Apps are increasingly consuming mobile data

With each update to mobile apps, users' data consumption increases, according to a report by the independent UK body Ofcom

The annual report by the independent UK body Ofcom for the communications industry highlights the increase in data consumption through certain smartphone apps.

According to Ofcom data, “mobile data has experienced an annual increase of between 20 and 30 % in personal consumption.” In daily dynamics, the apps that consume the most data while browsing are: YouTube, with an average of 193 megabytes (MB) per five minutes; Disney+, with 150 MB every five minutes; and AllTrails, with 155 MB for use in the same period of time.

On the other hand, they mention Waze, Hotels.com and Uber, with a consumption of 110 MB, 104 MB and 102 MB, respectively, due to the data they require for “the maps, the real-time transportation network and the way the companies’ servers communicate with the application.”

As for social networks, where users browse more hours a day, Snapchat is mentioned at the top of the list, with a consumption of 101 MB for every five minutes. Then there is Pinterest, which consumes 85 MB every five minutes; Threads with 82 MB for every five minutes; TikTok with 79 MB, Telegram with a consumption of 70 MB, Instagram with 69 MB, Facebook and X with 65 MB and 50 MB each.

It is necessary to take into account that for the calculation of the MB of consumption, each action through the connection is included. That is, “each word, image or video that is viewed through the web browser of a smartphone has its own data footprint, which is measured in megabytes. The same thing happens when posting a photo on Instagram or sending messages via WhatsApp.”

In the case of browsers, the study mentions Safari (default for iOS) as the one that uses the most data, with 56 MB for every five minutes. Microsoft Edge consumes 29 MB and Google Chrome 24 GB every five minutes on average.

Recommendations to optimize and reduce data consumption include deactivating the automatic synchronization of applications, which helps prevent “data from accounts that have been used on other devices from being downloaded to keep applications synchronized.”

In addition, and in the specific case of YouTube videos, it is recommended to view them in lower quality, for example; this is to go from 1,080p to 240p. The user can configure the video quality preferences in advance.

In the case of social networks, it is possible to deactivate automatic downloads and playback of content to reduce data consumption.

Regarding navigation, iOS and Android are known to have a “saving mode in the system settings” that helps limit the amount of data used.

M.Pino

Source: elnacional

(Reference image source: Angela Compagnone in Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

You might also like