It’s no secret how much we love our phones, and the reason we do is because the apps on them. They offer us everything from social connections and entertainment to productivity tools and navigation or guides. However, while they bring convenience and efficiency to our lives, they also consume a significant amount of data. Understanding the data consumption on some of your favourite apps can help you manage your data usage better. Today, we explore the average data consumption per minute on popular apps.

WhatsApp

ActivityData Usage
Text MessagingMinimal data usage, around 1 KB per message.
Voice CallsApproximately 300 KB to 700 KB per minute.
Video CallsHigher consumption, around 3 MB to 5 MB per minute.
Media SharingData usage depends on file size: photos average 300 KB, videos are significantly higher.


Instagram

ActivityData Usage
Text MessagingMinimal data usage, around 1 KB per message.
Voice CallsApproximately 300 KB to 700 KB per minute.
Video CallsHigher consumption, around 3 MB to 5 MB per minute.
Media SharingData usage depends on file size: photos average 300 KB, videos significantly higher.
Browsing FeedApproximately 1.5 MB per minute.
Viewing StoriesAround 2.5 MB per minute.
Watching VideosBetween 4 MB to 7 MB per minute, depending on video quality.
Uploading PhotosApproximately 2 MB per photo.
Uploading VideosAround 8 MB to 10 MB per minute of video.


    Facebook

    ActivityData Usage
    Text MessagingMinimal data usage, around 1 KB per message.
    Voice CallsApproximately 300 KB to 700 KB per minute.
    Video CallsHigher consumption, around 3 MB to 5 MB per minute.
    Media SharingData usage depends on file size: photos average 300 KB, videos significantly higher.
    Browsing FeedApproximately 1 MB to 2 MB per minute.
    Viewing PhotosAround 2 MB per minute.
    Watching VideosBetween 2.6 MB to 7.7 MB per minute (SD to HD quality).
    Uploading PhotosApproximately 1 MB to 2 MB per photo.
    Uploading VideosAround 4 MB to 10 MB per minute of video.


    TikTok

    Video QualityData Usage
    Standard QualityApproximately 8 MB to 20 MB per minute.
    High QualityAround 30 MB to 50 MB per minute.


    X formerly known as Twitter

    ActivityData Usage
    Browsing FeedApproximately 0.6 MB to 1.5 MB per minute.
    Viewing PhotosAround 1 MB per minute.
    Watching VideosBetween 3 MB to 7 MB per minute, depending on video quality.
    Uploading PhotosApproximately 1 MB to 2 MB per photo.
    Uploading VideosAround 4 MB to 10 MB per minute of video.


    YouTube

    Video ResolutionData Usage
    144pApproximately 1.90 MB per minute.
    240pApproximately 2.70 MB per minute.
    360pApproximately 4.40 MB per minute.
    480p (SD)Approximately 7.70 MB per minute.
    720p (HD)Approximately 14.50 MB per minute.
    1080p (Full HD)Approximately 27.60 MB per minute.
    1440p (2K)Approximately 45.00 MB per minute.
    2160p (4K)Approximately 82.50 MB per minute.


    Spotify

    Audio QualityData Usage
    Low Quality (24 kbps)Approximately 0.18 MB per minute.
    Normal Quality (96 kbps)Approximately 0.72 MB per minute.
    High Quality (160 kbps)Approximately 1.2 MB per minute.
    Very High Quality (320 kbps)Approximately 2.4 MB per minute.



    SHEIN / Temu

    E-commerce ActivityData Usage
    Browsing the App/WebsiteApproximately 1 MB to 2 MB per minute.
    Viewing Product ImagesAround 2 MB per minute.
    Watching Product VideosBetween 3 MB to 5 MB per minute, depending on video quality.


    Google

    Search TypeData Usage
    Basic Text SearchApproximately 0.2 MB to 0.5 MB per search.
    Image-Heavy SearchAround 0.5 MB to 1 MB per search.
    Loading a Web PageApproximately 0.5 MB to 3 MB, depending on content.


    We hope this information helps you think of your data consumption in a more efficient manner. We know that sending a voice note is more convenient than typing, but is it worth the extra data usage? These are the kind of informed decisions you can make going forward. If you have more to add to this topic, please comment below or on our social media pages.



    MN

    Article by
    Modiegi N

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