Phenquestions
Norwegian company Opera Software just announced that it has released an update for its data compression application Opera Max that brings WiFi and app data blocking support to the app.
Opera Max is a virtual private network at its core that is compressing data remotely before it is transferred to the mobile device you are using.
It works similar to Opera Turbo which Opera introduced way back in early versions of its web browser. Unlike Opera Turbo however, it is not limited to a single application but runs system-wide on supported Android devices.
Up until now, Opera Max would only work on mobile connections but not on WiFi networks which sounds reasonable at first considering that mobile connections are often a limiting factor when it comes to Internet connections. Since Opera Max helps save data while connected to mobile networks, it is also beneficial to users who are not on an unlimited data plan.
Support for WiFi makes Opera Max a universal application that controls all network traffic on devices it is run on. Please note that you need to enable WiFi usage in Opera Max first before the option becomes available. To do so, flip the Wi-Fi usage switch in Opera Max and authorize the application when the prompt comes up.
Once done, mobile and WiFi connections are tunneled through Opera Max servers.
The application separates Wi-Fi usage and Mobile usage which means that you need to switch between them to access all statistics.
For each data type, the data used and saved is displayed. A history of apps and their data usage is displayed on the same page which provides you with valuable information on your device's data usage. You may use it for instance to find out which apps connect to the Internet automatically.
The new data blocking functionality comes into play on the page as well. A tap on an application displays its data usage, history and an option to block it from using the selected data type.
For instance, if you don't want an app to use mobile data, you can block it from having access to it. The same is true for WiFi and since you are in control, you can block apps from using the Internet completely as well by blocking access to WiFi and data.
Opera Max does not access encrypted data which is why you won't get any savings when encrypted data connections are used. This is for instance the case on YouTube, Facebook, most Google services such as Gmail, Twitter, and many other services and sites.
The app is free to use but may display a Savings Pass renewal button every seven days while you are using it. Opera Software plans to ask users to watch an ad to renew Opera Max in the future to fund it and keep it free.
Android users can download Opera Max from Google Play. The app is available for all Android devices running version 4.0 or up.
