Mobile data usage on a cell phone: How to manage it

What uses data on a cell phone?

Anything on your cell phone that requires an internet connection is using some data. Streaming services, mobile games, messaging apps, social media platforms: If you’re on the internet, you’re using up data. The only time that your phone isn’t eating into your cellular data at all is when it’s on Wi-Fi or it’s not connected to the internet.

The amount of data used by different apps varies a lot, of course. Facebook uses around 5MB of data per hour of active use, while YouTube eats up 1GB per hour (assuming that you’re watching in standard definition). A mobile game could use anywhere from 10MB to over 100MB per hour, depending on the specific game and its graphics.

You might have Wi-Fi in your home, but when you’re out of your house, you’ll probably be using your mobile data. Understanding how much data you're actually using is a good idea, especially when choosing a data plan. 

Activities that use mobile data

So how much data do you need? To work this out, you’ll need to know what kind of activities use a lot of data. Then, based on how often you engage in those processes, you’ll be able to get a sense of your monthly data needs. 

Activities that use mobile data include: 

• Web browsing.

• Reading emails.

• Scrolling on social media apps.

• Streaming videos.

• Online gaming.

• Using navigation apps.

• Installing apps.

• Syncing with cloud storage. 

Let’s break down each of these activities and the amount of data they’re going to use up.

Web

Web browsing is a pretty wide category, so the amount of data you’ll be using on your browser can vary a lot. Loading up a page of text, for example, will use a lot less data than accessing a high-definition photo gallery. 

Even when the contents of a site don’t include images and videos, online ads could still be eating into your cellular data. That’s why the browser you choose is important — browsers like Brave block ads, resulting in up to 50% less data being used compared to other browsers. Even just installing an ad blocker will help.

Whatever browser you use, though, it will  consume data. The key, if you want to cut back on usage, is to avoid images, videos, and large file downloads. 

Email

At first glance, you might assume that checking your emails isn’t going to use much data. That’s true to an extent, but when it comes to data usage, not all emails are created equal. If you’re uploading or downloading large file attachments, for example, that will eat into your data more than a quick text-based message. 

To make sure you don’t miss incoming emails, most inboxes automatically refresh themselves every few seconds. This happens both while you’re using the platform and while it’s running in the background. On average, checking emails for 12 hours will use around 1GB of data within that duration, but that won’t be a normal experience for most people. Focus on the size of attachments when assessing your email data use.

Social media apps

For most people, the most common activity they perform on their phones is accessing social media apps. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are among the biggest consumers of mobile data. That’s mainly because they feature photos and videos (which auto-play as soon as they appear on-screen).

Facebook uses the least data among the popular social media apps. TikTok, which is entirely video based, uses the most, while Instagram is somewhere in between, with a mix of still images and videos.

Streaming videos

Video streaming is easily one of the biggest data consumers on your mobile phone. Most of us have at least one app on our devices that lets us stream high-definition (HD) video content. 

Take Netflix as an example. Watching an hour of standard definition (SD) content uses around 1GB per hour, while an hour of HD streaming is closer to 3GB. If you watch Netflix in 4K, you’ll be burning through about 7GB each hour.

The same rules apply when you’re watching videos through your browser. The higher the definition of the stream, the more data it requires. 

Online gaming

Gaming uses a lot of data, but pinning down an exact number for the per hour burn is difficult. The amount of data used by a mobile game depends on a couple of factors, including:

• Graphics quality. The better it looks, the more data it probably uses.

• Multiplayer elements. A game that involves co-op play will usually need to access more content that isn’t stored on your device, boosting overall data consumption.

• Complexity. A simple game like Candy Crush or Solitaire uses less data than something more complicated, like Genshin Impact or Clash of Clans.

Navigation apps

Navigation apps like Google Maps are usually most useful to you when you’re on the move, meaning that you probably won’t be on Wi-Fi at the time. They can quickly eat up a lot of cell data since they’re providing real-time directions and maintaining detailed live maps on your screen. 

