{"id":5215,"date":"2024-08-27T07:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T06:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cow.neondragon.net\/?p=5215"},"modified":"2024-08-30T12:38:35","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T11:38:35","slug":"download-limits-actual-meaning-of-gb","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/download-limits-actual-meaning-of-gb","title":{"rendered":"Mobile Data: How Many Gigabytes Do You Need &#038; How Long Will It Last?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\"><em>If you&#8217;re choosing a new mobile phone plan, you&#8217;ll need to figure out how much data you need. Find out how long each gigabyte (GB) of data will last.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-27406\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens-250x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens-250x150.jpg 250w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens-768x461.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens-40x24.jpg 40w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens-100x60.jpg 100w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens-500x300.jpg 500w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens-750x450.jpg 750w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iPhone-12-Screens.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>Nowadays, the main distinction between mobile phone plans is the number of gigabytes of data that you&#8217;ll get included with it.<\/p>\n<p>As of 2024, the average UK mobile user needs about 10GB data per month. However, there&#8217;s a massive difference in our own individual requirements, and data plans range from 1GB per month, up to 100GB per month, or even fully <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/unlimited-data\">unlimited data<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll explain mobile data allowances and how to work out the number of gigabytes (GB) of data you need. We&#8217;ll also look at the different apps that you might use on your smartphone, and how they contribute to your mobile data use. Finally, we&#8217;ll discuss how to find out your current data consumption and the ways to reduce your mobile data usage.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#What_Are_Download_Limits\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> What Are Download Limits?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_Much_Data_Do_I_Need\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> How Much Data Do I Need?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Average_Data_Consumption\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> Average Data Consumption<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_To_Find_Out_Your_Current_Data_Usage\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">4<\/span> How To Find Out Your Current Data Usage<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Smartphone_Data_Usage_Monitor\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.1<\/span> Smartphone Data Usage Monitor<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Mobile_Network_Apps\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">4.2<\/span> Mobile Network Apps<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Reducing_Your_Mobile_Data_Consumption\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">5<\/span> Reducing Your Mobile Data Consumption<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Terminology\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">6<\/span> Terminology<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#More_Information\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">7<\/span> More Information<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2><span id=\"What_Are_Download_Limits\">What Are Download Limits?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-22153\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/UK-Satellite-Map-206x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"172\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/UK-Satellite-Map-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/UK-Satellite-Map-27x40.jpg 27w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/UK-Satellite-Map-69x100.jpg 69w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/UK-Satellite-Map.jpg 695w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 172px) 100vw, 172px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the past, choosing a mobile plan was mainly about comparing the number of minutes and texts included. Nowadays, however, it&#8217;s more about the amount of data included (i.e. the number of gigabytes, or GB of data).<\/p>\n<p>Today, the cheapest entry-level mobile plans come with about 1GB of data per month. Your monthly data allowance will then increase rapidly as you pay more for your plan, up to 100GB data or more on the most expensive plans. You can even get an unlimited data plan, so there&#8217;ll be no need to worry about how much data you&#8217;re using.<\/p>\n<p>The following table shows how monthly prices compare for plans with different amounts of data:<\/p>\n<p>[data-plan-comparison-table]<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_Much_Data_Do_I_Need\">How Much Data Do I Need?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-22152\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/London-Light-Trails-300x192.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/London-Light-Trails-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/London-Light-Trails-768x492.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/London-Light-Trails-40x26.jpg 40w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/London-Light-Trails-100x64.jpg 100w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/London-Light-Trails.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>As of 2024, the average UK mobile user needs about 10GB of mobile data per month. However, it&#8217;s important to bear in mind that the amount of data needed varies substantially from person to person.<\/p>\n<p>If you use a lot of data-heavy apps (e.g. videos and photos) when you&#8217;re outside the range of a Wi-Fi network, it&#8217;s likely that you&#8217;ll need more data than the average person.