Google has released a new app that aims to control mobile data usage per application. This app is called Triangle and it is only currently available in the Philippines. This app is targeted towards prepaid subscribers in the said country who can usually only purchase a certain amount of prepaid data. While the carriers also offer unlimited prepaid data offerings, these offerings are often subjected to carrier throttling once the user exceeds a certain daily threshold. Thus, controlling the mobile data usage of background applications could be a good start to ensure that users will make the most of their prepaid data.
During the setup process, users are asked to submit their mobile number to Google’s service. After the search giant verifies the number, the user will then receive a reward of free mobile data as a registration reward. Under the said reward, users could receive up to 100MB of free mobile data from their carrier. Once the setup process is accomplished, users will be greeted by a screen detailing how much data is used and what rewards have been earned. The app also provides a breakdown of which applications used data as well as those that did not. In addition, Google included a feature within the app that allows the user to track how much data can still be utilized by the user.
Triangle has a separate tab dedicated to tracking and claiming rewarded data. In this tab, users will see the amount of rewarded data they were able to earn in the day and what applications they should install in order to claim additional rewards. Also, Google is offering additional data rewards for using Google on either the Google app or on the Chrome browser. While this application currently only available in the Philippines, it can be sideloaded into any Android device. However, some of the application’s key features, like the data rewards, are likely unavailable outside the said country. For those hoping that the application will be released in their countries soon, Google did not provide a clear answer to if and when will the Triangle app become available in other areas.
