Smart phones use the internet continuously for almost each of their functions, be it the apps updates, social media notifications and your mails notifications. Your location is already on your phone GPS and various apps in the background use your location in the background for their push notifications and recommendations targeted to you.
Thank God we have unlimited broadband Wi-fi plans at home now and various app customizations in Android and iOS which you can set to download the data only while using Wi-fi. However, you might still have faced the excessive usage of the mobile data every now and then and ended up paying more on your mobile plans than the broadband.
In this article, I am going to create a Samsung Bixby automation which will automatically switch off your mobile data and turn on your phone Wi-fi whenever you reach your home so that you don't end up using your mobile data.
Why do you end up using excessive mobile data?
Outside Home
If this is the question asked by you while you try to restrict the mobile data usage outside your home but still end up consuming more mobile data than you expected, below could be the possible reasons:
You have not set your most frequently used apps like Spotify, YouTube to restrict the streaming quality of the songs and videos while on mobile data. Explore and do it now if not already done.
You might not have restricted the app and OS updates to be done on Wi-fi only.
You are a heavy user of the social media apps like Facebook, twitter and Instagram which uses quite lot of data when you read your feed.
At Home
You always use Wi-fi at your home but still end up consuming all the mobile data accidentally which could be due to below reasons:
Your phone is not automatically connected to Wi-fi when you get home, it is a rare case but does happen occasionally.
The home Wi-fi stops working and your phone starts using your mobile data automatically.
You forgot to turn on your phone Wi-fi
How does Bixby Automation help in reducing mobile data usage?
I am going to share with you a Bixby Automation which you can enable on your Samsung phone to ensure that when you reach home, your phone mobile data option is switched off automatically and it uses your home Wi-fi.
You can switch this automation on by using either of the two options below:
Using Bixby Quick Commands
The Bixby quick commands let you save the actions which Bixby will take when you issue a command to Bixby. For this example, I will create a quick command as "I am home"
Access the Samsung Bixby by pressing the Bixby button on your phone or whichever way works on your phone.
Go inside the Quick commands by clicking on three lines on top left and pressing on Quick commands
Click on + icon
You need to add your command to Bixby , you can press on mic button in section " What you say to Bixby" and speak to your phone like "I am home"
Now you will need to save the actions which Bixby will do when you would say " I am home".
Click on "+ Add a command" and then select "Type a command" in the next screen.
Switch on Wi-fi
Repeat step 1
Turn off mobile data
Your command is all set, you can now click on Run to do a test run and then save it.
Whenever you reach home, you can just say to Bixby as " Hi Bixby I am home" , it will turn off the mobile data and switch on the Wi-fi on your phone. This will ensure that no mobile data is being used while you are at home.
This method has the limitation that you always need to let Bixby know that you are at home after which it will take certain actions. What if you can automate this thing to happen by letting your Samsung phone detect your home location and doing these tasks for you automatically. This is explained in the section below.
Using Bixby Advanced Routines
Bixby Advanced routines work on the If conditions and take actions saved for that if condition. This is a pure automation and you don't have to issue any commands to Bixby to use it. These routines act themselves based on the If conditions.
Go to your Samsung Galaxy phone settings-> Advanced Features-> Bixby routines. Ensure that it is On.
Click on +
You will get to If condition Screen, Click on + again.
Select Place, It will automatically select your current location. If you are at home, select your current location and Click on "When I arrive"
Click on Next
You will get to Then action screen, click on +
Select Wi-fi On
Select Mobile data off
Click on Done and save your Routine name
As long as your Bixby routines are kept on, your phone will automatically run this routine whenever you reach your home.
Similarly using the above procedure you can set up a routine containing the actions as wi-fi off and mobile data on whenever you leave your home.