Netflix has released a tool to help you control how much data you use when you're streaming on your smartphone or tablet. You will now be able to change the settings in the app to use more or less data, depending on what kind of data plan you have from your wireless carrier.

"As we have launched Netflix around the world, we have seen big differences in how much people are streaming on smartphones and what kinds of mobile data plans they have," Netflix director of product innovation Eddy Wu said.

According to Netflix, the default setting lets streamers watch about three hours of video for each gigabyte, pointing out that it provides a good balance between quality and regulated data usage.

To access Cellular Data Usage, just click on the navigation drawer on the upper left corner, tap on App Settings and voila, the control is right at the users' fingertips.

The takeaway here is that Netflix is handing over the reins to the viewers in terms of video quality.

Wu said, "Our testing found that, on cellular networks, this setting balances good video quality with lower data usage to help avoid exceeding data caps and incurring overage fees".

Streaming Netflix shows using Wi-Fi hotspots would not be effected by the setting.