Opera says that Facebook Messenger, Gmail and WhatsApp are among the biggest mobile data hogs, eating up those megabytes even while running quietly in the background.
It's no big secret that some background apps drain both your battery and mobile data, but Opera Max wants to help with this matter. Citing new findings, Opera warns that as much as 30 percent of all mobile data usage is wasted on background apps.
"Facebook Messenger and Gmail are the most data-hungry apps this way, with some 73 percent of their total data usage happening in the background," says Opera. "Google Drive and WhatsApp showed more than 50 percent background data usage."
Background data involves all mobile data used when an app runs in the background, when the user is not actually using the app. Popular apps are always busy fetching content to have it ready when you open the app, but all that background work can take a heavy toll on your data plan.
Because many device owners are not even aware of this mobile data drain that happens in the background, Opera Max is now introducing Smart Alerts. These alerts will help users stay on top of their mobile data usage, identify data-hungry apps and better manage their data plan.
Smart Alerts will not only tell users which apps consume the most data while running in the background, but also offer tips and suggestions for better management.
Should users decide that they want to block a data-hungry app from gobbling up their mobile data, they will be able to do so with just two taps thanks to Opera Max Smart Alerts.
According to the company's announcement, Opera Max will trigger Smart Alerts as soon as it detects "excessive background data usage." More specifically, Smart Alerts will kick in when topping 10 MB in one week.
Users will receive these alerts inside Opera Max, in the form of a card in the "Data Usage Timeline," another card in "App management," as well as in the notification bar of the operating system. Upon detecting rapid and heavy data usage, Opera Max will also display a pop-up to alert the user.
