Your Helix entertainment experience lets you watch your favourite shows wherever you are. Your cell phone, tablet, computer and TV all use data and substantially increase your consumption. To ensure you never run out of data when it matters most and to avoid paying overage charges, here are six tips to help you manage your consumption.
Check whether you have access to Wi-Fi
You may be surprised to learn how widespread access to Wi-Fi is these days! Free Wi-Fi access is often available on public transit, in public areas, restaurants and cafés, among others. Before you watch your shows, go to your device settings to check if a connection is available. Note, however, that certain networks can be quite slow making viewing difficult; still, it’s worth a try.
Good to know
Most devices are already configured to allow updates only when they have access to a Wi-Fi network, but this is a useful feature to check in your settings.
Reduce background data consumption
Apps on your mobile device can consume data even when you're not using them. For example, e-mail synchronization and weather updates use data in the background. Take the time to check your settings to determine which applications are automatically refreshed and deactivate the ones you use less often. You will gain valuable megabytes that will be much more useful for watching your favourite shows.
Download apps and updates while connected to Wi-Fi
Resist the temptation to install a new app or an update while using mobile data. Downloading an app can use from 40 to 130 megabytes (MB), and updates can use from 5 to 20 MB.
Disable the automatic video playback function on Facebook
More and more videos populate your newsfeed on Facebook. You may have noticed that they start automatically — and therefore consume data! To save your mobile data, disable automatic video playback. On your Facebook app, go to Settings > Video and Photos > Autoplay. You can choose to start videos On Wi-Fi Connections Only or Never Autoplay Videos.
Set a warning or block
You won't have to worry about exceeding your data limit if you set a warning or block when it is reached. This feature is only available on Android devices. If you have an iPhone, you can find out how much data you have consumed to date in the Videotron User Centre +, which you can download from the App Store (also available from the Play Store for Android devices). This information is also available from your Customer Centre online.
Good to know
If you think you’ll go over your data limit before the end of your billing period, get a Data Add-on. This option is much less expensive than paying a surcharge for exceeding your data limit. If you go over your limit regularly, you should consider getting a package with more capacity to better meet your needs.
Download your movies and shows before you leave
Are you travelling far or going where there is no Wi-Fi access? Download any shows or movies you want to watch, from your Helix app, before you leave. They will be stored directly on your device and watching them will not consume any mobile data.
