Start Usage Meter
Easily monitor your data usage
Only for Mac
Free
Use this app to monitor your Start.ca data usage. Take control of your usage monitoring with this powerful third-party usage monitoring utility.
This app sits in your menu bar at the top of your screen and updates its usage reading at an interval set by you. It also provides quick and easy access to daily usage breakdown, and detailed usage statistics.
Features:
• Monitor multiple Start Communications (Start.ca) connections all from one app
• Displays usage in the menu bar at the top of all your displays
• Shows you your remaining cap allowance
• Updates automatically at an interval you set (1-12 hours, or set it to never for manual updates only)
• Shows detailed usage summary
• View your usage as usage-by-day table
• Works even when away from your Start Communications connection
• Offers Touch Bar support for MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
The Start Usage Meter updates periodically (or you can manually request an update) and displays detailed information about your data usage on your home or business internet connection. A summary of your usage is also available in your OS X menu bar at the top of your screen.
After initial setup, the usage meter works even when away from your Start.ca connection. As always, the official Start.ca usage page data reading should be taken as the accurate reading over this app.
more This version of Start Usage Meter adds native support for Apple Silicon and fixes some issues.
• Native support for Apple Silicon. The app is now a universal binary
• Fixes an issue where the daily usage window would not highlight the row representing today
• Icon improvements for Big Sur
• UI improvements
2.6 2020-12-01
This update includes various improvements to Start Usage Meter.
• Fixed an issue with Dark Mode on macOS
• The daily usage window will now display an error message if the app fails to load daily usage data, giving the option to retry
• Improved the daily usage window performance and reliability. This greatly reduces the energy and resource consumption that this window usually takes
• Updated the main configuration user interface
• Various fixes and improvements
2.5.8 2020-09-22
This update includes various improvements to Start Usage Meter.
• The daily usage window will now display an error message if the app fails to load daily usage data, giving the option to retry
• Improved the daily usage window performance and reliability. This greatly reduces the energy and resource consumption that this window usually takes
• Updated the main configuration user interface
• Various fixes and improvements
2.5.7 2020-09-19
This update includes improvements to the user interface. This update:
• Contains improvements to the Daily Usage window user interface. This includes (but is not limited to) correcting UI glitches that result in some rows appearing bold when they should not and improving spacing for better readability.
• Added information text to provide clarity about the highlighted row on the Daily Usage window.
• The Daily Usage window will now use the operating system's default system font.
2.5.6 2020-04-03
This update changes the default behaviour for update intervals and display settings. It also contains minor design enhancements.
• Default update interval increased to every 2 hours. This will not impact users who have explicitly selected a different update interval, and updating every hour remains a selectable option; however, 2 hours is now the default.
• All menu dropdown display options are now activated by default to provide the most information possible. This should not impact users who have explicitly disabled menu dropdown options, and users may return to the previous behaviour by opening the Preferences window.
• New icon to match the new design patterns in the latest macOS release.
• UI tweaks to improve clarity
• Now built using the latest macOS Catalina technology.
2.5.5 2019-12-19
This update focuses on polishing the Start Usage Meter experience. It focuses on improvements to clarity to what is displayed in the menu bar while Start Usage Meter retrieves information.
• 2.5.4: Fixed an issue that caused the menu bar to continue to display 0MB momentarily while updating usage data in some scenarios.
• Improved the initial launch experience by preventing the menu bar from rapidly displaying 0MB momentarily while actual usage data is retrieved from Start.ca servers
• Improved the menu bar experience while switching connections or updating the current connection usage data. The menu bar will now momentarily show Start.ca, instead of previous usage data. This improvement should make it much easier to see when Start Usage Meter is actively updating usage data information.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the next scheduled update time to be displayed incorrectly when changing the update interval while multiple keys are present
• Improved initial setup handling and app behaviour when all keys are removed (the app should no longer display an error before you hit “Save and Check Usage.” This process is now automated)
• Fixed an issue that caused the currently selected key text field in preferences to become empty after removing a key (even if another key is available to use)
• Improvements to the user experience when removing keys to make sure old data is not presented to the user when it is no longer relevant after a key has been removed
• Various improvements to efficiency, particularly with the initial app launch. The app has been streamlined to prevent unnecessary duplicate requests, which should result in a ‘snappier’ app experience
• UI improvements and optimization to handling of multiple keys
2.5.4 2019-07-04
This update focuses on polishing the Start Usage Meter experience. It focuses on improvements to clarity to what is displayed in the menu bar while Start Usage Meter retrieves information.
