[Feature Request] Reduce network bandwidth usage when on metered connection

[pwithnall]

Is your feature request related to a problem?

Various responses to a GNOME metered data survey indicated that people had issues with Telegram using data unnecessarily when they were on metered connections (network connections where the user pays per unit of data transfer). About 1% of survey respondents specifically mentioned Telegram.

I don’t use Telegram; I am only forwarding the report.

Describe the solution you'd like

Generally reduce network usage when on metered connections. Some suggestions would be:

• Reduce polling frequency of checking for messages on the server
• Don’t download GIFs/images/attachments automatically; wait for the user to explicitly request to download them

[Aokromes]

people using metered connections can disable automatic media download already.

[pwithnall]

Does that happen automatically when Telegram detects the computer is connected to a metered connection? (As I said above, I’m just forwarding this report, so apologies that I can’t test it myself.)

Could other steps be taken to reduce bandwidth use when on a metered connection?

I should clarify that while some people are always on metered connections (for example, their primary internet connection is metered), others routinely switch between unmetered and metered connections (for example, when travelling or working remotely), so automatically reducing bandwidth usage on metered networks, without requiring the user to remember to toggle a setting in many of their applications, would be valuable.

[Aokromes]

maybe this thing can be implemented.

https://api.kde.org/frameworks/networkmanager-qt/html/classNetworkManager_1_1Device.html

[pwithnall]

Yup, that looks like it should do the trick :)

[HankAviator]

and:

• Do not (or defer) update telegram automatically when using metered network.

[slondr]

maybe this thing can be implemented.

https://api.kde.org/frameworks/networkmanager-qt/html/classNetworkManager_1_1Device.html

Won't that only work on systems using NetworkManager?

[ilya-fedin]

maybe this thing can be implemented.

Looks like there are more specified and simpler api

https://developer.gnome.org/NetworkManager/unstable/gdbus-org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.html#gdbus-property-org-freedesktop-NetworkManager.Metered

[stale[bot]]

Hey there!

This issue will be automatically closed in 7 days if there would be no activity. We therefore assume that the user has lost interest or resolved the problem on their own.

Don't worry though; if this is an error, let us know with a comment and we'll be happy to reopen the issue.

Thanks!

[pwithnall]

Nobody's said they've fixed it so this is presumably still an issue. The motivating case for it is still valid.

[slondr]

Yeah this is definitely still an issue

[12ozCode]

It would be nice to have toggle, "disable automatic download for any media". Personally I need it when I'm working via mobile internet. So to avoid draining my connection and save traffic, now I have to disable 15 checkboxes in 3 menu for private chats, groups, channels and then enable it back. Not very convenient though.