Video streaming typically uses the most data on a smartphone, especially when it plays at high quality. In an illustrative 2022 comparison, Hong Kong’s Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) estimates about 3 GB for an hour of high-quality streaming video, compared with about 700 MB for an hour of standard-quality video and about 15 kB for a plain email without an attachment. These are estimates, not fixed rates: your biggest data user depends on what you do, how long you do it, and the app’s settings.
Which smartphone activities typically use the most data?
Video is the clearest high-use activity in OFCA’s comparison. Its estimates show that high-quality streaming can use more than four times as much data per hour as standard-quality streaming. The figures illustrate the scale of the difference; actual use varies by service and viewing conditions.
| Activity | OFCA estimate |
|---|---|
| One hour of high-quality streaming video | About 3 GB; smartphone-average estimate published by Hong Kong’s OFCA in 2022. |
| One hour of standard-quality streaming video | About 700 MB; smartphone-average estimate published by Hong Kong’s OFCA in 2022. |
| One plain email without an attachment | About 15 kB; estimate published by Hong Kong’s OFCA in 2022. |
Downloads, music streaming, gaming, social-networking apps, maps, tethering and automatic updates can also use cellular data. Their total impact depends on how often they run and how much content they transfer.
Why can video use so much data?
Video sends a continuing stream of data while you watch. Higher resolution and bitrate generally mean more data is needed to deliver the picture, and longer viewing means more time for that transfer to accumulate. Video services may also adapt playback to the available network capacity.
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Ericsson identifies resolution, frame rate, codec, bitrate, smartphone capability, provider encoding and network performance as factors affecting video data use. As a result, an hourly estimate is not a guaranteed rate for every app, phone or connection.
Does social video use more data than streaming services?
Social video can account for a large share of smartphone video traffic without necessarily using more data per hour than long-form video. Ericsson’s November 2025 report found that social-media-generated video represented 70–80% of all mobile video traffic viewed on smartphones across four sampled European networks. Global video-on-demand services represented less than 10% in that sample.
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Those percentages describe the mix of video traffic in a one-week study of four networks—not the share of all smartphone data, a universal ranking of apps, or an individual user’s usage. Ericsson also notes that some traffic could not be classified and that the application mix may not represent absolute traffic shares. Its analysis says professional VOD services deliver higher bitrates, even though social video made up most of the observed smartphone video traffic.
How to find what is using data on your phone
General estimates can identify likely data-heavy activities, but only your usage records can show which apps are using the most cellular data on your device. On an iPhone or iPad:
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- Open Settings > Cellular.
- Review the per-app cellular data list to see which apps have used data.
- Turn off cellular access for an app if you want it to use Wi-Fi only.
- Reset the statistics if you want to track use over a new period.
Labels and available options may vary with the device, carrier and software version. Apple advises contacting your carrier for the most accurate current-period cellular data total.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to change if video is using too much data
- Reduce video viewing on cellular. If you are near your data limit, save longer viewing for Wi-Fi.
- Lower playback quality where available. OFCA’s estimates show a substantial difference between standard- and high-quality video, but the setting and its effect vary by app.
- Check your app list again. Compare cellular use over a representative period so you can see whether the change helped.
When comparing activities, distinguish data per hour from total use over your billing period. An app used briefly at a high rate may consume less overall than one used for many hours. Also check whether playback happened on cellular or Wi-Fi; Wi-Fi use does not count toward cellular usage in the same way.
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