Tethering mobile data from your phone to your computer can be a nightmare because of the huge data that might be consumed in the process. Even though on some platforms like Windows, you can mark a network as a metered connection in order to restrict data usage, this might not entirely prevent apps from accessing the network. TripMode addresses data usage issues by cutting off network access on a per-app basis.
TripMode allows you to control what apps can access the internet when you are using a mobile hotspot or any metered network. Essentially, it ensures that no application can access your network connection without you allowing it, thereby reducing your data usage.
When you use TripMode,
- only apps that you’ve selected are allowed to access the Internet. Other apps are blocked.
- you can see your mobile data usage per app, session, day, or month
- you can set daily/weekly/monthly data cap for individual networks. All internet traffic stops when you reach it.
- you can configure it to turn on automatically on certain days of the week.
TripMode not only blocks apps, but it also ensures that background processes and app sync are not eating up your data. By restricting network access to only the apps you want, it ensures that you get maximum bandwidth for the apps you allow internet access for.
How to use
The TripMode icon sits on the menu bar on macOS or the taskbar on Windows, right where the system icons are. When you click on the icon, you’ll see a toggle that allows you turn TripMode on or off. If it is turned on, you can now select the applications that you want to access the internet on your current network connection. It activates itself automatically each time your PC connects to that particular network.
You can download TripMode here.
Featured image source: tripmode.ch