Making it to the end of the month without using up your data limit is as difficult as making it to the end of your paycheck. However, there's an app that lets you save up to 500 MB a month. The Onavo trick, as it's called, is well-known but rarely used on mobile devices: compress the data To give up some quality, you gain space. That's how the MP3 was born, and look where it's gotten. If you're looking for more options, check out 7 ways to save data on your Android.
With the popularization of broadband and flat-rate plans, we've forgotten that we used to have to compress everything so it could travel over old-fashioned dial-up connections. But the problem of bandwidth shortages has resurfaced with smartphones. It's not that they can't handle large files, it's that operators reduce speed or impose an extra payment when we exceed a certain limit.
But with Onavo this problem disappears. This application compresses almost all data on web pages and apps (except video and audio, for example for save data on YouTube) which significantly reduces the total amount of downloaded data. They claim you can save up to 500 MB in a month. We just installed it and haven't been able to confirm this yet. But some users report on Google Play that they've saved dozens of MB since installing it.
How compression works and what you can expect
What Onavo does is stand between the internet and our mobile. When we run it, we can choose from the list of applications which one we are going to use and, after making the request, the response first passes through its servers where compress the information and then forward it to your phone. Our colleagues at PC Mag have been testing it since it came out in March. They claim that the web pages download slightly slower (something logical if they have to go through external servers first) but the delay is barely noticeable.
Compression attacks above all images and static resources, where a greater reduction in size can be seen: the photos may lose some sharpness, but the text remains clearly legible. In addition, you can set the compression ratio to adjust the balance between quality and savings, and even disable compression for certain sensitive apps.
In scenarios with a lot of navigation and maps, Onavo has been reported to high savings (even very high percentages on certain services), although the actual result depends on usage: if you consume little visual content, the savings margin will be smaller; if your activity is focused on apps with large images, the benefit increases.
Onavo Count and Onavo Extend: control and savings
In addition to compression, the platform relies on two complementary approaches highly commented by users:
- Onavo Count: monitors the terminal's data consumption in real time, allows define the bonus contracted (MB/GB) and, optionally, the price per MB. Offers widgets, threshold alerts (for example, at 80%) and graphics per application to detect which apps are draining your megabytes. It also allows restrict apps to WiFi so that they don't use mobile data.
- Onavo Extend: activates a VPN that compresses outgoing traffic to further reduce consumption. In some devices, it also added a local cache to speed up repeated access to the same content, with detailed savings statistics by app and period.
For those who travel, Onavo detects the roaming and allows you to set specific plans (daily, weekly or monthly), set limits for volume or cost and receive warnings before exceeding them.
Privacy, security and good practices
For those who are concerned about safety, Onavo works by establishing a virtual private network with us and can be configured to browse with the safe browsing protocol HTTPSI see it as a great tool for when the end of the month is approaching, allowing you to maintain your download speed without experiencing a drop in speed. It's not a perfect tool, but since it's free, you can't ask for more.
That said, it is important to understand the implications: by acting as intermediary for all your traffic, the service can infer usage habits and metrics from your apps. The brand behind Onavo was acquired by Facebook and, in the past, the application was withdrawal from the App Store for privacy policy violations. Our recommendation is read the data policy in detail, enable compression only when it matters to you, and disable it in sensitive apps (banking, health, work) if you don't want their traffic to pass through third parties. You can also rely on apps to monitor data usage and detect which processes consume the most.
Recommended settings to save without surprises
- Enter your bonus and cycle date so that the alerts are accurate.
- Set thresholds (70/85/95% ads) and, if it suits you, temporary lock when exceeding the limit.
- Restrict to WiFi the apps that consume the most (video, clouds, backups).
- Choose the compression level medium/high for navigation and maps, and low or off for apps where image quality is a priority.
- Activate the roaming profile with stricter limits or estimated cost per MB if you travel.
Alternatives and tricks that add up
If you prioritize consumption control, in addition to Onavo Count there are solutions such as 3G WatchDog, NetCounter o My Data Manager, which offer historical data, alerts, and breakdowns by app. To automate Wi-Fi usage in familiar locations and use less mobile data, tools like Local o bike Bags allow you to activate WiFi by location and adjust phone parameters (brightness, synchronization) to optimize your rate effortlessly. You can also try alternatives such as Samsung Max.
Also remember to lean on the native Android options for Data Usage, limiting background activity of apps you don't need and allowing heavy syncing only on Wi-Fi. Many mobile browsers include data reduction modes and block page pre-loading, which discreetly reduces consumption; for example, you can activate Google Chrome's basic mode in supported browsers.
You can download it on Google Play if it's still available. On iPhone, availability may vary depending on store policies; in any case, assesses the relationship between savings and privacy and choose the usage mode that best suits your rate and your needs. Also check the download preference on Play Store to avoid heavy downloads with mobile data.
Onavo brings a practical approach: save data without changing your habitsWith configurable compression, fine-grained app control, roaming profiles, and notifications, you can extend a modest plan and avoid the dreaded speed drop—just understand the impact on privacy and configure it wisely so the benefits clearly outweigh any drawbacks.
