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[Q] Possible to use Android without any data plan at all?

I'm sorry if this has been asked already.
I'm very interested in getting a Samsung Vibrant. I wasn't a big fan of Android at first, but it's really growing on me. However, I have absolutely no interest in getting a data plan -- Everywhere I frequent has open wi-fi. If I got the phone, I know no carrier would let me leave the store without a data plan, so I'd just get one on eBay.
Is it possible to completely disable data, contact/email syncing, cloud connection, etc. and still use the full capabilities of an Android phone through wi-fi without screwing anything up? I've heard that if you don't have a data connection it's possible that your contacts will delete themselves when the phone tries to sync -- Is this true? Is there anything I should know about using Android without data, or are there any apps I should get to help with the whole process?

I have no data plan at all, G1 on T-Mobile. Vibrant shouldn't give you any problems, but if you're worried about contacts deleting (which has never happened to me), you can turn sync on and off, so just toggle it when you connect to wi-fi. Glad to see more interest in Android, hope you can make some contributions to the community.

Thanks for the info -- I didn't know you could actually toggle the syncing!
I hope I get more into Android, too. I'm a huge Windows Mobile person right now, but after looking at the Vibrant, I think I've been converted.
I also hope I can help in the community a bit, too -- I've been coming here for a long time, and I think you guys are amazing at what you do.

guitargler said:
I have no data plan at all, G1 on T-Mobile. Vibrant shouldn't give you any problems, but if you're worried about contacts deleting (which has never happened to me), you can turn sync on and off, so just toggle it when you connect to wi-fi. Glad to see more interest in Android, hope you can make some contributions to the community.
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I'm sorry, I've got one more thing to ask: So can you disable ALL data, except for the phone data (calls, texts, etc.)? I can actually still get apps and do pretty much everything data allows all through wi-fi without any issues?

You can do syncing/cloud connection over WiFi too.

Thee other say my wife forgot to pay her bill.they shut her phone off.. Connected phone to wifi in the house and was able to use google talk email market... No text or calls though
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

well i had a first gen my touch 3g, i unlocked it and put it on att. what i endened up doing was i set up a different apn and since the settings were wrong i couldnt get on the internet. i could be wrong, but i think thats what kept me from getting on the net with it. and then i realized i had a data plan on my contract so i put the correct info for the apn and got data.

U can delete all your APN Info so that your phone will not be able to connect via 3G or Edge only with WIFI ;-)
Have fun with this great os!

There is literally an option in the network settings to disable the "mobile network". This disables internet/3g data traffic but does not affect call/text (that is not considered "data").
Also, Android actually disables the mobile network connection when Wifi is active (at least on CDMA devices)

Awesome, this is exactly what I was looking for. I have no idea why I was told it wasn't worth using Android without data - This all sounds like just what I had planned to do. Thanks, everyone! :-D

deathsled said:
Also, Android actually disables the mobile network connection when Wifi is active (at least on CDMA devices)
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Relying on that alone won't work as soon as you get in the car with the phone...when it loses the wifi connection, it looks for a cell data connection again. You are right though, so long as it has a wifi connection, it doesn't look for 3G data at all.

People say it's no use having Android without data because there's literally TONS of awesome stuff you can do with data (Google Maps walking turn-by-turn, for example. And Zombie, Run!, which is the best game ever made). But if you're like me and are cheap/broke, or you just don't see yourself using data much, you'll be golden. But I think as you get into Android more and discover what you *could* be doing, you'll want to add data. I intend to put data on when I upgrade

i dn't have a data plan and when i attempt to use a data connection w/o wifi i get an msg from my provider (asking if i really want to and telling me how much it will cost). If your provider allows you access to their data network without you agreeing and then charges you that's pretty bull**** and i would definitely switch providers.

[Q] Excessive data usage problem

Hi,
I've recently discovered that very large amounts of data are being transferred from my Nexus S which is pushing me over my data limit of 750mb. I downloaded 3G watchdog and monitored traffic for a while and noticed that every hour or so data use goes wild running into the tens of mb over a very short period of time.
I'm currently running MIUI-109020 and have a fairly standard range of apps installed. I've tried killing all of the apps that might possibly transfer data but this makes no difference. So, at the moment I've turned off mobile data before it bankrupts me but obviously I'd like to have it back on again.
Anyone, anywhere have any thoughts or pointers as to what might be going on or how I could solve it?
BTW I'm in the UK on Vodaphone's network.
Cheers
David McNorton

davidmcnorton said:
Hi,
I've recently discovered that very large amounts of data are being transferred from my Nexus S which is pushing me over my data limit of 750mb. I downloaded 3G watchdog and monitored traffic for a while and noticed that every hour or so data use goes wild running into the tens of mb over a very short period of time.
I'm currently running MIUI-109020 and have a fairly standard range of apps installed. I've tried killing all of the apps that might possibly transfer data but this makes no difference. So, at the moment I've turned off mobile data before it bankrupts me but obviously I'd like to have it back on again.
Anyone, anywhere have any thoughts or pointers as to what might be going on or how I could solve it?
BTW I'm in the UK on Vodaphone's network.
Cheers
David McNorton
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That much data? Email, gmail, facebook sync.

Install Droidwall and prevent some apps from the network.
I would also like to see what exactly Android is doing all the time...

MIUI has a built in Monitor app. Use that to see which app is using up your data.
You may also want to opt-out of MIUI stats. I'm not sure of how much data it sends, but it will cut down on some of your data usage.
Droidwall is a great suggestion as well. Prevent some apps from connecting on 3G but allow them on wifi. If you want some apps to connect on 3G, check your sync settings.
Sent from my Evo + MIUI using Tapatalk!

