Everything That Counts as Data Use on Your Phone

Cell phone bills used to only contain charges related to the number of minutes spent on phone calls. With smartphones and instant access to the Internet, today’s monthly bills are mostly about how much data you’re using.

​​Because data moves in very large quantities, we measure it in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB) rather than single bytes. Here’s how it breaks down:

If your mobile plan gives you 5 GB of data per month, that’s roughly enough for:

• 5 hours of HD video streaming or
• 30 hours of streaming music or
• A few hundred social media posts with photos

Every time you use the Internet to do something on your phone, your monthly data meter goes up. Actual usage will vary depending on image resolution, streaming quality, and how often apps refresh in the background.

Tip: When connected to WiFi, these actions don’t count toward your data plan. Always make sure your home or work WiFi is saved so your phone reconnects automatically. If you’re worried that your home Internet speeds aren’t fast enough to keep all your devices connected, try our Internet speed test.

Which Apps and Settings Use the Most Data

Ever wonder where all your mobile data goes each month? The truth is, some apps are data‑hungry while others barely make a dent. By learning which everyday behaviors consume the most data, you can easily spot and control the biggest drains on your plan.

Video Streaming

Examples: Netflix, YouTube, TikTok, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video

Video content is one of the biggest data hogs. The higher the quality, the more data you use — streaming in HD or 4K can eat multiple gigabytes per hour. To get a better idea of how much data watching your favorite show is taking up, here is a breakdown of approximate data usage by video quality:

• Standard Definition (480p): ~700 MB/hour
• High Definition (1080p): ~3 GB/hour
• 4K Ultra HD: ~7 GB/hour

You can save data by:

• Lowering playback quality (in app settings).
• Turning on “Data Saver” options in YouTube or TikTok.
• Downloading shows or clips on WiFi for offline viewing.

Social Media Apps

Examples: Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), Threads, Snapchat

Social apps consume a lot of data because of auto‑playing videos and high‑resolution photos. Constant background refreshing adds to the total even when you’re not actively scrolling. Average data usage is about 150–300 MB/hour, but can rise above 500 MB with video-heavy feeds.

Save data by:

• Turning off Auto‑play videos in app settings.
• Enabling built‑in Data Saver modes (available in most major apps).
• Turning off Background App Refresh so content updates only on WiFi.

Navigation & Maps

Examples: Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps

Navigation apps use data to download maps, traffic updates, and location details in real time. Data consumption is about 5–10 MB every 10 minutes (~30–60 MB/hour).

Save data by:

• Downloading maps offline before long trips.
• Using simpler map views instead of satellite imagery.
• Turning off traffic overlays when not needed.

Music, Podcasts, & Audio

Examples: Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, Audible

Although audio streaming uses less data than video, listening for hours a day still adds up, especially on high-quality streams. Here’s the average usage by listening quality:

• Low Quality (96 kbps): ~40 MB/hour
• Medium Quality (160 kbps): ~70 MB/hour
• High Quality (320 kbps): ~150 MB/hour

Consider the following to save data:

• Downloading playlists and episodes on WiFi.
• Turning on “Data Saver” in your music app.
• Streaming at lower quality settings when on cellular.

Web Browsing

Examples: Chrome, Safari, Samsung Internet, Brave

Web pages full of images, ads, and animations use more data than text‑based pages. Some browsers, like Brave or Samsung Internet, help reduce this automatically. You can expect to use about 60–150 MB/hour, but it varies by webpage content.

Save data with these browser tips:

• Samsung Internet: Turn on Extensions > Data Saver and block autoplay videos to reduce image and video quality load.
• Brave Browser: Enable Shields to block ads, trackers, and background scripts that use hidden data.
• Google Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Preload pages > “No preloading” to stop background loading of links.
• Apple Safari: Use Reader View on article pages to load only text and essential images.
• Mozilla Firefox: Turn on Enhanced Tracking Protection (Strict) to block trackers and minimize data use.
• Opera / Opera Mini: Enable Data Savings Mode to compress pages and videos before loading them.

Cloud Backup & Automatic Updates

Examples: Google Photos, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox

Cloud services often upload files and photos automatically — sometimes using mobile data. If you take lots of photos or videos, those background uploads can quietly consume gigabytes. Not to mention, apps regularly download updates, and operating systems push out software upgrades, both of which can be large. App updates use up about 50–250 MB per app, while system updates can consume 500 MB–3 GB (depending on version).

Many apps also quietly use data behind the scenes to refresh content, sync location, or send push notifications. Email, weather, and social apps are common examples.

To save data with cloud storage, consider:

• Setting photo backups to WiFi only.
• Disabling “Use mobile data for backups” in app settings.
• Uploading large files manually when connected to WiFi.

For background activity, try:

• Turning off Background Data for specific apps
  • Android: App Info > Data usage > Off.
  • On iPhone: Go to Phone Settings app > Cellular and toggle off any app you don’t want using mobile data.
• Disabling WiFi Assist on iPhones so the phone doesn’t switch to cellular when WiFi is weak.

Track and Manage Your Mobile Data Usage

Before putting together a plan to reduce your current data usage or upgrade your plan, start by checking exactly how much data you’ve used in the current period.

Check Data Usage On Your Phone

On iPhones (iOS 14 and later):

1. Open Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data).
2. Scroll to Cellular Data Usage to see how much you’ve used in your current billing cycle.
3. Below that, you’ll find each app with its individual usage total.
4. To stop an app from using mobile data entirely, toggle it off next to the app’s name.

Tip: You can reset your statistics at the start of each billing cycle to track usage more accurately.

On Android phones (Android 10 and later):

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Data Usage.
2. Tap Mobile Data Usage to view your total for the current period.
3. Scroll down for a list of apps and see exactly how much each one uses.
4. Tap an app’s name to view details or restrict background data for that app.

Note for Samsung Galaxy users:

You can also access this under Settings > Connections > Data Usage, where you can set a monthly data limit, data warning, or enable Data Saver Mode to automatically restrict background data.

Manage and Control Data Use

If you scroll down further in the data usage section of your settings, you should see a list of apps that tells you how much data each app is using in your current billing cycle. Take a look at which apps you have been using the most data on and decide if you might be able to reduce your usage of those particular apps. You can also restrict background data usage for certain apps.

Most people are unaware that even when you are not using a mobile app, it can still use cellular data while running in the background. Without you doing anything, your apps could be downloading updates, your email account could be syncing new messages, or your weather radar app could be using location services to send you a weather alert.

Most cell phones give you an option to control which apps are able to use background mobile data, allowing you to pick and choose which apps to get regular updates from and which ones you could do without.

Check out this article on how to painlessly reduce your data usage for more tips with step-by-step instructions for iPhone and Android users.

Find the Right Cell Phone Plan for You

Sometimes limiting your data usage can mean cutting back on things you really enjoy, or even the tools you need for work or school. If this is the case for you, then it’s time to reassess your data needs and look into an unlimited mobile data plan.

But it’s important to remember that not all unlimited data plans are created equal. While you won’t be dealing with pesky data overage charges anymore, you could experience a reduction in speed. Mobile plans with a set amount of data you can use each month guarantee usage at the highest speeds until you reach that cap. Once you go over that cap, your data usage will start loading at slower speeds.

With some unlimited plans, you may also be subjected to a “deprioritization threshold.” This means that during times of high network congestion, your data speed may be temporarily slowed, depending on your plan. Sometimes these slowdowns are barely noticeable and will pick right back up once there’s less traffic on the network. It’s always good to read the fine print before buying a new data plan.

Ready To Shop for a New Cellular Data Plan?

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