My Data Manager - FAQ




Android FAQ  


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What is My Data Manager used for?  
My Data Manager provides ongoing and real-time monitoring of your data usage. It automatically identifies which interface (Wi-Fi, home, roaming) is active and maintains history of your usage for each of these interfaces.

As the app provides an ongoing record of your data usage, you can feel confident about your mobile data expenses and use your device to its fullest.


How do notifications work?  
Notifications alert you when you've used the configured amounts of data. If you have a 500MB plan, you could set a notification for 250MB, so you'd know when you're halfway through your plan.


What is the persistent notification?  
The persistent notification conveniently shows your current usage in your notification tray. It also improves the accuracy of the app by making the app less likely to be killed by the OS when available memory is low.


How can I see my roaming usage?  
Press the checkbox next to the Roaming header in the settings. This will add roaming to the views in the app.


How can I find the 1st day of my billing cycle?  
This is often printed on your bill. If not, contact your service provider and they can help you out.


My carrier shows that I used more or less data than what My Data Manager shows. Why is that?  
The most common reasons why this may occur are:

1. Some carriers round up your usage, whereas the app counts without rounding.
2. My Data Manager assumes that your plan rolls over at 12:00AM on your billing day. Your carrier could roll over at a different time, especially if they're in another time zone.
3. The app only sees what your phone can see. In all network communication there is some lost data that needs to be resent. If it took five attempts for data to reach your phone, your carrier may count the five attempts, but the app would only see the successful transfer.
4. Some apps, services, or web pages may be zero rated by your operator.

Does My Data Manager support multiple SIMs?  
Yes, mobile and roaming usage will be tracked separately for each SIM. Detection of a SIM change is done automatically.


What is Streaming Media?  
Media apps like YouTube and Slacker Radio use the OS to stream video or music on their behalf. If My Data Manager can't identify which app requested the media, the usage is tracked as Streaming Media.


I have a question not mentioned here, or a suggestion on how to improve the app.  
We would love to hear from you! The best way to contact us is to use the Feedback button in the app. This will include system and app version details so that we can help you more easily.



iPhone FAQ  





What is My Data Manager used for?  
My Data Manager provides ongoing and real-time monitoring of your data usage. It automatically identifies which interface (Wi-Fi, mobile, roaming) is active and maintains history of your usage for each of these interfaces.

As the app provides an ongoing record of your data usage, you can feel confident about your mobile data expenses and use your device to its fullest.


Why does My Data Manager ask for permission to use my current location?  
Location Services allow My Data Manager to run in the background. This is needed to maintain a reliable report of your data usage, and to trigger notifications. This is a common strategy for apps given the multitasking restrictions set by iOS.


Do I have to worry about my location being tracked or shared?  
Your location is only used to map your usage on the map in My Data Manager. Your location is not shared.


Will granting location permissions affect my battery?  
There are a few operating modes that My Data Manager can use. If you feel that My Data Manager is using too much of you battery try using Coarse mode with Location Services enabled.


What are Detailed mode and Coarse mode?  
These modes let you change how location services are used. You can change modes by selecting Operating Mode from the plan settings screen.


Why use Detailed mode?  
In Detailed mode, everything happens completely automatically. Notifications are timely, and the daily chart always describes exactly when data was used.


What are the drawbacks of Detailed mode?  
Detailed mode does consume more battery and this is most evident in standby (overnight, or generally during long periods when the screen is off).


Why use Coarse mode?  
In Coarse mode the app updates automatically, but the triggers for these updates are not as frequent as when using Detailed mode. It is easier on your battery however.


What are the drawbacks of Coarse mode?  
In Coarse mode usage notifications can be delayed, and the daily chart becomes a record of updates instead of recording exactly when you used data (as is the case in Detailed mode). To ensure that no usage is missed, you should open the app to force an update before turning off your phone.


Which mode do you recommend?  
If you generally charge your phone daily, then Detailed mode should work for you. If you like to get the most out of your battery, then you'll want to use Coarse mode.


How do I switch between modes?  
You can change between the two reporting modes by selecting Operating Mode in the plan settings screen.


Do I have to enable Location Services?  
You can use the app without Location Services, but it will only update when you manually open the app. In this mode, you should open the app before turning off the phone, or all data usage since the last time you opened the app will be lost.

If you are thinking about location with respect to battery life, we recommend enabling Location Services, then using Coarse mode instead (see above).


Why am I seeing usage later than when I actually used it?  
This can happen if Location Services are disabled or the app is set to Coarse mode.

If you are using your iPhone with Location Services disabled, then the app will only update when you open it. This means that all data used since the last time the app was open will be attributed to the current hour.

In Coarse mode the app updates periodically in the background. However, if it's been a while since the app last woke up, new data usage will be attributed to the hour when the app is opened.


What are notifications?  
Notifications alert you to when you've used the configured amounts of data. Notification #1 and Notification #2 let you know when you've accumulated the set amount of data within each billing period. The Daily Notification will let you know when you've used the configured amount each day.


How should I set up my notifications?  
However works best for you!

If you have a 500MB plan, you could set a notification just below your limit and also for 250MB, so that you'd know when you're halfway through your plan.

Daily notifications are very useful to guide your daily or average usage.


What does the Timer button do?  
You can think of the timer as a trip odometer. It simply shows how much data has been used since you pressed Start Timer.


What can I use the Timer for?  
One great thing to use the timer for is to measure how much data a Skype call uses. Simply start the timer, make your call, and then check back to see how much data the call used. You can do this for any number of apps or scenarios.


My carrier shows that I used more or less data than what My Data Manager shows. Why is that?  
The most common reasons why this may occur are:

1. Some carriers round up your usage, whereas the app counts without rounding.
2. My Data Manager assumes that your plan rolls over at 12:00AM on your billing day. Your carrier could roll over at a different time, especially if they're in another time zone.
3. The app only sees what your phone can see. In all network communication there is some lost data that needs to be resent. If it took five attempts for data to reach your phone, your carrier may count the five attempts, but the app would only see the successful transfer.
4. Some apps, services, or web pages may be zero rated by your operator.

I have a question not mentioned here, or a suggestion on how to improve the app.  
We would love to hear from you! The best way to contact us is to use the Feedback button in the app. This will include system and app version details so that we can help you more easily.