Thanks for your replies. I've now installed droidwall and that looks like it could help. I've also purchased the pro version of 3G Watchdog (hadn't realised MIUI had a monitor app) and that's showing me what how much data my apps are using.
I phoned Vodaphone and they increased my data plan to 1GB which gives me a little leeway while I try to work this out. So I'll test it again tomorrow and see if I can work out what's going on.
Cheers
David McNorton

Is your Gallery app syncing pictures to Picassa? It's the only thing i can think of that would explain that much data in a short period of time.

Problem solved. Google+ was the culprit. By default the app had Instant Upload of all photo's and video's set to on. That has cost me about £50 since installing the app in late September when it first came out. Thank's Google
Thanks for all your tips. At least now I have a better handle on data monitoring and firewall protection.
Cheers
David McNorton

Wow, never thought Google Plus would use that much, even though it syncs a ton. Good think I have unlimited, may want to look into it yourself.
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App

[Q] Controlling data usage?

I have the 200mb/month plan, and for the last few yeras, that has been fine... Starting with iphone 3gs and then captivate and skyrocket (when on GB) - never really used much more than 100 mb/ month - since I'm at my office or home most of the time and on wifi. Lately with ICS on the phone, the data has been going wild and I'm pushing the limit every month for the last 2 months. I read about 3g watchdog and onavo and droidwall - but don't know much about using them. I was hoping to find an app that would come up while using mobile data and asking explicitly if I want to allow that app to go through the firewall or not. Droidwall can be configured to allow traffic - but I'm not sure what traffic to allow through or not. For instance, this month my top data useage so far is 'Google Services' @ 15mb and the next down is Maps @ 2.23 and then Pandora @ 1.59mb.
I would like to be able to enjoy using most of the phone features on the run but block stuff that happens in the background, like Google syncing bookmarks etc that could wait till wifi is available - or blocking pandora from network if wifi drops off accidently.
Playing around with the droidwall I cut off other apps that need some data use so was looking for something that would pop-up and ask me 'do you want to allow this app to utilize network data' or something to that effect. Any suggestions that I should look at?

Droidwall is the closest thing. If u are looking for an app that behaves like superuser except for data, there is no such thing. My suggestion is to leave everything for 3g in droidwal unchecked except the stuff u need. All the other stuff that requires data that u use occasionally, set to wifi.
*#* Google dropbox, its useful.
https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTcwNDE0ODUyOQ *#*

Sounds good - does 'disable background data' in the system cp do much better than droidwall?

That turns off pretty much ALL data, u have to leave that enabled

I can use 200 mb in a day... :/
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium

Increased Data Usage

I recently came back from a two-month trip and started using my ATT sim card again. My Infuse is basically the same as when I left - Infused 2.23, no major changes.
All of a sudden my data usage has gone from an average of a couple of megabytes (at the most) a day to over ten. I only have a 200mb plan, so this is a problem.
I installed traffic monitor; unfortunately most of the data used falls under the heading of "System Traffic," which cannot be researched further. New build of Maps? Some rogue system program? I can't figure out how to find out what it is, and a google search wasn't particularly helpful.
Something is different, and I don't know what it is.
Anyone facing a similar situation or have any clues?

Start uninstalling apps and watch your usage to see which is the culprit.
Sent from my not-an-iPod

Thanks. That's a good idea, but it's all system apps, not apps I've installed. None of them are causing any trouble. I'm not even sure which are all the system apps...

Some apps I noted:
1. Quick Office Pro uses like about 20k on phone start up; not sure if it does it every time. There could be a few more apps that do this.
2. Google voice syncs itself
3. Push emails send info to server saying the link can be used
4. Maps new build could be a possible culprit (I keep mine frozen all the time now, and defreeze it only when needed)
I noticed this even on my wife's iPhone sometimes when she gets 65% usage sms (she has a 200 MB plan), and she's always on WiFi at home, and sometimes the data usage on AT&T site shows up to 20-30 MB per session. No way to track it. I tried taking it up with them, but that won't help since AT&T too does not track which app or what data it is.

mobile data

on my moto g when i enable mobile data i see that an application Android OS is taking most of my mobile data and because of that i am loosing my internet speed . Itried to restrict background data but it seems this application is the only one whose background data cannot be restricted .
plz help

Might be a silly thought but have you edited the PlayStore settings to only update apps over wifi?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2680038
I had this issue - it turned out it was the combination of Google Backup & Restore being active (Settings/Backup & Restore), along with my automation app which I'd set up to regularly refresh my wallpaper (i.e. every 10 mins when the phone is in use). It turns out that Google Backup was uploading each wallpaper as it was changed and was eating data in the process.

non of the solutions apply to me. android os drained 30mb data in one month. it is not much but i only have 200mb data per month.
any other solution?
and thank you for helping guys, i really appreciate it! :highfive:

ManBearrrPig said:
non of the solutions apply to me. android os drained 30mb data in one month. it is not much but i only have 200mb data per month.
any other solution?
and thank you for helping guys, i really appreciate it! :highfive:
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Click to collapse
I've just had a look at my Android OS data use over the last two weeks or so (since I fixed the issue I've had). I've been on Wifi a lot over the last week, but combined Wifi and Mobile data use in two weeks it's at about 65MB which seems par for the course.

so no solution yet guys???
for my thing it seems it slowed down but its still there it runs along when other internet apps r running like hangout and it slows internet down.
i dont mind it running but i need the speed cauz my data is 2g its just draining speed

i would also be thankfull for a solution. i have only 200mb data per month so if it drains 30-40mb a month it is a lot for me.
my current sollution is to load like 10 articles and turn off data and when i read all articles i turn on data and load another 10 articles.