Google has launched a new app for Android to help users view and manage their mobile data usage. The app is designed to help consumers, especially those in emerging markets who are “data constrained”, minimise their data usage and get a clear insight into how their data is being consumed.

The 5MB app, called Datally (pronounced “day-tah-lee”), helps users understand how much data they are using, which apps are using the most (or least) data and assists them to save data by finding nearby Wi-Fi hotspots, said Google South Africa spokeswoman Mich Atagana.

The app shows how much mobile data a user has consumed on a particular, or on previous days. It also shows users how much data they are consuming while using a particular app, such as Instagram, in real time. It allows users to block individual apps from using data. It also makes suggestions to users on how to cut down on their data consumption.

Atagana said the app will be particularly useful for those living in emerging markets, where the next billion Internet users will come from.

“The next billion users want the same thing the first billion want, but their experiences will be very different,” she said. “Their first experience comes from a mobile device or smartphone. They have different expectations of the Internet. They will not use a laptop — they might not even ever see a laptop. They are mobile-only users, not mobile-first users.”

Atagana said Google needs to focus on building apps tailored for the next billion users, and Datally is one of these. “Costs are too high for most South Africans. People with smartphones feel data-constrained. They are not getting the most out of their mobile phones, and this is not good,” she said.

“Data is confusing, hard to control, expensive and unpredictable (your data expires after 30 days). People turn their phones to aeroplane mode, they tether off other people, they buy small data packs, and so on. To make data a lot easier for people to deal with, we built Datally, a new data management app that helps you understand, control and save mobile data.”