APNdroid

Posted by: MA_Nerd March 28, 2011 in Android App Reviews, Tools, Widgets Leave a comment

APNdroid enables you to easily control your Android device’s internet connection.

Activating APNdroid will prevent your phone from connecting to the internet over 3G/EDGE/GPRS (note: does not affect WiFi). If you’re wondering why you would want to use this feature, here are a couple of great reasons: 1) improve battery life by keeping apps from checking for updates in the background, 2) save money by restricting data usage to times when you want to use it only (if you do not have an unlimited data plan).

There are a few options you’ll want to pay attention to if you plan on using this app on a daily basis. First, open the app to access its preferences and decide whether or not you want to keep MMS enabled. If you uncheck this box, you won’t receive media messages like photos, videos, etc. through texts. If you’re a forgetful person, you might want to enable the notifications option which will place an on/off icon displaying your phone’s current status in the notification bar. Lastly, if you’re having trouble disabling your mobile connection, try the “disable all APNs” option.

Pros:

Toggle data connection with a single click
Save battery and even money on your bill
Homescreen widget also available (separate application download)

Areas for improvement:

Trouble re-activating connection after first use (had to manually cycle mobile connection in settings > wireless and network > mobile networks), although not sure what exactly caused the issue

Conclusion: An essential app for any Android user wanting to improve battery life or prevent data use overage costs