With more than 300 million people on Twitter, humans are connected like never before, with the social media platform one of the most downloaded and popular apps to emerge in the past decade. With lots of people comes lots of opinions, breaking news and information, meaning that your data may be feeling a bit overwhelmed every time you open the app. But just how much data does Twitter use, and how can you use less data? Find out below.
How much data does Twitter use?
With no official word from Twitter in regards to data usage, we decided to test it ourselves. Using an iPhone 8+, a five-minute continuous scrolling session used about 30MB of data, meaning an hour-long Twitter binge will cost you 360MB data. This is what we found:
| Minutes on Twitter | Mobile Data Used |
|---|---|
| 5 | 30MB |
| 30 | 180MB |
| 60 | 360MB |
| 90 | 540MB |
Estimates only. Based on data tracking settings via iPhone 8+ phone.
As these are just estimates, the amount of data used will be dependent on a variety of factors, including service provider, what you’re actually downloading (such as videos and images), as well as what settings you have installed on your phone and app, meaning it’s always best to keep an eye on your data usage if you’re cutting it close.
How do you use less data on Twitter?
To save data with Twitter, you should first ensure you have the latest version of the app – you can check this via the App Store or Google Play. Once you’re running the latest version, simply hop onto the app and tap your profile picture on the upper left. Click the ‘Settings and Privacy’ tab on the left bar and from there select ‘Data Usage’. If the box next to ‘Data Saver’ is unchecked, tick the box to activate Data Saver. Data Saver loads lower-quality images and doesn’t auto-play video content, allowing you to use less data throughout your session. However, as with the official data numbers, Twitter does not outline how much data this setting will save you, although if you’re looking to stick to a tight data plan, this may help you stay under your limit.
What’s the deal with Twitter and data usage?
As Twitter remains one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, millions of people likely use large chunks of data every day to indulge in the latest trends, and keep up to date with the news and current events. But while the app itself is free to download and use, you may be paying on your phone bill if you don’t keep an eye on your data limits. However, with the Data Saver option (or an unlimited data plan), you can still enjoy scrolling through Twitter without a hefty bill waiting at the end.
Here is a selection of postpaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 10GB of data, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use Canstar Blue’s phone plan comparison tool to see a wide range of plans on offer from mobile providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Here is a selection of prepaid plans from Canstar Blue’s database with a minimum of 10GB of data, listed in order of standard cost, lowest to highest, then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This table includes products with links to referral partners.
Photo credits: nopporn/shutterstock.com, WoraweeMeepian/shutterstock.com
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