data usage tuning tutorial

hi535
Newbie

i use audiobooks and found out the hard way downloading a book darn near uses all my data allocation for that month.

is there a website tutorial showing tips/tricks to manage data usage?

do folks download their books etc to their computer then copy to their phone? is that one way?

a bit new to smart phone world

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DieAnn
Contributor - Level 1

Hi.  I just typed a reply and something happened...pooof...gone.  Anyway, I was trying to suggest to you that you use wi-fi whenever you are downloading your audio books (not your mobile data).  Also, your phone has a few things that can help you.  If you go to your menu (lower left, left of the home button), press "settings", press "data usage", you'll see some options as well as a chart-thing.  there is a red line at the top which is your data limit.  There is an orange horizontal line that you can slide up and down to choose where you'd like to be warned that you are approaching your limit (also be sure to check "Alert me about data usage" above it.  You can also scroll down that screen to see which applications are using the most data.

If you go back to your home screen, at the bottom there are icons that stay there.  On the right there should be one that says "Apps".  Look for an icon that looks like a book or a folder that has a blue question mark on it, it says "help".  This will give you tons of help and information about your phone.  There are videos and an index of items, I'm sure you will find helpful.  I have had android phones before, but I still found that it took me a while to learn all about the Galaxy s3.  I went on you tube and searched for tips on SGS3, that will give you a lot too...but be sure to do so on wi-fi.  If you don't have wi-fi at home, maybe you can go get a coffee or a tea at Dunkin donuts and use their free wifi.  Especially if you want to download your audio books, I'd do that instead of using my data.  Just know that it's un-secure, meaning I wouldn't do any banking or paying bills on the free/un-secure wifi at dunkin.  I don't think it would hurt to get your books there then turn it off and listen to you books when you get home or whenever.

To answer your other question though, yes it is possible to download the books to your computer and copy them over.  I can't tell you exactly how to do that though because I'm not sure if your files would have to be in certain folders or whatever.  Your phone is kind of like a flash drive, but I do everything just on my phone.  I think it would be easier really just to download over wifi right from your phone.  Now I want Dunkin donuts cofffee..mmm.  Good luck.

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DieAnn
Contributor - Level 1

Hi.  I just typed a reply and something happened...pooof...gone.  Anyway, I was trying to suggest to you that you use wi-fi whenever you are downloading your audio books (not your mobile data).  Also, your phone has a few things that can help you.  If you go to your menu (lower left, left of the home button), press "settings", press "data usage", you'll see some options as well as a chart-thing.  there is a red line at the top which is your data limit.  There is an orange horizontal line that you can slide up and down to choose where you'd like to be warned that you are approaching your limit (also be sure to check "Alert me about data usage" above it.  You can also scroll down that screen to see which applications are using the most data.

If you go back to your home screen, at the bottom there are icons that stay there.  On the right there should be one that says "Apps".  Look for an icon that looks like a book or a folder that has a blue question mark on it, it says "help".  This will give you tons of help and information about your phone.  There are videos and an index of items, I'm sure you will find helpful.  I have had android phones before, but I still found that it took me a while to learn all about the Galaxy s3.  I went on you tube and searched for tips on SGS3, that will give you a lot too...but be sure to do so on wi-fi.  If you don't have wi-fi at home, maybe you can go get a coffee or a tea at Dunkin donuts and use their free wifi.  Especially if you want to download your audio books, I'd do that instead of using my data.  Just know that it's un-secure, meaning I wouldn't do any banking or paying bills on the free/un-secure wifi at dunkin.  I don't think it would hurt to get your books there then turn it off and listen to you books when you get home or whenever.

To answer your other question though, yes it is possible to download the books to your computer and copy them over.  I can't tell you exactly how to do that though because I'm not sure if your files would have to be in certain folders or whatever.  Your phone is kind of like a flash drive, but I do everything just on my phone.  I think it would be easier really just to download over wifi right from your phone.  Now I want Dunkin donuts cofffee..mmm.  Good luck.

hi535
Newbie

good info. i'll read up on the things you mentioned.

i agree it is easier to just click on a phone app and have it download/install. the data usage issue is a joke in my opinion from my point of view. i know where the books are stored and such so i may have to resort to download stuff to notebook and then usb the files to the phone.

i suppose there isn't a way to config my phone to use wifi when it is downloading versus the mobile-data is there?  are you speaking of wifi in my home the phone would connect to?

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