Opera Max Data-Saving App Discontinued: Here Are Three Alternatives

Following its launch in 2014, Opera has decided to discontinue its data-saving app for Android. The app is no longer listed in the Google Play Store, but existing users will get to use it for a while longer. Eventually, though, Opera is going to terminate support for those who are still using the app, forcing them to switch to a different product altogether.

According to a statement from Opera, its Opera Max app 'had a substantially different value proposition' versus the company's browser products, the latter of which will now be its focus. The company will announce the end of its service-side support in the future, at which point existing users will need to switch to an alternative. While we don't know when that server-side support will end, we do know which apps are the best options for filling that eventual void.

Perhaps the highest-rated data saver app on the Google Play Store (that isn't Opera Max) is DataEye, an app that works in a similar way to reduce how much data you're using. The app works in basically the same way as Opera Max: turns on the data-saving feature and then leave it be. The app tracks how much data is being used by each app, as well, so you can easily see which ones are using up your mobile data.

Onavo offers an app called 'Protect' that is a combination VPN and data saver (as is Opera Max). Users are able to monitor their data usage, but also limit data from being used in the background, restrict data usage to only WiFi, set usage alerts about data usage by specific apps, and more. The combination of features give users more control over their data than would otherwise be possible with Android's built-in data features.

Google is testing its own Android data-saving app, but you can only download it if you're located in the Philippines at the moment. The app is called Triangle, and it's somewhat like the data-saving app that Google launched for its Chrome browser a few years ago. The app blocks unnecessary background data usage when you're on a mobile network, allows the user to choose which apps can use data and set time limits for how long they have access to data, and more. It's worth keeping an eye on this app for when it launches more broadly.