In a perfect world, mobile data plan caps wouldn’t exist, and we’d all be free to use as much data as we want. Sadly, bandwidth costs money and in today’s world of high data consumption, staying within the limits of our data caps is a real daily concern.

For me, I get to use 2GB of monthly data on my plan. As a power user, it’s never enough. I log onto Wi-Fi networks whenever I’m at home and at work. Heck, if not for free Wi-Fi on a recent vacation to Disney World, I would have surpassed my data plan several times over and had to pay extra per gigabyte used.

While 2GB of data is still a lot to many people, it’s always good to conserve as much data as possible so that you can use it when you really need it. Luckily, there’s a nifty feature in Google Chrome (for iOS and Android) that lets you reduce data usage. I was shocked to hear so many people didn’t even know about this feature.

By togging Reduce Data Usage on in Chrome (settings > bandwidth > on), you can save up to 50 percent in data usage when on cellular networks. In the last month, I’ve already saved 38 percent in data.

How does the feature work? Without going into crazy detail, Google basically condenses images and other site optimizations to reduce any unnecessary data. Chrome can also preload webpages when you’re using mobile data, which also speeds up loading times and reduces bandwidth usage.

If, like me, you’ve already ditched Safari or the generic Android Internet browser on your smartphone and tablet, it’s a good idea to switch on Reduce Data Usage to save a few megabytes a month.

Price: Free
Source: iTunes, Google Play