<\/p>\n<p>On the contrary, if you&#8217;re mainly using data-light apps (e.g. messaging or audio) when you&#8217;re outside the range of Wi-Fi, you&#8217;ll probably need less mobile data than the average person.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"h3\">Your data requirements depend on the type of apps you use.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[data-table]<\/p>\n<p>For more information on how these estimates have been calculated, <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/download-limits-actual-meaning-of-gb#Our_Assumptions\">see our assumptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"h3\">It also depends on how much you&#8217;re using Wi-Fi.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The other thing to consider is that you only need to count data usage when you&#8217;re outside the range of Wi-Fi (as any data that&#8217;s transferred over Wi-Fi does not count towards your mobile data limit).<\/p>\n<p>To give an example, I normally use about 50GB of data per month in total on my smartphone. However, I&#8217;m usually connected to Wi-Fi, both when I&#8217;m at home and at work. In fact, more than 90% of my total data usage goes over Wi-Fi. Therefore, I&#8217;ll very rarely use more than 5GB of mobile data per month and as such, my mobile data plan only needs to cover this smaller figure.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, this varies based on your own individual circumstances and whether you have access to Wi-Fi at your workplace, school, or other places where you&#8217;re spending lots of time.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"h3\">How to choose the right data plan<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve figured out how much data you use, it&#8217;s then best to choose a plan that will more than adequately cover the amount of mobile data you need.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if your average mobile data consumption ranges between 5GB and 15GB per month, you might choose something like a <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/data-plans\/20gb-data\">20GB<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/data-plans\/30gb-data\">30GB data plan<\/a>. The reason why it&#8217;s worth buying a plan with a little more data than you need is because the mobile networks will charge you quite a lot for going over your limit.<\/p>\n<p>On the major UK networks, you&#8217;ll pay in the region of \u00a38 to \u00a310 per GB when you go over your limit. However, a plan costing just \u00a31 or \u00a32 more per month may come with a lot more data included. Therefore, it will work out to be cheaper overall when you leave yourself some headroom in terms of the data available.<\/p>\n<table class=\"container table-sm tariff-widget-ng tariff-widget-ng-simo border mx-0 mb-3\">\r\n\t<thead>\r\n\t\t<tr class=\"row m-0 p-2 font-weight-bold text-center bg-light\">\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"d-none d-md-block col-md-3 py-0\">Network<\/th>\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0\">Data<\/th>\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0\">Monthly Cost<\/th>\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"d-none d-md-block col-md-1 p-0\"><\/th>\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t<\/thead><tbody><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/idmobile.png' height='45' width='40' alt='iD Mobile'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#000\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#000\">Three<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited texts<\/li><\/ul><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\"><span class=\"data-allowance-number\">20<\/span>GB<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a36.00<\/strong><br>per month<hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>1 month contract<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/sim-only\/?tariff=aw_43196824206\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_idmobile_6.00_1_20000\"  data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/pclick.php?p=43196824206&a=106140&m=6366\"  data-aff=\"iD Mobile\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/spusu.png' height='23' width='75' alt='spusu'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#1d9f9e\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#1d9f9e\">EE<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited UK mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited UK texts<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-globe fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>500 intl mins<\/li><\/ul><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\"><span class=\"data-allowance-number\">20<\/span>GB<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a36.90<\/strong><br>per month<hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>1 month contract<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spusu.co.uk%2Fspusu20exclusive\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"Spusu\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.spusu.co.uk\/spusu20exclusive\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_spusu_6.90_1_20000\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/talkmobile.png' height='14' width='75' alt='Talkmobile'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#e41a22\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#e41a22\">Vodafone<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited texts<\/li><\/ul><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\"><span class=\"data-allowance-number\">35<\/span>GB<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a36.95<\/strong><br>per month<hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>1 month contract<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/sim-only\/?tariff=aw_43833878166\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_talkmobile_6.95_1_35000\"  data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/pclick.php?p=43833878166&a=106140&m=2351\"  data-aff=\"Talkmobile\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/giffgaff.png' height='21' width='75' alt='giffgaff'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#1937e4\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#1937e4\">O2<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited