WhatsApp is using HALF of your 4G data behind your back, says report

If you’re shocked by the amount of mobile data your smartphone munches through each and every month – this could be the answer.

Smartphones apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and GMail consume an alarming quantity of mobile data without users’ knowledge, research has shown.

The findings come from Opera Software who discovered a staggering 30 per cent of mobile internet data is consumed by these apps running in the background.

The Norwegian firm named Facebook’s standalone cross-platform Messenger and Google's hugely-popular Gmail app as the biggest culprits.

Between them, these data-hungry applications ate through almost 73 per cent of the total data usage happening in the background.

The news comes days after Facebook announced a new advertising push for its popular Facebook Messenger app.

Opera Software’s findings were based on data collected from millions of Opera Max users last December.

Popular apps including WhatsApp and Google Drive accounted for more than half of background data usage.

Revealing the results of the research, Product Manager at Opera Software Sergey Lossev said: “Most apps are made to give a great user experience, not save data.

"If you fetch background data through your data plan, it's like throwing away $1 out of every $3 you spend on your mobile data plan. Most people are not aware of this background data drain

and may not have authorised it, nor do they know how to stop it from happening.”

Smartphone owners can check how much data their favourite apps are consuming in a number of ways. iPhone owners can navigate to Settings > Mobile Data.

iOS will then list every app installed on the device, complete with the amount of 3G or 4G the software has consumed. Statistics can be reset from the same menu, for those who want to

monitor the activity of a particular app.

Android smartphone owners should navigate to Settings > Data Usage. Google’s OS will then name and shame the amount of mobile data each app is siphoning from your monthly allowance. There’s

also the option to Restrict App Background Data, too.

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Alongside the research into data-hungry apps, Opera Software has also developed a solution.

Known as Smart Alerts, the technology firm’s new feature will tell users if any app running in the background consumes more than 10MB per week.

Users can manage data-hungry apps' activity with two taps to block them from draining mobile data.

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