The mistake slowing down your connection and killing your phone
It’s a cozy evening, and you just started streaming your favorite show. But, as the plot thickens, your Wi-Fi takes an unexpected hiatus. Annoying, right?
Before you unplug your router, look at your smartphone. The culprit could be apps chowing down on precious bandwidth.
What’s the big deal?
You’ve probably seen notifications you’re using too much data. Besides getting charged more, why does it matter? Glad you asked.
- Wi-Fi performance: Data hogs slow you down big time. Identifying and monitoring bandwidth-hungry apps on your iPhone or Android will improve your Wi-Fi speeds and reduce latency.
- Limited plans: Not everyone has unlimited data. Keeping an eye on which apps are using your Wi-Fi could save you from surprise fees.
- Not enough to go around: Smart home devices (think cameras or voice assistants) rely on a stable Wi-Fi connection. Managing bandwidth-intensive apps helps them run more smoothly, too. The more devices you have and rely on daily, the more this matters.
- Battery life: High-bandwidth apps can drain your Android or iPhone’s battery quickly. Catching them sooner might even extend your phone’s lifespan over the long run.
How to check
Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of how to detect those sneaky Wi-Fi bandits on your Android or iPhone.
For Android
- Open the Settings app > Connections.
- Tap Data usage followed by Wi-Fi data usage.
As I’m constantly reminded, steps vary depending on your phone. If that doesn’t work, search your settings for Wi-Fi or Data.
You’ll see each app and how much bandwidth it’s used over the last month. Android lets you go up to four months back for an even more detailed overview. Select the dates at the top of the screen, and voila!
For iPhone
Tech pro tip: How to prioritize devices on your Wi-Fi
We’ve all blamed our internet speed for YouTube buffering. But guess what? The main culprit is often the army of gadgets hogging your Wi-Fi.
It might be your spouse streaming three sports games at the same time, your kid downloading a new video game or your roommate binge-watching their favorite show.
If your Wi-Fi stinks, your phone might be to blame
It’s a cozy Friday evening, and you just started streaming your favorite show. But, as the plot thickens, your Wi-Fi takes an unexpected hiatus. Annoying, right?
Before you unplug your router, look to your smartphone. The culprit could be apps chowing down on precious bandwidth.
Say goodbye to bad Wi-Fi: Solutions for smooth browsing
So, your Wi-Fi is spotty and super slow. Or maybe it’s just unreliable, depending on what room you’re in. The bad news: It could be just about anything. Signal congestion, physical location, firmware issues, hardware limitations or even your internet service provider limiting you.
How to check what's hogging your internet connection
Bandwidth is a hot commodity, even more so when living in a rural area or a region with notoriously lousy internet service. But sometimes your slow internet is caused by your ISP. Tap or click here to see if your ISP is throttling your speeds.
Best apps to troubleshoot your bad Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is one of the most precious commodities we use daily. Everything is right with the world when it’s running smoothly. But when there’s any disruption, it can feel like a day-ruining experience, especially if you work from home. Tap or click here for essential work-from-home tips.
Free online tool shows where your Mac apps are connecting
TikTok has been a hot topic with government officials for quite some time now. The app is based in China, and it’s feared that it gives your data to the Communist China government. Scary! But TikTok isn’t the only app with ties to China. Tap or click here for a list of Chinese apps you should delete ASAP.
5 common mistakes that are slowing down your Wi-Fi
If only the calendar flipping over to a new year erased our tech problems. You can do a lot to make your digital life easier in 2023. Start with clearing your inbox. You deserve to hit zero at least once. Tap or click for the quick way I do it.
Tech Tip: Set your browser to start fresh or reopen your tabs on startup
High-speed internet makes everything better. You can stream to your heart’s content or open 20 tabs when researching a new recipe to try out.
You may be paying for fast service, but your internet speeds rely on more than just bandwidth. Your browsing habits and the health of your computer also impact how fast your system works. Tap or click here for five ways to speed up a slow browser.
Sick of spotty internet? The best Wi-Fi extenders and where to place them
Did you know spotty Wi-Fi in your home can be the result of bad router placement or too many connected devices? If you have concrete, masonry, thick timber walls or metal objects near your router, that can also impede your signal.
Try this handy calculator that shows how much internet you really need
The pandemic has shown us how reliant we could become on the internet. People have been working and educating themselves remotely. Online retailers saw an increase in sales as essential and non-essential items were in high demand.
Sick of slow internet? How to check you’re getting what you pay for
We all know the pain of “slow” internet: videos buffer, downloads take ages, and a single page can take forever to load. We wonder whether it’s our browser, our device, or the website we’re visiting.
It could be your Wi-Fi signal. Wireless networks are notorious for connection problems. Tap or click for ways to boost your Wi-Fi coverage for good, including changing the router’s channel, which hardly anyone does.
Half of Americans don't know their internet data caps - How to check yours
We’re a year into the pandemic and one thing we learned is how important internet service can be for our livelihoods. We’re used to working from home and attending school remotely. We get our essentials online.
For some people, having consistent broadband internet is beyond their means. A new federal initiative seeks to remedy this problem for those who qualify. Tap or click here to see if you qualify for a discount on your monthly internet bill.
Netflix for Android just got a big upgrade - here's how to use it
Streaming services make it easy to get all of the content you’re looking for without the high cost of a cable subscription. They’ve really come in handy during the pandemic.
But while there are plenty of streaming services to choose from, you may not know which one works best for you. There are tons of different options, from Netflix to Hulu and even lesser-known services that recently rolled out. Want to save even more money? Tap or click here for money-saving streaming pro tips.
Are your neighbors stealing your internet? Here's what to do about it
You’re at home ready to stream the latest episode of your favorite show. The popcorn is popped, you’re in your favorite spot and everything is perfect. When you fire up Netflix, though, the video is fuzzy and keeps buffering. Is your internet provider slowing things down? Maybe.
5 ways to speed up your internet connection now
Feel like your internet is lagging? If more people are home than normal and using it constantly, that might be the problem. The good news is, you can probably fix it.
First, check your internet speed. Click or tap here for ways to check your internet speed. Does it match the service you pay for each month? If not, try resetting your modem or router, and see if that improves things.
Boost your Wi-Fi with this simple trick that won't break the bank
Your home Wi-Fi might be acting up lately. This can be due to bandwidth issues since everyone is staying home and connecting all their smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers and more. It can also be due to your neighbors pushing the internet company to the limit.
If you have a D-Link or Linksys router, you’ve probably been hacked
Millions of Americans are pitching in to help flatten the curve and slow the spread of this coronavirus pandemic. One of the best ways to do this is when you can stay home, stay home.
All this extra time at home means our internet usage has surged, leading to fears that we’ll use too much bandwidth and cause networks to crash. The good news is there are ways to avoid this. Tap or click here for ways to fix internet streaming issues.
This is why YouTube's video quality just got worse and how to fix it
Updated 03/24/2020 – YouTube announced that starting this week it will reduce the quality of video playback on its site for everyone around the globe for one month. This is an effort to ease the stress on internet networks due to the massive number of people online during the coronavirus pandemic. You can still watch videos in HD but you have to change the setting manually. We’ll tell you how to adjust this setting in the next section.