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How-to guides

Practical UK how-to articles

Hands-on instructions for everyday UK problems — appliances, services, official forms, account management.

8 articles in this category

How to check how much data you have left o2
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Text BALANCE to 21202 to check your O2 data allowance remaining, or use the My O2 app. Updated May 2026.

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A guide to how-to guides

Practical how-to content is among the most searched material on the UK internet, and for good reason. Whether someone needs to sort out a streaming subscription, manage a mobile data allowance, or strip adverts from a catch-up service, the answer is rarely obvious from a product's own support pages. This category collects clear, tested guides written for UK readers, covering the services, devices, and platforms that actually matter here.

The guides here are updated regularly to reflect price changes, app redesigns, and policy shifts from the platforms themselves. A how-to that was accurate in 2024 can be misleading by mid-2025, so publication and review dates matter. Where a platform has changed its pricing or removed a feature, the relevant article notes it.

The articles span several practical themes: removing or reducing adverts on streaming and social platforms, managing mobile account details, and navigating the subscription tiers that UK broadcasters have introduced over the past few years. If you have landed here looking for something specific, the subsections below should point you in the right direction.

Removing adverts from UK streaming services

The major free-to-air broadcasters have all introduced ad-free paid tiers over the past few years, though the pricing and scope vary considerably. Channel 4 launched its Channel 4+ subscription at £3.99 per month or £39.99 per year, which removes adverts from most on-demand content. A free seven-day trial is available, and there is no long-term contract. For a full breakdown of what is and is not covered, see {post:how-to-stop-adverts-on-channel-4}.

Channel 5's streaming platform, My5, takes a different approach. Rather than a standalone subscription, ad-skipping on My5 is bundled into a Sky add-on costing £5 per month, and it is only available to Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers. That is a meaningful restriction for anyone not already in the Sky ecosystem. The detail of how that works in practice is covered in {post:how-to-watch-my5-without-adverts}.

Ad-free viewing on Channel 4: what you actually get

It is worth being precise about what Channel 4+ removes and what it does not. The subscription strips pre-roll and mid-roll adverts from the vast majority of on-demand programming, but some content carries advertising that is baked into the rights agreement and cannot be removed regardless of subscription status. Live streaming of the Channel 4 linear feed also continues to carry adverts. Ofcom's broadcasting code governs how broadcasters must label and separate advertising from editorial content, so the distinction between a rights-locked ad and a standard commercial break is not always visible to the viewer.

For viewers who want to watch Channel 4 content without adverts but are uncertain whether the subscription is worth the cost, {post:how-to-watch-channel-4-without-adverts} walks through the full picture, including the content categories most likely to still carry ads. The article also notes that the annual plan represents a saving of roughly eight pounds compared with paying month to month.

Adverts on social platforms and video sites

Streaming services are not the only source of unwanted advertising. Social platforms and video-sharing sites have expanded their ad inventory significantly, and the options for reducing exposure vary by platform and device. WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, introduced advertising into its platform in 2025, initially in the Updates tab. The approach differs from browser-based advertising, so conventional ad blockers do not apply in the same way. {post:how-to-stop-adverts-on-whatsapp} covers the settings available on Android in 2026, including ad preference controls within the app and steps to reduce data shared with Meta's advertising systems.

Dailymotion, a video platform with a smaller but still significant UK audience, serves pre-roll and overlay adverts that can be addressed through browser-level tools. Options include dedicated ad-blocking extensions such as AdLock and Poper Blocker, as well as adjustments within Chrome's own settings. {post:how-to-stop-adverts-on-dailymotion} sets out three methods with their respective trade-offs, including compatibility notes for 2026.

UKTV Play and the limits of ad reduction

UKTV Play, which carries programmes such as Taskmaster and Red Dwarf, does not currently offer a paid ad-free tier in the same way Channel 4 and My5 do. That means the options for viewers are more limited and tend to be device-specific workarounds rather than a clean subscription solution. {post:how-to-get-rid-of-adverts-on-uktv-play} focuses particularly on Samsung Smart TV users, where certain settings adjustments can reduce the frequency of ad breaks, though they cannot eliminate them entirely.

This is a useful illustration of a broader point: the how-to question and the honest answer are not always the same thing. Some platforms have not yet introduced ad-free options, and guides that promise a complete solution where none exists are doing readers a disservice. Where a workaround is partial, this site's articles say so clearly.

