Introducing Opera Max - a data-savings app to make your data plan feel unlimited

BARCELONA, Spain, and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its legacy of championing compression on mobile, Opera Software today launched Opera Max, a free and easy-to-use data savings app that compresses data across applications on your mobile device – including video, text and images – so you can get the most out your data plan and more control over your data usage.

From today, the Opera Max beta will roll out to Android users in the United States who pre-registered for Opera Max on a first-come, first-served basis. Pre-registered Android users in Europe will also be able to download a beta version of Opera Max starting today. Opera Max will be launched in other regions worldwide, gradually.

What is Opera Max? 
Opera Max is a free app that extends the life of your data plan by up to 50%, especially if you use video and image-heavy apps such as Vine, Instagram, Vevo or Flipboard.

For example, if you pay $40 a month for a 1GB data plan, using Opera Max on your smartphone can allow you to consume up to 1.5 GB per month for the same cost. If you have a pre-paid data plan, pay per megabyte of use, or are roaming internationally, this app adds even more value.

Opera Max is the only app that gives you significant data savings, including video, which makes up a big chunk of data usage and most apps. All this for free!

How it works 
Once you download Opera Max, it instantaneously starts compressing and rerouting data using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to the data-savings cloud.  All non-encrypted data requests (excluding websites and apps with HTTPS connections) are sent through our compression servers, which optimize video, images and websites to use less data. Opera takes privacy* very seriously so Opera Max only measures how much data you use and how much data you've saved.

Opera Max also lets you tame your apps by detecting when you are roaming so that you can prevent apps from using any expensive data. You can easily block any app from using mobile data and restrict it to using Wi-Fi only.

How much data do you save? 
Opera Max's unique user interface gives you a timeline of your apps usage and how much you saved because of Opera Max by month or by day. Your timeline will show usage and savings by individual app as well as in total.

Why compression? 
As users gravitate heavily toward mobile data, specifically apps that are image and video heavy, data usage across these apps piles up in no time. Compression and optimizing mobile data is key to giving users a better experience and increased cost efficiency.

Mobile video traffic was more than 50% of overall mobile data traffic in 2013**. Vine, Instagram, YouTube… it's all about video nowadays. Video uses a lot of data, and we make videos lighter, which means you can watch more video and get a better user experience.

Opera has a long history of innovation with compression, being the first to launch a mobile browser, Opera Mini, in 2005 that compressed browser data. Opera Mini has gone to become one of the most popular mobile browsers and has 248 million users globally today.

"From Mini to Max, Opera has been the trailblazer in compression technology covering both mobile devices and desktop," says Sergey Lossev, Head of Product, Opera Max. "That expertise, combined with my personal frustration at running over my data plan less than 10 days into the month, using apps while commuting to San Francisco, prompted me to create Opera Max."

As "kings of compression," we think Opera Max is the next step in the evolution of this technology, which will intelligently compress data across apps, not just your browser," adds Lossev. "Try it out to see how much more you can get from your data plan."

Opera announced pre-registration for Opera Max on February 18 and since then has received an overwhelming response for the app.

Get Opera Max

If you are based in the United States or Europe, you can sign up for Opera Max by visiting http://opr.as/max/ and following instructions to pre-register. To ensure that users get the best savings and experience, Opera is rolling out Opera Max in batches, to manage server capacity efficiently. You will be notified immediately as soon as the app is ready to be downloaded on your device, once you have pre-registered.

Read more about Opera Max at: www.opera.com/mobile/max

See the Opera Max video here: http://youtu.be/sro-vMGMWgw

About Opera Software ASA

Opera products enable more than 350 million internet consumers worldwide to discover and connect with the content and services that matter most to them, no matter what device, network or location. In turn, we help advertisers reach the audiences that build value for their businesses. Opera also delivers products and services to more than 120 mobile operators around the world, enabling them to provide a faster, more economical and better network experience to their subscribers.

From family photos and funny videos to business ideas that change the world economy, the internet has always been about discovery. Whether you are a consumer getting online for the first time, or a multinational corporation trying to reach the right audience, Opera can help you discover more online.

Opera Software ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. 'Opera', 'Opera Software', 'Opera Mini', 'Opera Max' and the 'O' logo are trademarks of Opera Software ASA. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.

*To know more about our privacy policy, go here.  
** According to Cisco's Visual Networking Index

Media contact:

Caroline Gennaro         
[email protected] 
(203) 273-7878

Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140223/LA70031

SOURCE Opera Software