If you want to avoid data-hungry navigation apps, you can always use a still image of a map instead or take screenshots of the app before you leave a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Downloading apps

When you install an app on your smartphone, you have to download it from the internet. Usually, this means getting it from the App Store or Google Play store. Each app is a different size — check the app details on the store page and you’ll find a download size for the program. That’s how much data you’ll use when you install it.

Apps come in a lot of different sizes. For something simple, like a bus timetable app, you could be looking at about 5MB. Larger games, on the other hand, might be closer to 5GB. 

Cloud syncing

Most devices sync files and photos with a cloud storage service. That’s great because it means you can always restore the contents of your phone if you lose it. The bad news is that syncing files can use up a lot of data.

It’s easy enough to work around this problem, though. Most devices will automatically sync when on Wi-Fi to avoid using up cellular data. You can also turn off your auto-sync features or edit how often they activate. 

Mobile data management

The last thing you want is to run out of mobile data, especially when you’re traveling. If you want to avoid extra charges and stay connected, manage your data use with these practical tips.

Check data usage

Regularly checking data usage will help you stay within your contractual limits and make you more aware of what apps and activities burn through a lot of data. 

You can check total data usage and app-specific data consumption through your phone’s settings. On some devices, you’ll also be able to set up usage warnings to alert you before you go over your data limit.

Third-party data managing apps can also be useful, but be wary of giving these programs too much invasive access to your personal data.

Wi-Fi networks

Use Wi-Fi if you can.  When you’re connected to Wi-Fi, you’re not using your cellular data. Wi-Fi is often faster than mobile data too, so it’s good for quickly downloading larger files.

You can also set up certain apps and phone functions to recognize when you connect to Wi-Fi and to only perform certain actions when you do. For example, syncing, downloading large audio and video files, or updating software can all be automated to only work on Wi-Fi. To make this happen, just set your phone to use its “Data saver” mode.

Background data

Even when you’re not using an app, it could still be eating into your mobile data. To limit background data use, start by always completely shutting apps when you’re not using them. Keeping apps minimized but open on your phone uses up extra memory and data.

More importantly, turn off the background data functions on your apps. On Android, you can view apps in your settings and then just turn off “Background data.” It works the same on iOS — scroll down your app list, find the apps you want to focus on, and toggle off “Background app refresh.”

Choose the right data plan

What makes a data plan right for you? It all comes down to your specific needs as an internet user. A plan that includes unlimited data on social media apps isn’t much use if you’re barely on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. A really affordable plan that also limits your ability to stream won’t be right if you want to watch Netflix every day.

Make sure the plan you choose meets your personal requirements. Don’t be dazzled by great deals that won’t actually add value to your experience. 

It’s also worth looking at the roaming costs and allowances within any data plan you pay for. Traveling for work or leisure is a lot easier if you can stay connected to the internet at all times, but roaming fees are expensive. 

Turn off data roaming

Data roaming is a feature that lets your cell phone switch to local networks to keep you online while you’re outside of your usual coverage. Some plans will allow for a small amount of roaming each day before you start stacking up fees, while others will charge you right away. 

Either way, roaming usually costs you. Under most circumstances, turn the feature off while traveling. 

Use data saving features

When you turn on “Data saver” mode, your device starts to limit the capacity of apps to do things in the background unless you’re connected to Wi-Fi. This helps to save your data and avoids unexpected charges. 

For apps that need to function even without Wi-Fi, you can grant unrestricted data access which allows those selected apps to use mobile data in the background. 

Stay on top of your data

Cell phone data can run out quickly. When it does, you might struggle to access the internet from your mobile devices or end up with a nasty surprise on your next phone bill. That’s why management is important. 

Work out how much mobile data is being used by the various mobile apps and processes on your device. Use the tips from this post to manage and reduce the amount of data you’re using each month. Then look for a cellular data plan that will meet your needs and won’t leave you short at the end of each month.

If your data allowance isn’t enough for overseas travel, think about getting an eSIM app. With Saily, you can maintain internet connectivity on the go, using a range of flexible, affordable plans for 190 destinations worldwide.