• Improved the initial launch experience by preventing the menu bar from rapidly displaying 0MB momentarily while actual usage data is retrieved from Start.ca servers
• Improved the menu bar experience while switching connections or updating the current connection usage data. The menu bar will now momentarily show Start.ca, instead of previous usage data. This improvement should make it much easier to see when Start Usage Meter is actively updating usage data information.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the next scheduled update time to be displayed incorrectly when changing the update interval while multiple keys are present
• Improved initial setup handling and app behaviour when all keys are removed (the app should no longer display an error before you hit “Save and Check Usage.” This process is now automated)
• Fixed an issue that caused the currently selected key text field in preferences to become empty after removing a key (even if another key is available to use)
• Improvements to the user experience when removing keys to make sure old data is not presented to the user when it is no longer relevant after a key has been removed
• Various improvements to efficiency, particularly with the initial app launch. The app has been streamlined to prevent unnecessary duplicate requests, which should result in a ‘snappier’ app experience
• UI improvements and optimization to handling of multiple keys
2.5.3 2019-06-27
• UI Improvements to the daily usage window
• The daily usage window now highlights the current day in a light green colour to make it easier to get a quick glance of todays usage
• Various improvements to performance and reliability
• Improvements to clarity of informational text throughout the app
• UI Improvements on the detailed usage window, particularly when the app is on top of a bright window in the background
2.5.2 2019-02-27
• Addresses an issue which could cause the Daily Usage window to display a dark-mode background on macOS 10.13 High Sierra and earlier
• Added a new warning on the Daily Usage window to warn when the user is not using a compatible connection and the app cannot retrieve usage details
• Made some minor tweaks to improve compatibility across all versions of macOS
2.5.1 2018-11-30
This update brings various improvements and enhancements, including full support for macOS Mojave and its Dark Mode! It also adds several usability enhancements. This update:
• Brings compatibility with macOS Mojave's Dark Mode. The app is now easier on the eyes. All elements of the app have been updated to offer Dark Mode compatibility
• Fixes an issue which caused the daily usage window to inadvertently display the same informative text multiple times on the same window
• Adds your currently selected usage key title to the detailed usage window for better clarity on which connection you're currently viewing
2.5 2018-10-15
This update addresses issues some users on versions of OS X older than macOS 10.12 may have experienced. That means the app now performs flawlessly once again on OS X Lion and newer!
This update also includes the improvements made in previous 2.4.x updates:
2.4.3:
• Fixed an issue that caused usage data to fail to load after the latest Start.ca website update which would cause an error to display indefinitely
• Fixed an issue that prevented a users usage key from being populated automatically after the latest Start.ca website update
• Improved the crash resistance throughout the app to prevent future changes like this causing the app to crash
• Completely revamped daily usage window to address crashing and prevent future changes from causing a crashing issue - This revamp due to the issue also has the benefit of increasing performance and reliability in the daily usage window, so I'm going to take credit for that too.
2.4.2:
• Addressed an issue that could cause a mismatch between the month shown and the month that was actually selected when opening the daily usage window
• Addressed an issue that could cause the daily usage window to make two requests to the Start server when selecting daily usage data details
• Improved the daily usage window appearance
2.4.1:
• Improved text quality on non-retina displays
• Added shortcuts for common functions on the daily usage window, such as refreshing usage details
2.4:
• Added ability to select a specific month to view historical usage data on the daily usage viewer
• Improved layout of the daily usage breakdown window
• The Usage Overview window will now close when selecting the "View Daily Usage Data" button from that window
• Various improvements and optimizations for older versions of macOS (like you awesome OS X Lion users!)
