iPhone users can check the data transfer details by navigating to Settings -> General -> Usage -> Mobile Usage. This is a built-in feature that shows the cellular usage, and there are only two important things here: data sent and data received. For a more detailed statistics, you have to look elsewhere. I’ll save your time by introducing you to DataWiz, a free iOS app to monitor outgoing and incoming data — be it 3G, WiFi, or cellular data, this app intelligently tracks the details and deposits them in one place.
Tracking data was never this easier. DataWiz offers detailed information to help you control your iPhone from exceeding the daily or monthly data usage cap. There are times when our month’s limited supply of data (3G or cellular data) gets used up within a week, and this app tries to avoid that by uncovering all the nitty-gritty details.
Say you are at a cafe and you are using your iPhone to browse through a couple of videos. Back home you are using your iPhone to check emails. Browse Facebook on your iPhone as you walk. Reach out to your iPhone, look at Twitter while you have you dinner. Boy, you surely use your iPhone a lot!
Back to the point: Data transferred while you were at home or out using data (cellular/WiFi/3G/4G) is neatly packed in DataWiz app. Simply click on the location button to know the amount of data consumed and the location it was consumed at.
Using WiFi at work on iPhone.
The daily Internet usage cap is yet another problem this app solves. It does this by using the monthly cap limit which you will have to set initially.
What follows next is a couple of screenshots of setting up DataWiz for the first time. DataWiz works better when you add the data transfer limit, and yes, you can set any cap — for this article I had to set 10 GB transfer limit (note: this is only cellular data usage limit).
Getting Started with DataWiz on iPhone:
Launching DataWiz app for the first time invites you to a setup screen. Enter the billing data that’s found on your cellular provider’s bill. For the rest of the international iPhone users, who have an unlocked iPhone devices, select the date you purchased or activated your 2G/3G plan. After the billing date is added, you can set your own daily/weekly/monthly cap limit, or let the app take control of this.
I choose to manually add the data transfer limit. Pinch in or out to set the cap limit. Next, whenever the cap limit — 10 GB, in my case — is used up, you will be alerted. This can be configured with whatever settings you are comfortable with.
Using an intelligent algorithm that’s built-in DataWiz, you will be suggested daily cellular usage cap — this option can be turned ON / OFF. In the Settings section, the app shows all these configured details which can be changed at any point of time. We are done with the setup part.
The sleek interface of DataWiz offers daily, weekly, monthly data usage statistics. DataWiz automatically divides your monthly cellular usage limit into daily and weekly limits. The screenshot below shows 0% of 335.7 MB cellular data was used today, as I was on WiFi.
The bottom half of the iPhone screen displays WiFi and 3G data. I chose WiFi, which is the connection I had during my brief encounter with DataWiz, and found out 208 MB of data was transferred over the WiFi connection.
DataWiz on iPhone showing the amount of cellular data used today.
Real-time data tracking makes life a little more easier. Navigating to Settings -> General -> Usage -> Mobile Usage on your iPhone is a tedious process. Plus, on iOS 6/5 devices, there’s no way to know how much data was transferred or used at a particular time. DataWiz shows all these information.
Checking Cellular / WiFi / 3G data used by hour using DataWiz.
If you have a VOIP SIP account, then making calls through the app is possible. Go to Settings option in DataWiz and add the VOIP SIP account. Note: DataWiz believes making calls using VOIP will not reduce battery life, although — generally — battery drains to a certain extent. We didn’t fiddle this feature though.
Cellular data usage, WiFi, 3G data sent and received and everything else in between can be stored in a file. Go to Settings to export the data as CSV file. This is certainly useful if you are stuck with a sleazy telecom operator that overcharges you every month for no reason.
DataWiz is probably the best app to track incoming and outgoing bandwidth on your iPhone. Sure, you have to launch the app to know all the nitty-gritty details, but what you get is an exhaustive collection of information which no other iOS app offers. DataWiz is free, surprisingly, and anyone with cellular usage limit should download the app right away. Heck, anyone can download this app to learn about the finer details that should have been available on iOS by default.
Download DataWiz [iTunes App Store link]
DataWiz is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Works on iOS 5.0 or iOS 6.0 or higher. App tested on iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1 firmware.