texts<\/li><\/ul><p class=\"mt-n2\"><span class=\"badge badge-pill badge-dark text-wrap\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-bolt mr-1\"><\/i>Offer ends 18th May<\/span><\/p><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\"><span class=\"data-allowance-number\">40<\/span>GB<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a310.00<\/strong><br>per month<hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>1 month rolling<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.giffgaff.com%2Fsim-only%2Fdeals%2Fmonthly-rolling%2F10pound-golden-goodybag\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"giffgaff SIM\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.giffgaff.com\/sim-only\/deals\/monthly-rolling\/10pound-golden-goodybag\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_giffgaff_10.00_1_40000\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n<p>If you&#8217;re a heavy data user, or if you just want the reassurance that you&#8217;ll never run out of data, another option is to choose an <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/unlimited-data\">unlimited data plan<\/a>. These tend to be slightly more expensive, but the prices have fallen in recent years to as little as \u00a318 per month (or sometimes even less when you take advantage of some time-limited offers).<\/p>\n<table class=\"container table-sm tariff-widget-ng tariff-widget-ng-simo border mx-0 mb-3\">\r\n\t<thead>\r\n\t\t<tr class=\"row m-0 p-2 font-weight-bold text-center bg-light\">\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"d-none d-md-block col-md-3 py-0\">Network<\/th>\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0\">Data<\/th>\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0\">Monthly Cost<\/th>\r\n\t\t\t<th scope=\"col\" class=\"d-none d-md-block col-md-1 p-0\"><\/th>\r\n\t\t<\/tr>\r\n\t<\/thead><tbody><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/idmobile.png' height='45' width='40' alt='iD Mobile'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#000\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#000\">Three<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited texts<\/li><\/ul><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">Unlimited<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a315.00<\/strong><br>per month<hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>1 month contract<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/sim-only\/?tariff=aw_43291301027\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_idmobile_15.00_1_999999\"  data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/pclick.php?p=43291301027&a=106140&m=6366\"  data-aff=\"iD Mobile\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/talkmobile.png' height='14' width='75' alt='Talkmobile'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#e41a22\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#e41a22\">Vodafone<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited texts<\/li><\/ul><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">Unlimited<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a316.00<\/strong><br>per month<hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>1 month contract<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/sim-only\/?tariff=aw_43833878161\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_talkmobile_16.00_1_999999\"  data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/pclick.php?p=43833878161&a=106140&m=2351\"  data-aff=\"Talkmobile\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/lycamobile.png' height='30' width='75' alt='Lycamobile'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#1d9f9e\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#1d9f9e\">EE<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited UK mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited UK texts<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-globe fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>100 intl mins<\/li><\/ul><p class=\"mt-n2\"><span class=\"badge badge-pill badge-dark text-wrap\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-bolt mr-1\"><\/i>Offer ends 30th Apr<\/span><\/p><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">Unlimited<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a318.00<\/strong><br>per month<br \/><span class=\"badge badge-pill badge-primary mt-2 text-wrap\" style=\"font-size:90%;line-height:1.5;\">6 months half price<\/span><hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>24 month contract<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lycamobile.co.uk%2Fpaymonthly%2Fen%2Fbundle%2F24-month-unlimited-plan%2F\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"Lycamobile\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.lycamobile.co.uk\/paymonthly\/en\/bundle\/24-month-unlimited-plan\/\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_lycamobile_18.00_24_999999\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr class=\"row position-relative px-3 m-0 border-top\" ><td class=\"col-md-3 px-2 pl-md-0 pt-3 pb-0 pb-md-3 border-0 text-center\"><img src='https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/images\/operators\/icon-200\/sky.png' height='36' width='60' alt='Sky Mobile'  class='text-center py-1'><br><ul style=\"list-style: none;\" class=\"text-md-left px-0 mt-2\"><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" style=\"color:#1937e4\" class=\"fa fa-signal fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i><strong style=\"color:#1937e4\">O2<\/strong> coverage<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-phone fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited mins<\/li><li class=\"d-inline-block mx-2 d-md-block mx-md-0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fa fa-envelope-o fa-fw mr-1\"><\/i>Unlimited texts<\/li><\/ul><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">Unlimited<\/strong><br>data<\/div><\/td><td class=\"col-6 col-md-4 py-0 py-md-3 px-2 border-0\"><div class=\"w-100 h-100 p-2 rounded-lg bg-light text-center border\"><strong style=\"font-size: 1.3rem;\">\u00a320.00<\/strong><br>per month<hr class=\"my-2\"><span style=\"font-size:90%\"><strong>12 month contract<\/strong><\/span><\/div><\/td><td