If you’re shopping around for a mobile service package, you might consider various mobile data plans, each with different allocations for mobile data. You’ll need a sufficient amount to take care of all your needs, but you also don’t want to overextend your budget.
You might ask yourself, how much cell phone data do I need? And truthfully, it’s not always an easy question to answer.
The Limitations of Data
If you have access to cellular data through your mobile service plan, you’ll be able to use the internet on your mobile device for nearly all conceivable purposes, from checking your email to streaming content. However, you may be limited to using a specific quantity of data each month – and if you exceed that limit, you might be subject to additional fees.
The simple solution for many people is to pay more for a plan with a higher data cap; in fact, you can even get access to unlimited data if you’re willing to pay enough. However, for others, budget is a major consideration – and it’s important for them to find the right balance between available mobile data and the expenses associated with the mobile service plan.
So how much data do you really need?
The Average User
If you’re looking for an easy, straightforward answer, you might be satisfied looking at statistics. The average smartphone user used 12 GB of data per month as of 2021. If you have reason to believe you’re an average smartphone user, or if you suspect your data needs are at or below average, you’ll probably be fine with a 12 GB per month data cap (or anything higher).
Beyond that, you’ll need to take a close look at what types of activities you use your smartphone for – and how frequently you use it.
Typical Sources of Data Use
Most people use their smartphones for at least some, and probably all of the following. These activities are ordered from most to least data intensive, so keep that in mind as you evaluate your own habits.
- Videos. Videos are very data intensive, especially if you stream them in 4K. The higher the quality and the longer the length, the more data your videos will need.
- Audio. Audio isn’t nearly as data intensive as video, but it can eat up a lot of data if you listen to music or podcasts frequently.
- Web browsing and email. Basic online activities like browsing web pages and reading emails are not data intensive. You don’t need much data to support these activities.
- Social media. Social media browsing presents a mix of video, audio, and written content to download. Accordingly, the data needs are variable. Still, higher rates of browsing social media correlate with higher data needs.
- Apps and updates. Downloading apps (and updates for those apps) can also be data intensive, especially if you download new apps and updates regularly.
If you watch a ton of videos on your phone, you’ll need access to far more data than someone who watches videos minimally, and that person will need far more data than someone who only uses their smartphone for checking email and occasional web browsing.
Controlling and Limiting Your Data Use
There are also strategies you can use to control and limit your data use, so you stay well within the limits of your mobile data plan.
- Adjust your settings. Modern smartphones have an abundance of features and settings designed to help users control and track their data usage. For example, you can allow updates to only occur when you’re connected to Wi-Fi, or set data limits for some of your most data-hungry apps.
- Keep an eye on your data use. Modern phones make it easy for you to track and measure your data use. If you have a somewhat tight data cap, keep a close eye on your usage – so you can dial it down when necessary.
- Download content on home Wi-Fi. Utilize Wi-Fi as much as possible, instead of relying on your cellular data plan. If you use data only when necessary, you should be able to stay well within the bounds of even the strictest plans.
- Talk to your family members. If you share data with other users, talk to them about appropriate data usage – and get on the same page with how you’re going to share that limit.
- Be wary of what you consume (and how you consume it). Watching 4K videos all the time is inevitably going to cause issues unless you have unlimited data.
It can be difficult to ascertain the perfect amount of mobile data you need, especially if your needs fluctuate. But with these strategies, and some precautions to avoid exceeding your data cap, you should be able to manage your mobile data plan comfortably.
