and how to tailor products to their needs.

“The next billion users will not come from America, the UK or Europe. They will come from South Africa, India, Brazil, Nigeria and the Philippines. But these users want exactly the same things as the first billion users want from the internet, their experiences however will be different.”

Atagana says that the new generation will not have their first internet experience on laptops or computers but on mobile devices.

“They will not be mobile-first users but mobile-only users.”

And with more than 500 million mobile users in Africa alone, this is not a bad strategy to have.

You can download the app from the Google Play Store