Unless you have an expensive unlimited data programme, you probably accept to go along an eye on how much mobile data you lot use every month. Since streaming video on sites like YouTube is one of the biggest culprits for sucking up your data quota, you should be aware of YouTube'southward data consumption so information technology doesn't finish up costing you.

Permit's take a await at how much data YouTube uses, how to measure its data consumption, and consider tips to reduce your YouTube data usage. You'll never take to estimate how much data YouTube is using again.

Does YouTube Use Data?

Merely then we're clear before we continue: Yes, YouTube uses mobile data. Aside from calling and SMS texting, nearly everything you do on your smartphone uses data when you're not connected to Wi-Fi.

That includes using messaging apps such every bit WhatsApp, streaming music on Spotify or other services, browsing social media sites and the spider web, and watching videos. Equally a result, reducing mobile data usage is a business organisation for many.

If you lot're on Wi-Fi, you lot tin watch YouTube videos without using data. Only anywhere else, watching YouTube consumes data.

Why Does YouTube Use So Much Data?

The simple answer is that transmitting video is an information-heavy performance. Video is made upwards of many thousands of pixels that tin modify several times per second, meaning at that place's a lot of information that has to pass through the cyberspace to reach your device.

Compared to downloading an image or streaming audio, video is a lot more complicated, so it uses more mobile data. This isn't express to just YouTube, though. Other video streaming services apply a lot of data, too.

How Much Data Does YouTube Use? A Calculation

YouTube'south information usage depends on the quality of video you stream. The mobile apps (also equally the desktop site and YouTube apps for other platforms) offer multiple levels of quality, from a depression of 144p all the manner to 2160p (4K quality) if your device supports information technology.

Estimates for how much data each of these settings uses vary quite a chip, and then let'south run our own calculation to figure this out. Keep in mind that this is not exact and your results may vary.

YouTube'south streaming help page contains information on recommended video bitrates for various streaming quality options. We'll use these equally a baseline, though of grade not every video is identical.

For 480p video (standard quality), YouTube recommends a bitrate between 500 and 2,000Kbps. Let's average these 2 extremes and use 1,250Kbps.

i,250Kbps (kilobits per second) divided by i,000 gives us ane.25Mbps (megabits per second). Since there are viii $.25 in 1 byte, ane.25Mbps divided by eight equals roughly 0.156 megabytes per second of video. Multiplying this by threescore seconds means that 480p video uses effectually 9.375MB of data per minute on YouTube.

9.375MB per infinitesimal times hr in an hour results in roughly 562.5MB of data per hour of YouTube streaming at 480p.

YouTube Quality Information Usage Compared

Applying this same calculation procedure to YouTube'southward other quality options results in the following estimates for YouTube data usage per hour.

Notation that for 720p quality and above, YouTube besides supports videos at 60FPS (frames per second) instead of the standard 30FPS. A higher FPS results in smoother video, but also more data usage, as yous'd expect. YouTube also supports HDR video, which uses additional data, but as those videos aren't mutual at the fourth dimension of writing, we oasis't considered them here.

  • 144p: No bitrate provided past YouTube.
  • 240p: 225MB per hour
  • 360p: 315MB per hr
  • 480p: 562.5MB per hour
  • 720p at 30FPS: 1237.5MB (1.24GB) per hour
  • 720p at 60FPS: 1856.25MB (1.86GB) per hour
  • 1080p at 30FPS: two.03GB per 60 minutes
  • 1080p at 60FPS: 3.04GB per hour
  • 1440p (2K) at 30FPS: 4.28GB per hour
  • 1440p (2K) at 60FPS: six.08GB per hour
  • 2160p (4K) at 30FPS: ten.58GB per 60 minutes
  • 2160p (4K) at 60FPS: 15.98GB per 60 minutes

​​​​​​

For reference, 480p is considered standard definition. 1080p is sometimes called "full Hard disk," and is the highest quality that a lot of YouTube channels upload in. While 4K video isn't as widespread, many channels do provide 4K media.

360p is tolerable if you really want to save data, but you lot'll likely struggle to enjoy the video with anything lower than that.

How to Track Your Data Usage on YouTube

If you want to keep an eye on how much data you utilize on YouTube, both Android and iPhone provide ways to do and then.

How to Review YouTube Information Consumption on Android

To cheque YouTube's data usage on Android, head to Settings > Network & Net > Mobile network. Hither you'll see how much data you've used in the current billing wheel. Tap App data usage to come across a breakdown by app.

In this list, detect YouTube and select information technology. You'll see a breakdown of its information usage for the current cycle; tap the dates at the top to change this.

Foreground shows how much data the app used while you lot had information technology open and were actively using it. Groundwork data shows what the app consumed while it was minimized. Disable the Background information slider to block the app from using your data when you don't have it open.