2.4.4 2018-05-05
This update includes a fix for a crash in the daily usage window that started after the recent Start.ca website update
• Fixed an issue that caused usage data to fail to load after the latest Start.ca website update which would cause an error to display indefinitely
• Fixed an issue that prevented a users usage key from being populated automatically after the latest Start.ca website update
• Improved the crash resistance throughout the app to prevent future changes like this causing the app to crash
• Completely revamped daily usage window to address crashing and prevent future changes from causing a crashing issue
- This revamp due to the issue also has the benefit of increasing performance and reliability in the daily usage window, so I'm going to take credit for that too.
This update also includes the improvements made in previous 2.4.x updates:
• 2.4.2: Addressed an issue that could cause a mismatch between the month shown and the month that was actually selected when opening the daily usage window
• 2.4.2: Addressed an issue that could cause the daily usage window to make two requests to the Start server when selecting daily usage data details
• 2.4.2: Improved the daily usage window appearance
• 2.4.1: Improved text quality on non-retina displays
• 2.4.1: Added shortcuts for common functions on the daily usage window, such as refreshing usage details
• Added ability to select a specific month to view historical usage data on the daily usage viewer
• Improved layout of the daily usage breakdown window
• The Usage Overview window will now close when selecting the "View Daily Usage Data" button from that window
• Various improvements and optimizations for older versions of macOS (like you awesome OS X Lion users!)
2.4.3 2018-03-30
This update addresses a few issues including (but not limited to):
• Addressed an issue that could cause a mismatch between the month shown and the month that was actually selected when opening the daily usage window
• Addressed an issue that could cause the daily usage window to make two requests to the Start server when selecting daily usage data details
• Improved the daily usage window appearance
This update also includes the improvements made in previous 2.4.x updates:
• 2.4.1: Improved text quality on non-retina displays
• 2.4.1: Added shortcuts for common functions on the daily usage window, such as refreshing usage details
• Added ability to select a specific month to view historical usage data on the daily usage viewer
• Improved layout of the daily usage breakdown window
• The Usage Overview window will now close when selecting the "View Daily Usage Data" button from that window
• Various improvements and optimizations for older versions of macOS (like you awesome OS X Lion users!)
2.4.2 2018-03-02
This update introduces the ability to select a previous month to view historical usage data. It also includes various improvements and bug fixes. Including (but certainly not limited to)
• 2.4.1: Improved text quality on non-retina displays
• 2.4.1: Added shortcuts for common functions on the daily usage window, such as refreshing usage details
• Added ability to select a specific month to view historical usage data on the daily usage viewer
• Improved layout of the daily usage breakdown window
• The Usage Overview window will now close when selecting the "View Daily Usage Data" button from that window
• Various improvements and optimizations for older versions of macOS (like you awesome OS X Lion users!)
2.4.1 2017-12-30
This update introduces the ability to select a previous month to view historical usage data. It also includes various improvements and bug fixes. Including (but certainly not limited to)
• Added ability to select a specific month to view historical usage data on the daily usage viewer
• Improved layout of the daily usage breakdown window
• The Usage Overview window will now close when selecting the "View Daily Usage Data" button from that window
• Various improvements and optimizations for older versions of macOS (like you awesome OS X Lion users!)
2.4 2017-12-22
This update includes various improvements and bug fixes. Including (but certainly not limited to)
• Modified dropdown menu options to provide more clarity
• Improved layout of the usage overview window
• Localization improvements
2.3.6 2017-12-13
This update addresses a few issues and improves overall app performance and efficiency. I wouldn't leave the update notes at that, so I'll let you know that this update:
• 2.3.5: Addresses a bug which could cause the app to show the incorrect next update time or become unable to update usage in some cases
• Adds compatibility for macOS High Sierra, including a slightly redesigned detailed usage page (ps. it's flat!)
• Fixes an issue where the list of Start.ca keys would not be visible on macOS High Sierra.
• Fixes an issue which could cause the update interval to unexpectedly switch to Never
• Fixes an issue which could cause the app to display an add key dialog and freak out when saving a preference change
2.3.5 2017-10-03
This update addresses a few issues and improves overall app performance and efficiency. I wouldn't leave the update notes at that, so I'll let you know that this update:
• 2.3.4: Addresses a bug which caused the next update date to be inaccurate
• Adds compatibility for macOS High Sierra, including a slightly redesigned detailed usage page (ps. it's flat!)
