How much data you use depends mostly on video: streaming in HD or 4K uses far more than everything else put together. This guide shows roughly how much common activities use, to help you choose the right plan.
All our home internet plans come with unlimited data, so this matters most for mobile plans, which have a monthly data allowance.
How much data activities use
| Activity | Roughly how much data |
|---|---|
| Streaming video in standard definition (SD) | 1 GB per hour |
| Streaming video in HD | 3 GB per hour |
| Streaming video in 4K | 7 GB per hour |
| Short-form video (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts) | 0.5 to 1 GB per hour |
| Video calls (Zoom, Teams, FaceTime) | 0.5 to 1.5 GB per hour |
| Music streaming (Spotify, Apple Music) | 50 to 150 MB per hour |
| Web browsing and social media | 100 to 200 MB per hour |
| Online gaming, while playing | 50 to 300 MB per hour |
| Downloading a new game | 50 to 150 GB per game |
| Voice calls over the internet (VoIP, WhatsApp) | 30 to 90 MB per hour |
| Email, without attachments | Less than 1 MB per email |
These are estimates for one device. Your actual use varies with the app, its quality settings and your screen size. Figures include both downloads and uploads.
Saving data on mobile
- Lower the video quality. Most streaming apps let you choose the quality used on mobile data, or download shows over Wi-Fi to watch later.
- Turn off autoplay in social media and video apps.
- Keep app updates and photo backups to Wi-Fi. Both can use gigabytes without you noticing.
- Watch your hotspot. A laptop on your phone’s hotspot uses data much faster than the phone itself, because it downloads updates and syncs files.
We email you as you use your mobile data allowance. See usage and spend notifications.
Example: a month of mobile data
Someone who browses and uses social media for an hour a day, streams music for an hour a day, and watches 30 minutes of short videos a day uses about 15 to 20 GB a month. Add an hour of HD video a day and it climbs to over 100 GB.
Compare data allowances on our mobile plans.