Have you ever run out of data too fast and wondered, “What uses data on a cell phone?” Video streaming services, social media apps, music, podcasts, cloud services, maps—all of these are huge data eaters, to name a few!
You might be well adept at tracking your budget when it comes to dollars and cents, but how much attention do you pay to your data budget?
If you’re relying on mobile data, especially if you’re travelling and spending on an eSIM, being aware of every megabyte you spend can help you manage your usage wisely so that you can make the most of your prepaid data plan.
What uses the most mobile data?
Unsurprisingly, some apps use significantly more data than others. Here are a few of the hungriest culprits to be aware of.
1. Video streaming apps
You might really want to catch up on the latest season of Love is Blind on Netflix or just spend time swiping through TikTok but be aware that these apps consume a large amount of data—especially in HD. As an example, a single hour of HD video streaming can use up to 3GB of data.
2. Social media platforms
Even if you’re not spending too much time scrolling on Instagram or Facebook, these apps don’t need you to be actively using them to eat up your data. They refresh in the background to download photos and videos and autoplan, even if you’re not watching, which uses up data that you might need.
3. Music and podcasts
While Spotify and Apple Music do not consume quite as much data as video streamers, their usage still adds up, especially if you leave them playing in the background. If you listen on high-quality settings, they might also be running through your data faster than you realize.
4. Cloud services
If you have your photos and videos set to automatically back up into the cloud via apps such as iCloud, Google Photos, or Dropbox, you might inadvertently be using up a lot of data. App updates and software downloads also use data unless you have the settings indicate Wi-Fi for updates instead.
5. Navigation and maps
Travelling to new cities can be much easier when using map apps to help you navigate—but the longer you use these, the more data you will consume. If you haven’t downloaded large maps with Wi-Fi, the apps will use up data to do so while you’re en route.
How to control data usage on your phone
When you’re being mindful about what uses data on a cell phone, here’s how to adjust your settings to help control your data consumption:
iPhone:
- Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data)
- Scroll to see a list of apps
- Toggle off apps as needed
- Restrict data-heavy features like app updates, go to Settings > App Store and turn off Automatic Downloads over mobile data
Android:
- Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Network
- Select App Data Usage
- Select apps and toggle Background Data off
- Set a Data Limit for your billing cycle
Be smart with your data use—use aloSIM!
Remember that aloSIM allows you to be in complete control of your data usage, meaning you only pay for what you use, so that you can ensure your data lasts as needed.
If you use a little more than you planned, you can top up your eSIM directly in the app so that you always stay connected.
