Question about data usage

[JoeH1969]

I bought a Droid phone on 12/19/12.  I carried over the plan from my previous phone (unlimited texting and 450 anytime minutes/free weekends).  Tonight, Christmas 2012, I get a message saying that I'm at 50% of prorated usage for my data plan.  I have the internet now; basically can't buy a cell phone without internet these days ($30/month).  Am I now limited as to what I can download (apps, etc) in terms of cost OR does that 50% involve only storage capacity? 

[#2]

To use your terms it is referring to the "download" part as you are saying. I would switch to wi-fi for your downloading and internet usage. What data package do you have and what is your normal billing cycle end date?

[JoeH1969]

Are there different data packages?  I just have the data package that costs an extra $30/month and have been able to do whatever I want on the internet.  My phone is already set to wi-fi; looking at the settings menu as I type this.  My billing cycle ends on the 9th of each month, so I kind of screwed myself, but my previous phone just flat out died and I needed a new one>  I bought it in 2008.

[#4]

JoeH1969 wrote:

Are there different data packages?  I just have the data package that costs an extra $30/month and have been able to do whatever I want on the internet.  My phone is already set to wi-fi; looking at the settings menu as I type this.  My billing cycle ends on the 9th of each month, so I kind of screwed myself, but my previous phone just flat out died and I needed a new one>  I bought it in 2008.

Yes they have different data packages. So I assume you are the 2 GB package then. So since you got the phone on the 19th your prorated data cap would be about 1.3 GB for this month. So if you used 50% of that means you used about 650 MB since 6 days. Doesn't sound like you're using wi-fi to me if you used 650 MB in 6 days. Just because the phone has a wi-fi setting doesn't means it's connected to wi-fi. Are you actually connecting to a wi-fi connection?

Also are you watching online video? Make sure you do that over wi-fi because doing that over data will go through your cap pretty quick. Not sure else what you do to use so much data on your phone. Any the point is once you go over your cap you will be charged $10 per GB over round up to the nearest GB. So you don't want to go over.

Also you should download apps over wi-fi. Also turn off auto update on the apps and have them set to update only over wi-fi.

[JoeH1969]

Forgive me if I sound stupid on this topic.  This is my first cell phone with internet use and apps, so it's very much a learning curve for me.  Like most people, I got one of these phones and just want to download everything I can find.  So, let me ask this: do I use up any data storage by USING an app?  I understand downloading is one thing, but if I play the Angry Birds game/app, go on to the CNN app, use a restaurant app, or use an app for a local news station in the Los Angeles area (where I live), is that eating my data storage allowance as well?  I really appreciate your help on this.

[#6]

No problem everyone is a new smartphone owner at some point.

Any app that access data will use you data allowance if you are not using wi-fi. And it's not data storage its just data or data allowance or data cap. Storage is something like an SD card or your phones hard drive. And that has nothing to do with your cap. Something like Angry Birds probably wouldn't use much data. Anyways the point is since you have a cap if you don't use wi-fi you can't as you say "download everything you find"

Do you have a regular internet connection at home? I mean something like cable or DSL? And is that connected to a wireless router? If so then you can set up wi-fi so at least when you're at home you're using that to connect you device to the internet for downloading and using apps. In fact you can do that for any open wi-fi network or any wi-fi network you know the password to. That saves a lot on the mobile data. That way you're only using the mobile data when you really need it.

if you still need more data there is a 5 GB plan for $50 and a 10 GB plan for $80.