class=\"py-3 col-md-1 px-0 border-0 position-static\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/sim-only\/?tariff=aw_43629079603\"  rel=\"nofollow\"  data-tid=\"SIMO_sky_20.00_12_999999\"  data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/pclick.php?p=43629079603&a=106140&m=11005\"  data-aff=\"Sky UK\"  class=\"btn btn-primary w-100 stretched-link\"><span class=\"d-inline d-md-none\">See deal &nbsp;<\/span><i class=\"fa fa-external-link\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n<h2><span id=\"Average_Data_Consumption\">Average Data Consumption<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-22150\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Mobile-Phone-Mast-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Mobile-Phone-Mast-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Mobile-Phone-Mast-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Mobile-Phone-Mast-40x30.jpg 40w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Mobile-Phone-Mast-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Mobile-Phone-Mast.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>As of 2024, the average UK consumer uses about 10GB of mobile data each month.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that&#8217;s worth noting is how the average mobile data usage has grown significantly over the past few years. In 2022, the average consumer used just 5.6GB of mobile data per month. This increased to 8.0GB per month in 2023 and 9.9GB per month in 2024 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ofcom.org.uk\/phones-and-broadband\/service-quality\/communications-market-2024\/\">Ofcom<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Clearly, our average mobile data consumption will continue to grow over time. Therefore, it&#8217;s worth bearing this in mind if you&#8217;re signing up for a longer plan (e.g. for a 24-month contract).<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_To_Find_Out_Your_Current_Data_Usage\">How To Find Out Your Current Data Usage<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span id=\"Smartphone_Data_Usage_Monitor\">Smartphone Data Usage Monitor<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-23181\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/iPhone-Data-Usage-Monitor-124x250.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/iPhone-Data-Usage-Monitor-510x1024.jpg 510w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/iPhone-Data-Usage-Monitor-20x40.jpg 20w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/iPhone-Data-Usage-Monitor-50x100.jpg 50w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/iPhone-Data-Usage-Monitor-249x500.jpg 249w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/iPhone-Data-Usage-Monitor-373x750.jpg 373w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/iPhone-Data-Usage-Monitor.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/><\/strong>The best way to find out how much data you use is with your smartphone&#8217;s built-in data usage monitor.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>iPhone:<\/strong> On your iPhone, go to <em>Settings &gt; Mobile Data<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Android:<\/strong> On Android, go to <em>Settings &gt; Network &amp; internet &gt; SIMs &gt; App data usage<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On this screen, you&#8217;ll be able to see the total amount of mobile data you&#8217;ve used, along with a breakdown on a per-app basis. This makes it a really useful tool for understanding where your mobile data usage comes from. You&#8217;ll also be able to set an alert for when your mobile data usage exceeds a certain limit.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Mobile_Network_Apps\">Mobile Network Apps<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You can also see how much data you&#8217;ve used through your mobile network&#8217;s official website or app. This will show you the authoritative figure that&#8217;s used for billing purposes, but it&#8217;s less useful for understanding what&#8217;s actually using that data (you won&#8217;t get the app-by-app breakdown of usage).<\/p>\n<p>You can use one of the following apps, depending on the mobile network you&#8217;re on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>EE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fee.co.uk%2Fee-and-me%2Fmy-ee-app\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"EE Mobile\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/ee.co.uk\/ee-and-me\/my-ee-app\">My EE<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>giffgaff:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.giffgaff.com%2Fmobile-app\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"giffgaff SIM\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.giffgaff.com\/mobile-app\">My giffgaff App<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>iD Mobile:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.idmobile.co.uk%2Fapp\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"iD Mobile\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.idmobile.co.uk\/app\">iD Mobile App<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>O2:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.o2.co.uk%2Fapps%2Fmy-o2\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"O2 Mobile\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.o2.co.uk\/apps\/my-o2\">My O2<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Sky:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fpages%2Fnewmyskyapp\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"Sky UK\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.sky.com\/pages\/newmyskyapp\">My Sky<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Tesco Mobile:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tescomobile.com%2Ftescomobile-app\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"Tesco Mobile\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.tescomobile.com\/tescomobile-app\">Tesco Mobile App<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Three:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.three.co.uk%2Fthreeapp\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"Three Mobile\" data-ourl=\"http:\/\/www.three.co.uk\/threeapp\">Three App<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Vodafone:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/redir\/?go=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vodafone.co.uk%2Fmy-vodafone-account%2Fvodafone-apps%2Fmy-vodafone-app\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-aff=\"Vodafone Mobile\" data-ourl=\"https:\/\/www.vodafone.co.uk\/my-vodafone-account\/vodafone-apps\/my-vodafone-app\">My Vodafone App<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Reducing_Your_Mobile_Data_Consumption\">Reducing Your Mobile Data Consumption<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to reduce your mobile data usage, here are some of our top tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-19481\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo-300x192.