Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a small commission if you make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. For more information, please visit our Disclaimer Page.
New videos are constantly being uploaded to the app, so you will always have something new to watch. However, if you intend to use this app regularly, you will want to know how much data it costs you. Especially if you’re a heavy TikTok user, you know the app can eat up data pretty quickly.
Different variables determine the amount of data that Tik Tok uses. According to various tests, it can use 70MB data within 5 minutes. Under default settings, it will use about 840MB within an hour. When on data saving mode, the data may amount to 30MB in five minutes which is 360MB in an hour.
Tik Tok is a great way to escape from reality, but the amount of data one uses can be a lot compared to other platforms. Today, I will be talking about the amount of data Tik Tok uses per hour and the amount you require for a one-hour episode. Moreover, I will talk about using WiFi when on Tik Tok and tips on using less data on Tik Tok.
Table of Contents
How Much Data Does Tik Tok Use Per Hour?
Tik Tok has become a haven for people who love social media featuring various kinds of dances, challenges, and memes. Even though it is fun, it requires one to equip themselves with a costly data plan to keep up with it. Most streaming apps come with a data-saving option where one can click and adjust the quality.
For Tik Tok, it only features the default settings and the standardized Data Saving Mode. Under default settings, Tik Tok can use 70 MB of data in five minutes, which amounts to about 840MB in An hour. When you set it to the Data saver, it can consume close to 30MB in five minutes, amounting to 360MB in an hour. But you are only able to apply the data saving mode when using mobile data. When applying WiFi, your resolution will be at the highest.
Using the data saving mode will, of course, lower the amount of data that it consumes close to half of it. However, this reduces the resolution of the video, so it may not be as clear. Moreover, the time it takes to load from one clip to the other increases. Even when the resolution is low and navigating from one clip to another takes longer, this does not affect the app’s functionality, and your experience might still be great.
How Much Data Does a 1 Hour Episode Use?
Streaming videos is so much fun, but best if you have enough data to support the streaming. Watching a one-hour episode can eat up most of your data, actually expect to use close to 1GB of data when watching an episode on Tik Tok or platforms such as YouTube and Netflix.
According to research, watching a 15 seconds video on TikTok will use about 2 to 6 MB, which amounts to an average of 4MB. If you are using a lower resolution on the app, then the amount of data will be about 2MB, and if high, the data will be close to 6MB. According to this average, the amount of Data one uses will average to about 1GB per hour, which is when it is on a high resolution.
When you Analyze the data usage depending on the quality in some cases, an SD quality video may use about 0.7GB which is about 700MB per hour episode. If you are watching the episode as an HD quality video, it may use either 0.9GB, 1.5GB, and 3GB. For the ultra HD settings, the data you require may be exceptionally high.
Well, the amount does not differ that much in other sites such as YouTube and Netflix since, in this case, you may find one using that 1GB data per 1 hour episode at a standard resolution. If you want an HD video on Netflix, the data can go up to 3GB per 1-hour episode. When using the 4K Ultra HD, the data coverage shoots up to 7GB per hour video.
Does Tik Tok Use a lot of WiFi?
One great way to enjoy your Tik Tok time without distractions of data running out is using WiFi. To be precise, the unlimited data package may be the best option for this case. Just like using cellular data, using WiFi on Tik Tok will, of course, cost you a dime. Typically, Tik Tok will use about 70MB of data within 5 minutes, about 840 MB in an hour.
On average, I can say that you need about 1GB per hour for you to enjoy a whole hour on Tik Tok. But if you are like me, I will spend most of my free time on Tik Tok, say close to 3 to 4 hours in a day. Therefore I will require about 3GB to 4GB per day for Tik Tok only. If you are spending one hour per day on Tik Tok for a whole month, you will require close to 30GB per month.
It is more economical to use WiFi when accessing Tik Tok. However, even when you are accessing it with WiFi, you should expect to eat up much of it per hour. Therefore it is best to use the unlimited WIFI option for unlimited time and access to the app. With such WiFi, you need not worry about data usage.
Comparing Tik Tok and Youtube, the data Youtube consumes may be way less. Research has it that Tik Tok uses about half more of the data that youtube uses. With 1GB of data, you can enjoy many videos on youtube, unlike on Tik Tok. While using WiFi, Tik Tok will consume more of it than Youtube; even so, WiFi remains the best choice.
How Do I Use Less Data on Tik Tok
Tik Tok indeed consumes a lot of data per hour. But there are ways you can use to minimize this data. Let me take you through the various ways.
Using Data Saving Mode
When you are using Tik Tok and are off WiFi, the data-saving feature will come in handy. As mentioned earlier, the data-saving mode allows you to watch the videos at a lower resolution, and the navigation from one video to another will be slow.
If you want to adjust the data saving mode, first go to Settings on your phone, then apps, and select the Tik Tok. Click on the mobile data icon, then click on the ‘allow background data usage’ and turn it off. Once you do this, the app will consume data only when you open it; therefore, it will not use data in the background. Also, you need to ensure that you turn off your data every time you are not using the app.
Using Unlimited cellular data
If you spend much time watching Tik Tok videos, the best plan is to use unlimited cellular data. Well, buying this package from your service provider is expensive, but you will save so much instead of buying the daily data packages. With the unlimited plan, you will not pay extra cash for the data you consume outside the package, saving you some coins.
Use the Tik Tok Lite app
The Tik Tok lite app is the latest version of Tik Tok that enables you to watch your videos with less data. The app also has low battery usage. Though the app does not have a place where you can turn on the battery saver manually, it will automatically do so.
Use WiFi to upload and watch videos
Recording and editing videos on Tik Tok will not eat up so much data. However, if you intend to watch videos or upload them, leave that for later until you have a WiFi connection. It will help you use less data on the app.
Conclusion
The data Tik Tok uses per hour is quite huge since 1GB of data may end within an hour. Using cellular data on the app is pretty expensive, and the best way to minimize the cost is by using the unlimited cellular data plan or unlimited WiFi. But you can still adjust the data saving mode on the app to ensure that the app does not use data in the background.