Data usage guide

What is mobile data?

Mobile data is used to connect your phone to the internet when you don’t have access to Wifi. Every click, swipe, scroll and ‘like’ online uses mobile data. How much mobile data you use depends on the apps or websites you’re using, how long you use them, and your phone, app and browser settings.

How do I check my mobile data usage?

To keep within your data plan limit, you can manage your mobile data usage and see how much data your apps are using. You can even set up alerts to warn you when you’re about to reach your mobile data limit.

How to check my data usage on iPhone

There is no in-built iPhone feature to track mobile data usage but there are some 3rd-party apps available that can. Follow these steps on how to download and set up a mobile data management app on your iPhone.

  1. Search ‘manage mobile data’ on the App Store.

  2. Download and set up the app as prompted by the onscreen instructions.

  3. Set your data limit according to your data plan and set the start date to the 20th of the month to coincide with the start of our monthly bill period.

  4. Set up alerts to warn you when you’re nearing your data limit in ‘My Alarms’ in the menu navigation.

How to check my data usage on Android

Android devices have an in-built mobile data tracking feature that allows users to monitor, limit and set alerts for mobile data usage. This function also allows Android users to check which apps drain the most data.

  1. (Apps →) Settings → Mobile data or Data usage.

  2. Set your data limit according to your data plan and set the start date to the 20th of the month

  3. Set up alerts to warn you when you’re nearing your data limit.

  4. Set up a function to turn off your mobile data when you hit your limit so that you are not charged any extra fees.

    Which apps use the most data?

    You may be surprised by how much data can be drained from video streaming, listening to music, video calling and messaging, even when you’re not using your apps. Here are some handy tips and tricks you can use to save data when using (or not using) your favourite apps.

     

    Netflix

    How much data does Netflix use?

    When streaming Netflix in medium resolution, it can use 1GB per hour. In high resolution, it can use up to 4GB per hour.

    Data-save tip
    Lower the playback settings on your Netflix profile to reduce your data usage

    • Scroll down to and click on your profile under ‘Profile & parental controls’

    • Locate ‘Playback settings’ in the drop-down list and click on ‘change’

    • Select a more data-friendly video setting under ‘Data usage per screen’ Show less..

    1. Go to www.netflix.com/login in your browser

    2. Select the profile in which you want to change the video settings (each profile’s settings have to be changed individually)

    3. Hover over your profile avatar in the top right corner and select ‘Account’ View more..

    Youtube

    How much data does YouTube use?

    In high (4K) resolution, streaming YouTube for 1 hour can use up to 2.7GB of data.

    YouTube data-saver tip
    Adjust your video resolution from the default (auto) to the data saver resolution (480p)

    1. Open your youtube app and select your profile avatar in the top right corner

    2. Select Settings

    3. Go to Data saving

    4. Enable Data-saving mode to automatically adjust settings to save mobile data

      Spotify

      How much data does Spotify use?

      1 hour of Spotify listening can use up to 150MB per hour. It may not sound like a lot, but if you listen to just one hour of music per day, that could add up to 6GB of data usage per month.

      Spotify data-saver tip
      Save data by reducing the music quality on your Spotify settings

      1. Open the Spotify app and select Your Library at the bottom right of the screen

      2. Scroll to Music Quality, then under Streaming, select Normal

      3. You can also save data on Spotify by downloading your favourite albums or playlists when connected to Wi-Fi so that you can play them back in Offline Mode when you’re on the go.

      SnapChat

      How much data does Snapchat use?

      Snapchat can use 1GB per 1000 videos. Depending on how many people you connect with, this could be reached over one night while you sleep as Snapchat downloads your friends’ videos even when you aren’t using the app.

      Snapchat data-saver tip

      Save a potentially huge amount of data by preventing Snapchat from running in the background

      1. Open the Snapchat app and open up your profile avatar

      2. Go to the Settings cog in the top right of the screen

      3. Select Manage under Additional Services

      4. Tick the Data Saver box

      Tik Tok

      How much data does TikTok use?

      When set to a high playback resolution, watching TikTok videos can eat up to 1GB of data an hour.

      TikTok data-saver tip

      Lower TikTok’s data usage by lowering the video resolution with the Data Saver option

      1. Open the TikTok app and tap the Me option at the bottom of the screen

      2. Select the three dots in the top right corner to take you to the settings menu

      3. Scroll down to Cache & Cellular Data

      4. Go to Data Saver and enable the toggle