Yous should keep Unrestricted data usage turned off. If it's enabled, YouTube tin yet use equally much data as it wants, even when Data Saver mode is on.

How to Check YouTube'due south Data Usage on iPhone

iPhone users tin can check how much data YouTube has used by navigating to Settings > Cellular. Notice YouTube in the list below the top options, and you'll see its data usage.

Your iPhone tracks this for the Electric current Catamenia, but unfortunately, it doesn't update this timeline automatically. You lot'll demand to scroll to the bottom and striking Reset Statistics to start a new data consumption flow. For best results, you should ready a reminder to exercise this every time your billing cycle restarts.

Meanwhile, if you want to cake YouTube from using mobile information completely, just turn off its slider hither.

How to Reduce Data Usage on YouTube

You probably don't want to turn off YouTube's data access completely. Thankfully, in that location are other means to reduce information consumption on YouTube that aren't and so desperate.

Alter YouTube's Video Quality While Watching

The most important tip to cut down on data usage is to avoid watching YouTube videos in high resolutions while using mobile data. While watching whatsoever video, tap the iii-dot Menu push at the superlative-right of the video to open a menu with options at the bottom.

Here, you'll encounter the electric current Quality. Tap this to change the video'southward quality settings. You'll take to first choose Automobile or one of two vague options: College picture quality and Information saver.

YouTube doesn't explain what these options actually mean, which is frustrating. Presumably, Higher movie quality plays the video in 720p or above, depending on how strong your connectedness is. Information saver probable caps the video at 480p.

At whatsoever rate, you tin tap Advanced to choose an actual quality setting instead of these full general options. The options that appear here depend on what the video uploader has provided.

Auto is convenient, but if you're trying to save data, it's better to select an option manually. Endeavor 480p for a practiced balance between data usage and video quality.

As the app states, changing this but applies to the current video. Y'all'll demand to do this every time you kickoff a new video if you want to change the quality once more.

Gear up Your Default YouTube Quality Options

In addition to the above, the YouTube app lets yous set a full general quality preference for all videos. This lets y'all avoid Hard disk playback while on mobile data and so that Machine fashion doesn't decide to stream at 1080p.

To find this option, tap your profile picture in the top-right of the YouTube app and select Settings > Video quality preferences. Here, yous're able to choose from Auto, Higher picture quality, and Data saver as default options, with separate options for when you're on mobile data and Wi-Fi.

Once again, these options are vague, so y'all can't select an exact resolution to use equally the default. But this at least lets y'all tell YouTube you don't want to play Hard disk video while using data.

Turn Off Video Autoplay

YouTube'south Autoplay characteristic keeps the videos coming whenever you lot finish 1. This can waste some data if it starts playing a video you didn't want, so it's best to disable it.

To disable Autoplay, only notice the Autoplay slider at the top of whatever video and gear up information technology to the left position so it shows the Intermission icon. After doing this, YouTube will finish loading new videos on its own. You can too tap your contour film and get to Settings > Autoplay to disable it there.

On a related note, remember that because YouTube buffers videos as you watch, it will likely consume more information than the above calculations testify. To maximize your information savings, e'er pause a video if you don't intend to continue watching it.

Disable Muted Playback in YouTube Feeds

On certain pages, like Home, Subscriptions, and search results, YouTube will start playing a few seconds of the video you're looking at. This is a waste of data in most cases, so you can disable it or fix it to work on Wi-Fi only.

To change this choice, tap your contour pic at the top-correct and become to Settings again. Visit General and tap Playback in feeds. Change this to Off or Wi-Fi but to avoid wasting data.

Endeavor YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium is YouTube'due south paid subscription service. Among other benefits, such every bit removing ads, Premium allows you to download videos offline to your phone for viewing anywhere.

At $12 per month, YouTube Premium is a footling expensive for what it offers. Simply if you watch a lot of YouTube, that subscription fee can pay for itself in the data charges you save. Yous tin download a batch of videos when y'all're on Wi-Fi at home, then watch them on the become without using data.

Check out our overview of YouTube Premium if you lot need more information.

Exist Smart About Your YouTube Data Usage

Now that you know how much information watching YouTube uses, you can make informed decisions about how much to stream each month. Past limiting Hard disk viewing to Wi-Fi and disabling autoplay, you can still relish some YouTube videos on the get without sucking upwardly besides much data.

Be careful, though, as YouTube has a way of cartoon you in for longer than you intended. Plus, YouTube isn't alone in using lots of data.

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About The Writer

Ben Stegner (1807 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Main at MakeUseOf. He left his IT job to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He's been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional person writer for over viii years.

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