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo-768x493.png 768w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo-1024x657.png 1024w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo-40x26.png 40w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo-100x64.png 100w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo-900x577.png 900w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/WiFi-Logo.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><strong>Use Wi-Fi whenever it&#8217;s available (e.g. at home, work and school).<\/strong> Any data that&#8217;s transferred over a Wi-Fi connection won&#8217;t count towards the download limit on your mobile plan. For this reason, it&#8217;s a good idea to connect to Wi-Fi in places where you spend a lot of time (e.g. at home, at work and at school). This allows you to save your data, so you can use it when you actually need (e.g. when you&#8217;re outside without access to wi-fi).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Download TV shows &amp; movies to your device, before leaving home. <\/strong>In many cases, it&#8217;s possible to download shows and movies to your device, so you&#8217;re able to watch them without using your mobile data. The disadvantage is that it requires a bit of planning in advance, along with spare storage on your phone. However, it should give you a smoother watching experience as you then won&#8217;t need to rely on the mobile network for streaming.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-23187\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App-225x250.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App-225x250.jpg 225w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App-768x855.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App-36x40.jpg 36w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App-90x100.jpg 90w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App-449x500.jpg 449w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App-674x750.jpg 674w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Instagram-App.jpg 838w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><strong>Disable auto-play videos on social media.<\/strong> On many social networking websites like Facebook and Instagram, videos can play automatically as soon as you scroll past them in your feed. This will consume a lot of data as the videos will download to your phone, even if you don&#8217;t want to watch them. If you turn off the auto-play feature, you&#8217;ll be able to save a lot of data.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check your software update &amp; cloud backup settings.<\/strong> App updates and automatic cloud backups can use a lot of data in the background. It&#8217;s worth double-checking the settings on your phone so these will only take place when you&#8217;re connected to Wi-Fi. As well as checking your system settings, check inside Apple iCloud, Google Photos and other cloud storage apps.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Uninstall apps that use a lot of data, or restrict their background data use.<\/strong> Your smartphone&#8217;s data usage monitor will tell you how much data each app is consuming on your phone. You can uninstall any data-hungry apps if you no longer want to use them. Alternatively, you can switch off the &#8220;background app refresh&#8221; or &#8220;background data usage&#8221; setting. This will stop it from using your mobile data when you aren&#8217;t inside and actively using that app.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Terminology\">Terminology<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>KB, MB, GB and TB (Kilobytes, Megabytes, Gigabytes and Terabytes)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are 1,000 kilobytes in a megabyte (1000KB = 1MB) and 1,000 megabytes in a gigabyte (1000MB = 1GB). Occasionally, the concept of a terabyte has started creeping into usage: there are 1,000 gigabytes in a terabyte (1000GB = 1TB).<\/p>\n<p>You can use the following table to convert between the four different measurements:<\/p>\n<table class=\"table table-ken table-sm table-bordered\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Measurement<\/th>\n<th>In Terabytes<\/th>\n<th>In Gigabytes<\/th>\n<th>In Megabytes<\/th>\n<th>In Kilobytes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Terabyte<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>1TB = 0.001 GB<\/td>\n<td>1TB = 0.000\u2009001 MB<\/td>\n<td>1TB = 0.000\u2009000\u2009001 KB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gigabyte<\/td>\n<td>1GB = 0.001 TB<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>1GB = 1,000 MB<\/td>\n<td>1GB = 1,000,000 KB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Megabyte<\/td>\n<td>1MB = 0.000 001 TB<\/td>\n<td>1MB = 0.001 GB<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<td>1MB = 1,000 KB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kilobyte<\/td>\n<td>1KB = 0.000 000 001 TB<\/td>\n<td>1KB = 0.000 001 GB<\/td>\n<td>1KB = 0.001 MB<\/td>\n<td>&#8211;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>For more information, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Metric_prefix\">see the full explanation<\/a> from Wikipedia.<\/p>\n<p>In general, most mobile data allowances are measured in terms of gigabytes (GB). However, on some lower-cost tariffs, the data allowance could be measured in megabytes (MB). For instance, some tariffs come with 500MB of data, which is equivalent to 0.5GB.