How to Prevent Android Apps From Using Mobile Data with NetGuard

I have already showed you How easy is to Prevent Individual Android Apps from Using Data and be sure that the presented tip is working for you too. Did you find many apps that don’t function properly? Do you want something even better? If your phone is running Android 4.0 and above, you can go to Settings -> Data usage in order to immediately discover which app is using the most mobile data and take action, but there is something else that you can do. Don’t hesitate to give a try to a third-party app such as NetGuard and you will see that it can do wonders.

This is one open source option that does more than simply preventing apps from using cellular data, but it is also able to stop them from connecting over WiFi too. Cutting apps off from the Internet prevents them from tracking your usage and reporting back to a distant server (this is related to a privacy matter, of course), it blocks those annoying ads that make your life harder and manages to save a little more battery life for those times when you need it the most.

Things are not at all complicate, but NetGuard practically uses a local VPN to block Internet traffic. The app doesn’t ask for permission to access the Internet and acts as a firewall, but without root, allowing you to decide which apps connect to the Internet and which don’t.

NetGuard displays all of your apps in alphabetical order. Next to every single app you can find a toggle for WiFi and mobile data. Disable access to whichever one you like. Under Settings, NetGuard gives you the option to block WiFi or mobile data for all apps by default and you can also automatically allow Internet access when the screen is on. Despite of the fact that NetGuard doesn’t display pre-installed apps by default, be sure that you can set it to show you those as well.

Enabling these settings can protect you from any surprises when you install a new Android app game that you had no idea was going to maintain a connection in the background the entire time. At the same time, let me remind you that there are some apps and games that cannot even run without constant Internet access, so you may have to return to NetGuard and make a few changes. In such conditions, it is only your choice to let things as they are or to simply grant a few of your favorites the WiFi and mobile data they need to function and keep using them.

For any questions, feel free to comment below and don’t forget to grab NetGuard from here. You see what it can do to help you!