• Fixes an issue where the list of Start.ca keys would not be visible on macOS High Sierra.
• Fixes an issue which could cause the update interval to unexpectedly switch to Never
• Fixes an issue which could cause the app to display an add key dialog and freak out when saving a preference change
2.3.4 2017-10-02
Start Usage Meter 2.3.3 addresses a few issues and improves overall app performance and efficiency. We wouldn't leave the update notes at that, so we'll let you know that this update:
• Adds compatibility for macOS High Sierra, including a slightly redesigned detailed usage page (ps. it's flat!)
• Fixes an issue where the list of Start.ca keys would not be visible on macOS High Sierra.
• Fixes an issue which could cause the update interval to unexpectedly switch to Never
• Fixes an issue which could cause the app to display an add key dialog and freak out when saving a preference change
2.3.3 2017-09-27
Start Usage Meter 2.3.2 improves Touch Bar support and fixes an issue discovered in the previous update
• Fixed an issue which could cause the usage bar to improperly display when rapidly switching between connections
• Many improvements for Touch Bar support on MacBook Pro
Start Usage Meter 2.3.1 includes fixes for common issues and usability improvements
• Usage values are now formatted wherever they are displayed to improve readability (e.g. 400000.00MB is now 400,000MB, and 400.00GB is now 400GB)
• Usage values over 1,000GB now convert to TB for easier readability (and any values over 1,000TB convert to PB. Slow down, that’s a lot of data)
• The usage bar is now no longer shown for connections with no defined usage cap
• Fixed an issue that caused usage cap remaining to show an incorrect calculation when you hovered over it if you’re on an unlimited connection
• Fixed an issue that caused the usage cap and usage remaining to truncate in certain scenarios
• Added a new success message when you manually clear the cache
• Various improvements to the user interface
2.3.2 2016-12-17
This update to Start Usage Meter has bug fixes and usability improvements
• Usage values are now formatted wherever they are displayed to improve readability (e.g. 400000.00MB is now 400,000MB, and 400.00GB is now 400GB)
• Usage values over 1,000GB now convert to TB for easier readability (and any values over 1,000TB convert to PB. Slow down, that’s a lot of data)
• The usage bar is now no longer shown for connections with no defined usage cap
• Fixed an issue that caused usage cap remaining to show an incorrect calculation when you hovered over it if you’re on an unlimited connection
• Fixed an issue that caused the usage cap and usage remaining to truncate in certain scenarios
• Added a new success message when you manually clear the cache
• Various improvements to the user interface
This update also includes the Touch Bar support and other improvements introduced in the previous update of Start Usage Meter.
2.3.1 2016-12-14
This update adds Touch Bar support and includes bug fixes and other improvements
• Adds Touch Bar support for users with the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
• Various bug fixes and improvements
2.3 2016-11-10
This update improves the usability and reliability of Start Usage Meter
• Start Usage Meter 2.2.6 addresses an issue where the usage cap values could be inadvertently removed when switching connections
• Now built for macOS Sierra
• Fixed a rare issue which could cause a 'blank code' error to appear when selecting a different connection via the menu dropdown shortcut
• Selecting a connection via the menu dropdown should no longer close the preferences window if it is open
• Improvements to housekeeping tasks such as cleaning up unused cache data
• Improvements to the user interface
2.2.6 2016-10-11
This update improves the usability and reliability of Start Usage Meter
• Now built for macOS Sierra
• Fixed a rare issue which could cause a 'blank code' error to appear when selecting a different connection via the menu dropdown shortcut
• Selecting a connection via the menu dropdown should no longer close the preferences window if it is open
• Improvements to housekeeping tasks such as cleaning up unused cache data
• Improvements to the user interface
2.2.5 2016-10-07
This update addresses some minor issues and improves the setup process by clarifying requirements.
2.2.4 2016-08-13
This version of Start Usage Meter adds native support for Apple Silicon and fixes some issues.
• Native support for Apple Silicon. The app is now a universal binary
• Fixes an issue where the daily usage window would not highlight the row representing today
• Icon improvements for Big Sur
• UI improvements
more Version 2.6 2020-12-01
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.