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unlimited Data<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nowadays, certain price plans come with <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/unlimited-data\">unlimited data<\/a> so there&#8217;s no need to worry about how much data you&#8217;re using. It&#8217;s worth, however, double-checking the terms and conditions when you sign up.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, some mobile networks will slow down your connection once you&#8217;ve used a certain amount of data in one month.<\/p>\n<p>In other cases, you might only have unlimited data for use on a selected list of apps. To give an example, VOXI offers\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/voxi-review#Endless_Social_Media\">unlimited social media<\/a> on all of their plans, plus unlimited music and unlimited video on selected plans. This is also known as &#8216;zero rated data&#8217;, as your data consumption in selected apps will not count towards your normal monthly data allowance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Download Speeds (Mbit\/s or Mbps)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-21362\" src=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Data-Connections-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Data-Connections-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Data-Connections-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Data-Connections-40x27.jpg 40w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Data-Connections-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Data-Connections.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/download-speeds-2g-3g-and-4g-actual-meaning\">Download speeds<\/a> (the speed of your mobile internet connection) are sometimes compared to your monthly download allowance. However, it&#8217;s important to remember that download speeds are measured in mega<em>bits<\/em> per second, as opposed to mega<em>bytes<\/em> per second.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, a 5 megabyte (5MB) music file actually consists of 40 megabits (as there are 8 bits in 1 byte). On a data connection that is 4Mbit\/s, it would take you 10 seconds to download this 5MB file (5MB * 8 Mbits per Mbyte \/ 4Mbit per second = 10 seconds).<\/p>\n<p>Having a faster connection doesn&#8217;t mean you&#8217;ll automatically use more data. That&#8217;s because the size of the download is fixed, regardless of your speed. However, when things download faster, people will often download more of it. This means there&#8217;s often an indirect relationship between your download speed and data use.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"More_Information\">More Information<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve figured out how much data you need, see our guide to the UK&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/sim-only-deals\">best SIM-only deals<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/kenstechtips.com\/index.php\/free-pay-as-you-go-sim-cards-listed-reviewed-and-compared\">Pay As You Go SIMs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"Our_Assumptions\" class=\"alert bg-light p-3 small\">\n<p><strong>Data usage calculations &amp; assumptions, by app:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Video Streaming &amp; Calls: <\/strong>For online video, we&#8217;ve used a figure of 800MB per hour for a standard-quality video stream. This is based on a survey and testing of the following apps: TikTok (800MB per hour), BBC iPlayer (800MB per hour), Netflix (700MB per hour <a href=\"https:\/\/help.netflix.com\/en\/node\/87\">for medium quality<\/a>) and Zoom (800MB per hour). The amount of data used may be higher, depending on your video quality. For instance, the Netflix website <a href=\"https:\/\/help.netflix.com\/en\/node\/87\">quotes 3GB per hour<\/a> for high-definition (HD) streaming.<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Photos &amp; Social Media:<\/strong> Looking at a sample of photos taken on a smartphone, individual file sizes can vary from 1MB to 10MB or more. We&#8217;ve used an average figure of 3MB per photo, based on a typical 12-megapixel photo. For image-based social media sites (e.g. Instagram), we&#8217;ve used an approximate figure of 500MB per hour. This is based on a 5-minute browsing session using 40MB of data.<\/li>\n<li><strong>App Downloads:<\/strong> As of 2024, the top iOS and Android mobile applications range from around 100MB to 200MB per app. Certain graphics-heavy mobile games were found to be substantially larger (up to 5GB data).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Web Browsing:<\/strong> As of 2024, the <a href=\"https:\/\/httparchive.org\/reports\/page-weight\">median web page size<\/a> is 2.4MB when accessed from a mobile device. If you were browsing continuously and opened 40 web pages per hour, this would use around 100MB per hour of data.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Audio: <\/strong>At a typical bitrate of 96kbps, online radio and streaming apps such as Spotify will use about 40MB data per hour. In some cases, you can stream audio at up to 320kbps, but this would still use less than 150MB data per hour.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Text: <\/strong>You can send or receive 350,000 text-only messages with 1GB of data. For this reason, text-only messages rarely make a significant difference to how much data you use.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;re choosing a new mobile phone plan, you&#8217;ll need to figure out how much data you need. Find out how long each gigabyte (GB) of data will last. Nowadays, the main distinction between mobile phone plans is the number of gigabytes of data that you&#8217;ll get included with it. As of 2024, the average [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23181,"parent":14603,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5215","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Mobile Data: How Many Gigabytes (GB) of Data Do You Need?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you&#039;re choosing a new mobile plan, you&#039;ll need to figure out how much data you need. 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