Managing mobile accounts: data and billing checks

Beyond streaming, a significant share of practical how-to searches in the UK relate to mobile account management. Checking remaining data is a common task that most networks have made easier through apps and SMS shortcuts, but the specific method varies by operator. On O2, the quickest route is to text BALANCE to 21202, which returns a free-of-charge reply with your current allowance and usage. The My O2 app provides the same information with more detail, including a breakdown by billing period. Full instructions are in {post:how-to-check-how-much-data-you-have-left-o2}.

O2 is the UK's third-largest mobile network by subscriber count, according to Ofcom's Connected Nations reports, so queries about its account management features represent a substantial slice of search traffic. The principle of checking data usage applies across networks, but the specific codes and app interfaces differ enough that network-specific guides are more useful than generic ones.

How these guides are researched and kept current

Each article in this category is based on direct testing or verification against the platform's own support documentation, with prices and feature availability checked at the time of writing and noted with a date. Where a platform's official help pages conflict with observed behaviour, the article notes the discrepancy. Primary sources used include platform support pages, Ofcom's published research, and gov.uk guidance where regulatory context is relevant.

Prices in particular change more frequently than most readers expect. Channel 4+ has adjusted its pricing since launch, and Sky's add-on pricing for My5 has similarly shifted. The date-stamped approach used across these guides means a reader can judge whether the information is likely to still be current, rather than encountering a confident-sounding article that turns out to be two years out of date.

Key facts

£3.99/month
Cost of Channel 4+ ad-free subscription in 2026 · Channel 4 official subscription page
£5/month
Cost of Sky's ad-skipping add-on for My5 (Sky Glass and Sky Stream only) · Sky official support pages, May 2026
98%
Proportion of UK adults who use the internet, as of 2023 · ONS Internet Access Households and Individuals 2023
Over 50 million
Registered users of streaming and video-on-demand services in the UK · Ofcom Media Nations UK 2023 report
21202
O2 SMS shortcode to check remaining data balance (free to text) · O2 official support pages
2025
Year Meta introduced advertising into WhatsApp's Updates tab · BBC News technology coverage, 2025
£39.99/year
Annual price of Channel 4+ subscription, saving approx. £8 vs monthly · Channel 4 official subscription page

Frequently asked questions

Can I watch Channel 4 on demand without adverts for free?

Channel 4 offers a free seven-day trial of its Channel 4+ subscription, which removes most adverts from on-demand content. After the trial, the subscription costs £3.99 per month. Some content will still carry adverts due to rights restrictions regardless of subscription status.

Does My5 have an ad-free subscription anyone can buy?

No. Ad-skipping on My5 is only available as a Sky add-on costing £5 per month, and it requires a Sky Glass or Sky Stream device. There is no standalone subscription available to viewers outside the Sky ecosystem.

How do I check my remaining data on O2 without using the app?

Text BALANCE to 21202 from your O2 SIM. The reply is free and shows your current data allowance and usage. The My O2 app provides the same information with additional billing detail if you prefer a visual interface.

Can I block adverts on WhatsApp using a standard ad blocker?

Standard browser-based ad blockers do not work within the WhatsApp app. Meta's advertising in WhatsApp operates through the app's own interface, so reducing ad exposure requires adjusting Meta's ad preference settings within the app or in your device's account settings.

Is there a way to watch UKTV Play without adverts?

As of 2026, UKTV Play does not offer a paid ad-free tier. Some device-specific settings can reduce the frequency of ad breaks, particularly on Samsung Smart TVs, but a complete ad-free experience is not currently available on the platform.

Are the prices in these how-to guides kept up to date?

Each article carries a review date so readers can assess how current the information is. Prices for streaming subscriptions and add-ons change periodically, and the articles are updated when verified changes are confirmed against official platform pages.

Does using an ad blocker on Dailymotion break the site?

Dailymotion may detect certain ad blockers and prompt viewers to disable them before playing content. The specific behaviour depends on the tool used and the browser. The Dailymotion guide covers which approaches are most reliable and notes where detection is likely.

The practical questions covered in this category reflect a shift in how UK consumers interact with digital services. Subscription tiers, ad-funded models, and platform-specific restrictions have made tasks that once seemed simple, such as watching a TV programme without interruption, into something that requires a degree of research. The guides here aim to cut through that complexity with specific, verifiable answers rather than generic advice.

As platforms update their pricing and features, the articles in this category are revised accordingly. If you find that a price or setting described in one of these guides no longer matches what you see on your device, the review date on the article is the first thing to check. Where something significant has changed, an update note will appear at the top of the relevant piece.