Mobile data is delivered to your phone over mobile networks, distinct from your WiFi connection at home. Mobile data is the lifeblood of how a mobile phone works, feeding data to your Apps, weather info, emails, App updates and more.

Some quick facts:

• Video, music, and updates use the most data.
• Apps running in the background can use data without you realising it.
• You can reduce data usage by using WiFi and turning mobile data off.
• If you run out of mobile data, you might experience slower speeds, or pay extra.

Almost all of the Apps on your phone will use data at some point, and some will use a lot more than others. Some Apps will use data while you're actively using them, and some Apps will still use data while they're running in the background.

Did you know you can restrict access to mobile data for individual Apps?

Data on your phone plan gets used when you browse websites, stream music, use social media, and get used by Apps. The amount of data that's used depends on each kind of activity. Simply checking your email and some web-browsing might use a small amount of data, while videos on Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram are likely to use a lot more.

To help you relate to that even better, a standard quality song on Spotify might be around 3MB. The same song at very high sound quality might be 10MB in size.

Most mobile plans have a data allowance, which is the maximum amount of data you can use during a billing period.
Our One Plan has unlimited data, which is all at max speed, and that means you aren't likely to worry about data use.

For plans that do have a limit, once you reach your max speed allowance, you may be charged casual rates on older Prepay plans, or you might experience reduced speeds on some Pay Monthly plans.

Remember that how your Apps use data is all within your control.
You can allow or restrict data usage in both iOS and in Android.

You can also get more data if you need it, so check our App for a Max Speed Data Boost, or an Unlimited Burst Add-On for Prepay Plus.

Follow these useful tips:

1. Track your usage regularly. Use our One NZ app or sign in to My One NZ to track your usage. As you do it, you'll start to know what level is normal for you.
2. Get to know how much data, calling minutes and TXTs are on your plan. Knowing your limits will help you to avoid going over them, and incurring casual rate charges, or maybe facing reduced speeds. You can find your plan’s allowance by signing into the One NZ app, and you can check your bill any time if you are a Pay Monthly customer.
3. Use WiFi whenever you can. Make your mobile data last longer by using WiFi wherever you can. When you have access to WiFi, you can turn off your mobile data in your phone settings and use WiFi instead. You can even use WiFi Calling to make and receive calls in any location covered by WiFi, both here in NZ, and if you are travelling overseas.
4. Turn off background data and delete your unused apps. Many apps will use data in the background, even when you're not using them. So you can force-close Apps if you want. Turning off background data for apps in your phone settings can also help you save your data.
5. Be aware of data roaming charges. Data roaming charges can be very expensive. If you're traveling outside of New Zealand, be sure to find out about data roaming rates.