How much data does Facebook use? How to limit the data usage

After a long day in the sun, you’re ready to relax at your hotel and scroll through your Facebook feed. Maybe you want to check out the reviews for a nearby restaurant, or let your family know you’ve arrived. But how much internet does Facebook use? Let’s break down all the ways that the Meta-owned app is consuming your cellular data and explore some options for reducing those numbers.

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8 min read

How much data does Facebook use: All you need to know

Facebook data usage by activity

Your Facebook app is using up data in a lot of different ways. How much data does Facebook use, and what activities burn through the most? 

Browsing news feed and photos

Scrolling through your Facebook news feed, you’ll usually see a mix of text and images. This activity uses around 1.5 MB per minute on average, though it can vary depending on the content.

The amount of data used depends on the type of media you’re viewing. Text consumes the least data, followed by photos. Images vary a lot in the amount of data used — high resolution photos, for example, will eat into your data more than low definition, compressed images. 

Videos, which are increasingly common in Facebook news feeds, use a lot more data than most photos. 

Watching videos

Video content takes up the largest share of Facebook’s data usage. On average, streaming Facebook videos uses about 2.6 MB per minute. This number will change based on the resolution of the videos you’re watching. If you'd like to get a more exact number, you can reset statistics and take a look at your settings to see how much data Facebook used after a few minutes.

Facebook videos are available in five different resolutions. Here’s a breakdown of data consumption for each one.

  • Low quality (240p): approximately 0.3 MB per minute, and 18 MB per hour

  • Standard quality (480p): approximately 2 MB per minute, and 120 MB per hour

  • High definition (720p): approximately 5 MB per minute, and 300 MB per hour

  • Full HD (1080p): approximately 7 MB per minute, and 420 MB per hour

  • Ultra HD/4K: approximately 20 MB per minute, and 1.2 GB per hour

Again, videos use much more data than photos or text. This explains why TikTok data usage is so high. Instagram data usage is also much higher than it used to be because the platform is focusing on short-form videos these days.

Facebook Messenger activity

Even if you’re not regularly on the Facebook app, you probably still use Facebook Messenger. This app consumes data in three main ways: text messages, voice calls, and video calls.

Sending text messages barely uses any data, and even sending photos won’t make much of a dent in your mobile allowance, because the images are very compressed.

Voice calls use about 333 KB per minute, which is roughly 20 MB per hour. Facebook video calling data usage is much higher, ranging from 5 MB to 15 MB per minute (that’s 300 MB to 900 MB per hour). 

Uploading photos and videos

Sharing photos and videos on your page is one of Facebook’s main appeals, but just like viewing content, uploading it uses data. The exact amount depends on the size and quality of the files you’re uploading.

Generally, videos will cost more data than photos, especially if they’re in high resolution. Ultimately the file size is the main decider in how much data is used. To work out how much data the upload will involve, look at how many GB or MB the file takes up on your device. 

How to check Facebook data usage on iOS and Android

Facebook doesn’t have its own tool for tracking data usage, but you can just check it on your device through your system.

iOS devices

If you use an iOS device, you can quickly check your Facebook app data usage in your Settings.

  1. Open the “Settings” app.

  2. Scroll down and tap on “Cellular.” 

  3. Find “Facebook” in the list of apps.

  4. You'll see the amount of cellular data used by Facebook under the app’s name.

Android devices

Android users can also track Facebook’s data usage with a few taps.

  1. Open “Settings.”

  2. Go to “Network & internet” > “Data usage” or “Mobile data usage.”

  3. Find “Facebook” in the list of apps.

  4. Tap on “Facebook” to see how much data it’s used during a given time frame.

How to reduce Facebook data usage

Although Facebook doesn’t use as much data as some apps like TikTok, its growing video features mean data use is likely to increase over time. You’ve got a few options to save data while using Facebook.

Adjust app settings

Changing the app’s settings is one of the easiest ways to cut back on Facebook’s data usage. For example, you can disable the video autoplay function.

  1. Go to the “Settings & privacy” section in the app.

  2. Find the “Autoplay” option and set it to “Never autoplay videos.”

You can also enable Facebook’s “Data saver” mode, which disables autoplay and lowers the quality of images and video streaming. Just toggle “Data saver” on or off in the same menu.

Optimize video quality

Videos are one of the biggest data drains on Facebook, so lowering the quality that you see videos results in less data usage. The next time you’re watching a video, try this.

  1. Tap the gear icon or the three dots.

  2. Choose “Quality” and select either “Low,” “Medium,” or “High.”

If you download videos, you can also adjust the download quality. In “Settings & privacy” you can adjust the quality of your video downloads between “Low,” “Standard,” or “HD.” HD videos will cost less data to download than standard definition content, and they’ll download faster.

Use Facebook and Messenger Lite

Facebook Lite and Messenger Lite are smaller, more efficient versions of the main apps. They perform all the essential functions but use much less data.

You can download these versions from the App Store or Google Play Store. They’re also smaller in size, consume less battery, and are useful if you have a slower internet connection.

Limit background data usage

Reducing Facebook’s background data usage can help save both your mobile data and battery life. 

On Android, find Facebook in your “Apps” list and turn off “Background data.” This will vary slightly from system to system, but you’ll always be able to find an option for reducing background activity through your settings.

You can do the same thing on iOS too. Just scroll through your list of apps, find Facebook, and toggle off “Background app refresh.”

Use Wi-Fi when possible

If you can access Wi-Fi, you can avoid eating into your own cellular data allowance. Wi-Fi tends to be faster than a cellular connection too.

When deciding between using your own network data or Wi-Fi, consider what kind of internet activity you will engage in. Will you be watching videos on Facebook? Use Wi-Fi. Texting a friend on Messenger? You can do that from your own cellular data without worrying about using too much.

Just make sure the Wi-Fi you’re using is secure and trusted, especially if you’re traveling and you don’t know the Wi-Fi provider well.

Using Facebook and Messenger when traveling abroad

Facebook and Messenger can be incredibly helpful when you’re traveling. Whether you’re checking out the reviews on a local business, uploading holiday snaps, or keeping in touch with family back home, the last thing you want to worry about is your data usage.

If you’re traveling, use an eSIM. With an eSIM app like Saily, you can choose and activate a data plan before you travel. The service covers 190 destinations, offering a huge range of plans at different price points for different periods. 

An eSIM app gets you connected to reliable local providers, it’s easy to extend your plan if you need more data or a longer period of coverage, and you don’t have to worry about footering with physical SIM cards. Get Saily and get connected.

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FAQ

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    saily blog author malcolm higgins
    Malcolm Higgins

    Malcolm loves food almost as much as he does traveling. From haggis in the hills of Scotland to roadside Kosovan pastries, his taste for adventure keeps him moving. But finding the best dining spot in a new locale is a lot easier when you can get online anywhere, anytime — that’s where his eSIM data plan comes in handy.