In today’s online world which is so interconnected and ever changing, it can be hard to keep up with the pace at which things happen. Whether you’re reading news on your smartphone or catching up with friends on Snapchat, data consumption is something that most people worry about. While there are lots of apps out there vying for your attention, many users find themselves stuck with apps such as Facebook Messenger that eat through their mobile plan. The good news is that there are plenty of messaging services out there that make it easy for users to have an enjoyable communication experience without eating into their data allowance. Messaging Apps With the Least Data Usage.
Living in the world of information has introduced some valuable features and the one that is surely notable are the data delivery protocols. The internet has changed, but it’s been for the better. Once so fast-paced and unreliable, data can now be delivered securely and reliably with little hassle to most users. We wanted to give you a quick list of our favorite apps which allow you to use your data sparingly because we know how easy that extra megabyte or two might come into play when trying to watch a YouTube video on your commute home from work for example. Just bear in mind that not all apps are created equally – some will limit your video call quality in order to minimize compression resulting from double-encoding your stream, others may not encrypt your messages properly, therefore, leaving you vulnerable to potential third-party intercepts!
According to a lot of people, a picture is worth a thousand words. Some say it’s not just a saying but a fact because using images results in increased cognition and thinking patterns increase by 65%. It could be mentioned before that communicating is not an easy task unless you make use of the proper medium for this. Well, as you can see, there are so many ways to communicate besides talking and writing. There’s visual communication, which is very popular these days due to its versatility and interactivity. In certain situations though such as when we’re trying to communicate something confidential make use of text instead.
A real no-brainer, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging service app on the planet, and for good reason. Assuming you have no desire to see any media sent by your contacts (and who would?) WhatsApp uses barely any data at all – which means there’s more data left over for something else! What’s more, WhatsApp works great with Facebook Messenger or you can use it as a standalone service – it doesn’t really matter which. That’s because they’re now one and the same – so keep an eye out for extra media-saving features in future updates of WhatsApp!
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app on the market, not surprising when it’s speedy and uses up so little data to send your messages on either a Wi-Fi or a cellular network connection. What’s particularly notable about WhatsApp is that it doesn’t download media unless you ask it to and can save additional data for other purposes! As an added bonus, this app is part of the Facebook family of apps, so we expect additional improvements in terms of features – such as even more data-saving possibilities – to be introduced as time goes on!
We know a lot of mobile media users are people who have to keep track of their data plan usage. You don’t want to get those pesky warning messages, right? Or maybe you travel a lot but don’t have access to WiFi. Whatever it might be, apps like WhatsApp are an awesome tool for keeping your information costs down without compromising on the quality of service you want and expect from your phone! And with the latest version supports multiple devices as well.
2. Zangi
Zangi is the current winner when it comes to saving data. The messaging app has a unique way of transferring data that allows it to send 25% more information for one megaBYTE and thus multiply the time you communicate with your friends, family, or colleagues. Just imagine how much will be saved if you spend 1GB each month.
Zangi is not your regular messaging app. It’s a messaging app that can save as much as 25% data compared to some other messaging apps available in the marketplace. The secret behind this staggering figure is that instead of using your standard transmission protocol, Zangi uses something known as Flexibility. Whether you like it or not, this one does mean higher efficiency when it comes to sending out various bits and pieces of material, which definitely kills two birds with one stone- get to use fewer data and do so for longer periods of time! Moreover, for every 1 MB of bandwidth you don’t spend on the transmission channel, which is what Flexibility does best, then it means having access to an extra quarter (of a fraction) of time when needing to engage in new conversations with loved ones, business partners or persons entrusted with special tasks by your company chief executive.
Although Zangi isn’t widely known as other big contenders in its sector, it offers great data savings when compared to popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp for instance. Zangi applies a different type of technology which enables large amounts of data to transfer more quickly using less than normal bandwidth. This means you’re able to say more even with a certain amount of megabytes.
3. Viber
The Viber app has been around since 2010 and it’s likely it will keep getting better. Every year the app makes major improvements and this means the messaging service can continue to be the most popular resource people in need of online communication use for things like talking, texting, and even video calling. However, this should not come as a shocker because Viber uses compression technology to make sending images and videos at low data cost possible despite it lowering image quality significantly. Today they can leave your contacts hundreds or even thousands of messages but remember everything comes with a price tag.
Available since 2010, Viber is one of the most popular messaging applications. Part of its popularity stems from the fact that it takes up to 14MB of your data for 60 minutes of chat compared to 2KB for a message containing over 1000 characters, which is quite impressive. However, if you want to send pictures or videos with any resolution, you will have to lower your expectations dramatically because Viber compresses information and lowers image quality. Despite these setbacks, it’s important to remember that new technologies are developed on a daily basis and so too will Viber while there are no guarantees there will be improvements made in the future you can rest assured that you can always count on them when things get rough!
4. Facebook Messenger
As mentioned earlier, Facebook was smart to separate the main app from the messaging one. Even if they are both available on one platform, it keeps things interesting and apps at a consistent pace. In fact, both WhatsApp and Instagram were eventually introduced (and acquired) by Facebook. However, Messenger is currently the top dog when it comes to group-oriented chatting – for example, a group chat involving up to 75 users can be accessed. What techies’ number one mobile app takes top marks for is data thriftiness and the ability to offer you one minute of talk-time for around 330KB. What puts this app on our list though is how it preserves quality when sharing photos or videos with friends as opposed to letting them deteriorate in quality as happens with alternative solutions.
Another great move by Facebook was to separate the main app from the messaging one and keep both at an enviable level. As we have mentioned earlier, even WhatsApp has become a member of the family, but we are yet to be presented with joint projects of these two recognizable messaging apps. What puts this app on our list is its data thriftiness coupled with its ability to provide a one-minute talk for as much as around 330 KB, which is Also, Messenger will preserve the quality of images and videos you share with your friends, but it will eat up more data than other alternatives because it optimizes them in order to consume less bandwidth while sending them across, so be wary of what you share if you are on a budget!
5. Line
Number 16 on this list is The Line, a messaging app that makes it easier for people to stay in contact from all over the world. As a Japanese-developed app, we’d expect it to be up there with the most popular apps in Asia and that’s exactly what we get. It’s much more than just a handy way of staying connected – its user-friendly interface and incredible functionality streamline the whole process of connecting with others, which might’ve been something of a struggle otherwise. Plus, who can ignore its incredibly low data consumption?
The Line made communication between groups of people much easier during Japan’s recent devastating tsunami in 2011 and has since been evolving to allow easy sharing of everything from photos and videos to event details. Because the line is such a successful app in that country, it’s not surprising to see it start coming into its own all across the world. One interesting feature is that standard text messages take over 350KB on average when a voice call is going on, providing excellent quality while allowing multiple participants – leading us to believe that this already very popular app will only get more use as more people sign up over time.
Every year, the #RedCross reports that thousands of people are injured or perish due to natural disasters around the world. Not only this but getting in contact with loved ones following a disaster can prove extremely stressful, which is partly why communication apps like Line were developed. The swift and reliable nature of Line has made it a go-to option for anyone who needs to make sure they’re able to stay in contact with their friends or family members during times of crisis, especially considering its many functions ranging from messaging to even Internet calling services.
