Mobile data is a precious asset for everyone who uses an Android smartphone. We try our best not to spend our data unnecessarily. Then also, most Android apps keep using the data in the background. This happens all the time and it also drains the device battery. There is a way to stop this though. You have to access the app settings for a particular app and turn off data usage.
Once you disable that feature, the concerned app won’t be able to use the data. Also, it cannot send information to third-parties regarding your app uses or other data. Many users do not really know of this but they do lose a lot of data every day due to the Android apps sending and receiving data constantly in the background. To conserve your mobile data follow the steps that I have outlined in this guide to disable an app’s data usage.
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Prevent Android Apps from Sending and Receiving Data in Background
Our readers usually include folks using Android 11 and Android 10. So, to make things convenient for everyone I have made a separate guide. Depending upon what Android OS your device uses, you can follow the steps accordingly which are almost the same.
Steps for Android 11 Users to Disable Data Usage
If your device is running on the latest Android 11, then you have to do the following.
- Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications
- Then tap on See All Apps to see the list of installed apps on your phone
- tap on the app you want to restrict data usage
- You will come across the option Mobile data and WiFi. Tap on it
- Under that disable the toggle for the option Background Data
How Android 10(or any Previous Android OS) Users can Prevent Apps from Using Background Data
- Long press on the app for which you wish to disable background data
- Tap on App info(the option with an i symbol)
- Then under that App’s App info tap on Mobile Data and Wi-Fi
- On the next page, there would be an option for Background data which would be enabled by default
- Tap on the toggle beside it to disable it
You may notice the steps on both Android 10 and 11 is kind of the same. Do remember that when you use the app it will start using data until you close the app and remove it from the recent apps section.
Is There A Way to Completely Deprive An Android App of WiFi and Mobile Data?
Yes, it is possible to completely disable WiFi access and mobile Data for an Android app. This feature is available only on Android 11 as of now.
While you are inside the App info of a particular app, then you right below Background Data, you will see two options Disable WiFi and Disable Data Usage. You simply have to enable the toggle to put them into action. Then that app won’t have access to WiFi or mobile data.
So, that’s all about how to prevent Android apps from using background data on your Android device. No one uses all the applications at one time. For the apps you don’t use regularly, you can disable the background data usage to save your mobile data. Also, if you are on the latest iteration of Android 11, you can completely disable WiFi access as well. Try it out and share your experience in the comments section.