TikTok has become one of the most widely used social platforms globally, with over 500 million active users daily and over 2.5 billion downloads. The app sees millions of videos uploaded every day and has become the platform to set trends in the music industry and others. Users spend an average of 53 minutes on the app daily, which begs how much data TikTok uses per hour.
The amount of data that TikTok consumes depends on the kind of videos you watch. Some videos can be fifteen seconds long, and others up to the 10-minute max limit. If you’re watching longer high-quality videos, you’re bound to spend more data on TikTok within the hour. However, on average, TikTok can use 70MB within 5 minutes; hence 840MB within one hour.
This article will go over how much data the app uses in one hour under default settings and in data saving mode and how to reduce your data usage on TikTok.
How Much Data Does TikTok Use Under Default Settings?
When you download TikTok, the app’s settings come with a mobile data use feature that you can toggle on to save data while using the app. By default, this feature is off, and it lets you enjoy videos without limiting your data usage. From various tests and observations, the app under this default setting uses an average of 70MB in five minutes, putting the data usage per hour at 840MB.
This amount does not imply you’ll use 840MB in one hour every time you use the app. It can be more, and it can be less. It all depends on the length of videos you watch within that hour, the quality, and how many videos you watch. TikTok videos can be as short as 15 seconds and as long as 10 minutes.
TikTok takes as much data as a streaming platform like Netflix and YouTube that can take up to 700MB for an SD-quality video. An HD-quality video could go from 900MB to 3GB depending on the ultra HD settings.
If you limit your TikTok time to one hour per day, you might just want to budget 1GB of data for the day. It’ll be in the same range for either use over mobile data or Wi-Fi.
How Much Data Does TikTok Use In Data Saving Mode?
TikTok settings have a cache and cellular data option where you can control the amount of data consumed by the app. Go to the “Data Saver” option and click on it. Toggle on the data saver option to reduce data consumption when using cellular data.
Using the data saving mode makes the app consume less data than under default settings. TikTok uses an average of 30MB in five minutes with the data saving mode, which means you’ll spend 360MB in one hour on the data saving mode.
Using the data-saving mode will reduce your video resolution, so you might not get the same quality as when you’re not saving data. Also, it’ll take a longer time for videos to load, but you’ll still have a good experience overall.
You should note that the data-saving mode will not apply to the app when using Wi-Fi.
How To Use Less Data On TikTok
You can easily get carried away with the videos on TikTok, which means more data consumed and more bills to pay. There are a few ways to control your data usage on TikTok.
Method #1: Use Data Saving Mode
How to toggle on the data saving mode has already been established above, and it’s very effective in reducing the app’s data consumption.
Method #2: Use Wi-Fi or An Unlimited Cellular Data Plan
Using Wi-Fi will save you from spending so much cellular data on TikTok. You can also opt for unlimited data plans that let you use data to your fill without worrying about it finishing.
Method #3: Limit The App’s Data Usage Per Day
You can limit the app’s data usage from your phone settings. Most Android and iOS have a function that lets you set data usage on any app, and the phone will alert you when you’re near the limit or going over.
Method #4: Use TikTok Lite
There’s a lite version of the app that lets you consume less data and reduces battery usage.
Method #5: Set Your Time Limit
This has more to do with self-discipline than with any function on your phone. Set a time for when you want to use TikTok and ensure not to exceed it.
Conclusion
Using TikTok over cellular data is quite expensive because of the large volume of data it comes by the hour. It’s so easy to get lost in the maze of interesting videos that you need to be conscious of how much time you use not to exceed your data limits.
