How Much Mobile Data Does YouTube Use?
From 1GB to 10+GB per week
Summary
TikTok's short-form videos have captured attention, but YouTube remains a dominant force with diverse content. From long-form videos to YouTube Music and Shorts, users find various ways to engage. These platforms, while providing entertainment and information, use data. Have you ever wondered how much data YouTube's videos, YouTube Music, and Shorts use in gigabytes (Gb)? Let's find out.
YouTube Data Usage by Video Resolution and Quality
Watching YouTube videos at different resolutions affects your data consumption. That's why YouTube allows you to change your settings for "Higher Picture Quality" or "Data Saver" — though most times it's set to "Auto."
How much data does a YouTube video use?
As you can see, data usage pretty much doubles with every step-up in resolution. An hour-long video essay on 4K UHD will burn through six times as much data as if you watched it on 720p.
Adding to that, frame rates (30fps vs. 60fps) also impact data usage. In most cases, 720p and 30fps is all you need. So if you're on mobile data, adjust your video quality.
YouTube Music Data Consumption
Without video output, YouTube Music uses a lot less data than the main YouTube app. However, it's still significant compared to how much data Spotify and Apple Music use. This is because YouTube Music can still play videos—albeit in a smaller format—bumping up its data usage.
How much data does YouTube Music use?
Nomad Tip: To minimize data usage on YouTube Music, enable “Do not play music video” and “Do not play podcast video”.
YouTube Shorts Data Consumption
YouTube Shorts, with its short-form videos, can be deceptively good at using your mobile data. Similar to how much data TikTok uses, your video quality settings are limited—offering only 480p, 1080p, and 4K options—which can cause data consumption to spike exponentially. And with the autoplay function, an hour of doomscrolling can easily cost you close to 5GB of data.
How much data does YouTube Shorts use?
Nomad Tip: Reduce your data consumption on YouTube Shorts by switching to "Data-Saver Mode" and disabling autoplay.
Monitoring and Controlling YouTube Data Usage
It's essential to keep track of how much data YouTube is using, especially when you're on a limited data plan or traveling internationally. Fortunately, both iPhone and Android devices provide ways to monitor your YouTube data consumption.
How to check app data usage on iPhone & Android:
- On your iPhone: Settings → Cellular (or Mobile Service) → Mobile Data → Scroll to YouTube.
- On your Android: Settings → Network & Internet → Internet → Settings → YouTube → Data usage
How to Reduce YouTube Data Usage
Here are some practical tips to help you reduce your YouTube data usage:
Lower Video Quality Manually
You can change the default video quality to 480p or lower on mobile data. This will significantly reduce the amount of data used while watching videos.
How to adjust your video quality settings on the YouTube app:
- In your YouTube video: Settings → Quality → Advanced → Select "480p" or lower, based on your preferences
Download Videos on Wi-Fi
YouTube Premium users have the luxury of downloading YouTube videos and music for offline use. This allows you to enjoy your content on-the-go without using mobile data.
To download videos from YouTube, simply tap the "Download" button below the video (it should be next to the "Thanks" button and before the "Clip" button). You can then view your downloads by tapping your profile and scrolling to "Downloads."
Similarly, to download music from YouTube Music, tap the "Download" button below the song title (it should be next to the "Share" button and before the "Radio" button). If you'd like to download an album, tap the "Download" icon (left-most from the "Play" icon). You can then view your downloads by tapping your profile and scrolling to "Downloads."
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Use YouTube Data-Saving Features
YouTube's "Data Saver" mode helps reduce data consumption by limiting video quality and disabling features that use a lot of data.
How to adjust your video settings on the YouTube app:
- YouTube → Settings → Video and Audio Preferences → Video Quality Preferences
- On Mobile Networks: Select "Data Saver"
- On Wi-Fi: Select "Data Saver" (optional, but recommended for further data savings)
How to adjust your audio settings on YouTube Music:
- YouTube Music → Settings → Playback and Restrictions
- Audio quality on mobile data: Select "Normal" or "Low"
- Audio quality on Wi-Fi: Select "Normal" or "Low" (optional)
- Stream via Wi-Fi only: Slide to turn on
Disable Autoplay
Autoplay can cause unnecessary data usage when scrolling through Shorts or regular videos. Imagine how much data you would consume if you fell asleep watching YouTube and it continued playing content!
How to turn off the autoplay feature:
- YouTube → Settings → Video and Audio Preferences → Playback
- Auto-play next video: Slide to turn off
- Playback in feeds: Tap → Select either "Wi-Fi only" or "Off"
Ensure Audio-Only for YouTube Music
Adjust your settings to ensure YouTube Music only plays audio, drastically reducing data usage.
How to enable audio-only mode for YouTube Music playback:
- YouTube Music → Settings → Playback and Restrictions
- Don't play podcast videos: Slide to turn on
- Don't play music videos: Slide to turn on
How to Stream YouTube Smartly Without Running Out of Data
To recap, you can lower your video resolution to save data, leverage YouTube's offline features (if available) to download content on Wi-Fi, and turn off autoplay in YouTube Shorts. For YouTube Music, disable the option to play podcasts and music videos to conserve data.
These simple adjustments can help you significantly reduce data consumption while still enjoying your favorite YouTube content. Remember, being mindful of your data usage can help you avoid unexpected overage charges and ensure you stay connected while traveling.
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