By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Fast and easy ways to cut back on cellular data usage
bbeb4bb557f30bee071ce37633134e07f7068a02fc1226e9f36d4f3cb010ab9e
Girl with cell phone and laptop. Many families share data and are paying huge overage fees. Simple tips to help cut back. - photo by Amy Iverson
With cell phone plans as they are these days, most of us have multiple phones picking away at our allotted data for the month.

On my 15 GB plan, I have me, two teenagers and a grandma all sharing the pie. It never fails that each month, one person who shall remain nameless uses the bulk of our data, leaving the rest of us to eke out our mobile lives for the rest of the billing period.

My reaction in the past has been to turn off the data on any phone when that user goes over their allowed amount. There are several problems with this method. First, depending on the plan and carrier, it leaves it up to the responsible party to check usage periodically. Not a big deal, but still a pain. My carrier does alert me, but only when we have reached 75 percent of our usage, which is almost too late (especially if its early in the billing period).

Secondly, if a phones cellular data is turned off, it makes it very difficult to track that phone. So if youre accustomed to using something like Find My Friends to keep an eye on where your kids are, you can kiss that goodbye. The other problem is that text messaging gets sketchy when a phone has no cellular. Theres no guarantee the person will receive texts in a timely manner.

So what to do?

The first move should be to figure out what function on the phone is using most of the data. Ill tell you right off the bat that if someone is using cellular data to watch Netflix or YouTube, it will quickly suck your data well dry. Each hour of viewing will use about 1 GB of data. Ouch.

For iOS: Open Settings and tap Cellular. As you scroll down, right underneath the name of each app, it shows how much data it has used in a given time period.

If you want to track this during a billing cycle, set a reminder on your phone to reset the tally to 0 on a certain day. Scroll down to the very bottom of the screen and tap Reset Statistics.

You can turn off cellular for each individual app here, especially if you can wait to check it until you hook up with Wi-Fi.

For Android: Open Settings and tap Data usage, then Cellular Data usage. From here you can see which apps are using the most data and can turn off Background data, or Disable DataUsage all together.

Something unique to Android phones is that you can use the table to set alerts for data usage. Theres even an option for your phone to shut cellular data off when you reach a certain usage limit.

Other options to cut down on data usage:

Use Wi-Fi when possible: Just be careful not to log in to any apps or websites with sensitive data while on any public wi-fi. Make sure your device is set to automatically log in to secure connections at places you regularly visit (home, work, etc).

Stop getting so many notifications: Do you really need to know immediately when someone has liked your Facebook post? I dont think so. Turn off any unnecessary alerts, push notifications and automatic app updates, which all use a good chunk of data.

Close apps: Many apps send and receive data - especially location services - if they are running in the background of your device. Shut off those apps to cut down on data usage and also to save your battery.

Turn off Wi-Fi Assist on iOS: Wi-Fi Assist switches a weak Wi-Fi signal to cellular data. Anyone keeping an eye on data usage should turn this (seemingly helpful) feature off. Go to Settings, then Cellular and find the Wi-Fi Assist toggle at the very bottom.

Stop autoplay everywhere: If you are on cellular and must check social media, at least turn off the autoplay feature for videos. On Facebook, open the app and tap the triple line button in lower right corner. Go to Settings. select Account Settings and then tap Videos & Photos. Tap autoplay & choose either on wi-fi connections only or never autoplay videos. For Twitter, open the app and go to Settings on your profile page. Tap Data usage and then Video Autoplay and then choose either Wi-Fi only or Never.

Instagram is a bit different in that it preloades videos to ensure autoplay. Open Instagram, go to your profile page & open Settings. Tap Cellular Data Use and turn on the toggle switch for Use Less Data. Your videos will still autoplay, but Instagram will stop preloading video when you are on a cellular connection. The videos may take a titch longer to load, but most people say they dont notice a big difference.

These quick steps will save your data usage and may even save you from having an argument with those teenagers - who shall remain nameless - who think the data is all theirs for the taking.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.