What makes TikTok such a data hog?
TikTok is designed to deliver a constant stream of short, entertaining videos. Streaming these HD videos requires loading lots of data very quickly. According to Backlinko, the average TikTok video is 15 seconds long. With over 1 billion active users as of 2022, the amount of data consumed on TikTok is massive.
Additional TikTok features like filters, effects, and music also use up data. The more graphics and sound effects, the more data required. TikTok’s autoplay feature, which automatically starts the next video, also increases overall data consumption as users passively watch more content.
Furthermore, TikTok videos are high resolution, which looks great but consumes way more data than lower resolutions. As BusinessofApps reports, a 1 minute HD TikTok video uses 36MB of data compared to just 6MB for a 1 minute standard resolution YouTube video.
Monitor your data usage
The best place to start is using your phone’s settings to see how much mobile data TikTok is using compared to other apps and activities. Both iPhone and Android make it easy to view data usage for specific apps and time periods.
On iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options. Here you’ll see a breakdown showing TikTok’s mobile data usage for the current period. Tap it to see details. Compare TikTok’s usage to other apps and to see how it correlates to your activities [1].
On Android, go to Settings > Connections > Data usage. Tap Mobile data usage to see a breakdown by app. You can tap TikTok to view details and compare it to other apps. Android also shows WiFi data usage [2].
Monitoring this regularly helps identify when and how you use TikTok most. This makes it easier to modify your behavior to reduce data usage.
Use TikTok’s data saver option
One of the easiest ways to reduce data usage in the TikTok app is to enable the built-in “Data Saver” setting. According to TikTok, Data Saver “will reduce your cellular data usage by lowering video quality” (source).
To turn on Data Saver in the TikTok app:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right.
- Scroll down and select “Data Saver” from the Cache & Cellular section.
- Toggle the switch for Data Saver to the “on” position.
With Data Saver enabled, TikTok will stream videos at a lower quality to conserve data usage. The downside is video quality may be noticeably lower, especially for high-resolution videos. But for limiting cellular data consumption, it’s an easy option directly within the TikTok app.
Lower video quality
One way to reduce the amount of data TikTok uses is to set it to stream and upload lower resolution videos. As explained on Mixcord, TikTok allows you to adjust your video resolution in the app’s settings [1]. Selecting a lower resolution like 480p or 720p means TikTok will use less data to upload and stream videos.
The tradeoff is that lower resolution videos will be more pixelated and blurry. As DVDFab points out, higher video quality leads to better engagement on TikTok, so you’ll want to find the right balance between video quality and data usage [2]. If you’re on a limited data plan, temporarily dropping the resolution can help cut down on data consumption.
Limit autoplay
Autoplay loads the next video automatically after the current video finishes playing. This constant streaming of videos can quickly use up mobile data.
You can turn off autoplay in TikTok’s settings to limit your data usage. Here are the steps to disable autoplay on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on the profile icon in the bottom right.
- Go to Settings > Media and tap on Autoplay.
- Toggle the switch off next to “Autoplay next video”.
With autoplay disabled, videos will no longer automatically load and stream after finishing playback. This prevents TikTok from endlessly using data in the background. You’ll have to manually select each video to watch it.
Turning off autoplay is an easy way to limit your data consumption and prevent TikTok from hogging bandwidth.
Use WiFi when possible
One of the easiest ways to reduce TikTok’s data usage is to only use the app when connected to WiFi. This prevents TikTok from eating into your monthly mobile data allowance.
To restrict TikTok to WiFi only on an iPhone, go to Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options and toggle off TikTok. This will disable mobile data for the app so it can only access the internet via WiFi.
On Android, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > Data saver. Tap on Unrestricted data usage and choose TikTok from the list. Toggle the switch for “Allow app while Data saver on” to disable mobile data. This will limit TikTok to WiFi networks only.
By default, TikTok uses mobile data even when WiFi is available. Forcing it to only use WiFi prevents excessive mobile data consumption and keeps your data plan intact.
Limit your time on TikTok
The more time you spend on TikTok, the more mobile data it will use as it loads videos and other content. One of the most effective ways to reduce TikTok’s data usage is to limit the amount of time you actually spend on the app.
On both iOS and Android devices you can set daily time limits for TikTok to restrict usage. Go to your device’s Settings > Screen Time > App Limits and select TikTok. Choose a reasonable daily time limit, such as 30 minutes or 1 hour. This will automatically lock the app once you’ve reached your limit.
You can also turn off notifications for TikTok in your Settings. Push notifications constantly tempt you to open the app, so disabling them removes a major source of distraction. Set your phone to mute TikTok notifications so you’re less inclined to spend extra time mindlessly scrolling.
Download videos for offline viewing
One way to reduce TikTok’s data usage is to download videos to watch later offline. This allows you to save videos you want to rewatch so you don’t have to stream them again and use more data.
To download a video on TikTok:
- Tap the ‘Share’ icon on the video.
- Select ‘Save video’.
- The video will now be saved to your device storage and available in your Downloads folder in the TikTok app.
Downloading videos rather than rewatching them online each time saves cellular data usage. It also allows you to watch content even when you don’t have an internet connection.
However, be aware downloaded videos can take up storage space on your device. You may want to occasionally clear out your Downloads to free up storage.
Downloading videos can be a useful way to limit how much data TikTok uses by saving videos to watch offline later. Just be mindful of your device’s storage capacity.
Troubleshoot other issues
If TikTok is still using a lot of data after trying the other troubleshooting tips, there could be some technical issues causing unexpected data usage. Try restarting your phone and the TikTok app to clear any glitches. For iPhones, double click the home button and swipe up on the TikTok app to force close it. On Androids, open the app manager and select “Force Stop” on TikTok. Restarting your device after closing the apps can help reset things.
Make sure to also check for any available updates for the TikTok app and your phone software and install them. App and software updates often include fixes for bugs causing problems like excess data usage.
You can also dig into your phone settings to check if any other apps are using data unexpectedly in the background. On iPhones, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options to see which apps are using cellular data. On Androids, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Data Usage to view data usage by app. Check for any apps using more data than expected and try force closing or restricting background data for them. This can prevent unnoticed data hogging.
Consider upgrading your data plan
If TikTok usage is very high, you may need more data per month to accommodate it. According to NerdWallet, the average mobile data usage per month in the US is around 4-8 GB [1]. However, heavy TikTok users can easily use over 10 GB per month.
Before upgrading to an unlimited or higher data plan, try the other tips in this guide first to reduce your data usage. Limiting autoplay, downloading videos, and using WiFi when possible can help cut down on mobile data consumption. Also, be sure to check your current data usage and determine if you’re exceeding your plan’s limits currently.
If you’ve tried other methods and are still blowing through your data due to TikTok, consider upgrading to the next tier of data or an unlimited plan. Just be aware that unlimited plans are more expensive, so only upgrade if absolutely necessary.
