Restrict Background Data - Settings Button Broken?

snap · 05 May 2016

I have a Lenovo T450s with a 4G card and a data plan through T-Mobile. Since I pay per GB, I'd like to limit data usage.

Under Settings->Network and Internet->Data Usage->Edit, there is a "Restrict Background Data" with the option Always, When I'm Near My Limit, and Never.

I changed this to "Always", close the settings, and reopened the settings.

It always switches back to "Never".

Why can't I change this?

Restrict Background Data - Settings Button Broken?-data.jpg

PS - I'd really like to easily control what software can talk to the internet. I opened Atom text editor and it auto downloaded a 160MB update. Someone uploaded files to a shared Google Drive folder and it downloaded 500MB of files.

dalchina · 05 May 2016

Hi, To control per program access to the internet, you need a good firewall, perhaps a commercial one.

Here's what Comodo says (random choice of supplier), but in this list:
Best Free Firewall Protection | Gizmo's FreewareHow does a firewall help out?

A good personal firewall will

Block all unauthorized inbound or outbound connection attempts on your computer
Allow you to specify exactly which programs are permitted to access the internet
Stealth the ports on your computer so hackers cannot locate and attack you
Let you specify parental controls to filter out inappropriate websites
Maintain detailed activity and connection logs so you can troubleshoot issues
Isolate your internet browser in a virtual container so online threats cannot access your private data

You may already have set this.. if not, it may be relevant (uploading updates to others):

Restrict Background Data - Settings Button Broken?-snap-2016-05-05-16.11.40.jpg

Data Usage->Edit - I don't have that setting, perhaps 'cos I've not set something to specify I've a data limit or it's not a mobile device.