How to control YouTube data usage?

how much mobile data does a youtube video consume

Unless you have an expensive unlimited plan, you probably have to keep an eye on how much mobile data you use every month. And the streaming video is likely to be one of the biggest culprits for sucking up your data quota.

If you are filthy rich and have an expensive unlimited plan, for sure you careless of how much mobile data you use every month. Otherwise, you probably have to keep an eye on your mobile data usage because this will surely put a hole in your pocket.

Gone are the days of the slow dial-up internet connection and the very blurry 144p resolution on your favorite YouTube clips, because now, YouTube offers a lot more playback-quality options and lets you watch different kinds of videos as high as a 4k ultra-high definition.

However, the improved video quality also comes with great data usage, especially if you are using the YouTube application anytime you want, basically anywhere you are outside Wi-Fi range. With the data usage of YouTube, it all depends on different factors like the bitrate, the frame-rate, and the amount of the bandwidth that is required for each of the videos you watch.

Streaming videos would likely one of the biggest culprits of consuming your data quota and YouTube is surely the world’s most popular video platform, so it is not surprising how easy it is to blow through your data allotment that comes with your phone network subscription. To help you out, let us take a look at how much data YouTube uses, and how to measure that amount, also use some helpful tips in reducing the data usage.

Does YouTube use data at all? Just to make things clear before we can proceed to discuss this matter; Yes, YouTube does use data, and aside from calling and texting, almost everything you do on your smartphone uses data when you are not connected to the internet or Wi-Fi.

This includes using messaging applications such as the WhatsApp, streaming music on Spotify, and other services that you use to browse the social media sites and the web itself, and watching videos on YouTube, you can consequently use and reduce your mobile data usage is a concern for a lot of people.

To help you out, here are some useful tips that can reduce your mobile data usage and save a lot of money on your phone bills every month.

  • Adjust the video quality- You can adjust the video quality in two different steps, once you already have clicked on a video on your YouTube application, tap the menu icon or the three vertical dots on the upper right corner of the screen to adjust the resolution. Choose the quality of the videos you want to watch and check out the various quality settings that are available for that particular video. The YouTube application on Android phones usually remembers you preferred video quality option and will instantly play future videos on the same settings you want as default.
  • Manage your data- The question is, do you want to save your data or do you want to watch higher quality videos? There are certain smartphones that allow the user to make the tough decision by allowing you to limit the data being used for video streaming or restricts you from streaming quality audio and videos. You can decide about this by checking the settings function on your phone which might also help you find out how much data YouTube is already consuming. Both the Android and the iPhone users have different ways to check their video settings which are very easy to locate and use so that you will not waste data on your phone.
  • Use a dual sim smartphone- If you are using a single-sim phone, why not change to dual-sim. Aside from the convenience to use it for two different network subscriptions, dual-sim devices let you take the advantage of two mobile networks on a single phone and this can also come in handy because if you have work phone you can use the other sim, while the other one is for personal use. Your other sim might offer a better data cap space as part of the package, while the other sim has a lower data cap space which is why you can simply balance your usage in both sims. With a dual-sim phone, however, you can use both the sim cards in the same phone, which thereby removes the requirement for separate devices which is more convenient and provides the other sim’s internet and data allowance on your phone.
  • Disable applications from automatically synchronizing- While you are using your phone, there are a lot of activities that are happening in the background, regardless if you have applications open or not, they can easily synchronize and use data like your applications getting automatic updates through Google Play Store while your email application fetching emails and updates and your social media pulling up new posts and the list goes on and on and the worst thing is, it is consuming data without you noticing it. It is not just about YouTube that consumes a lot of data, but also the other applications that you are not aware are running on the background of your phone and consumes data without you knowing it which is why you should disable automatic updates and automatic synchronization of your phone to prevent data consumption.