Before you buy
How much data TikTok uses per hour
It's the app that empties a data plan fastest, and the one you notice least while it happens. The figures, and the setting that halves them.
Dani Requena 6 min Photo by Agustin Diaz Gargiulo on Unsplash TikTok is pure video, full screen and chained together without pauses. That makes it the fastest way to spend a data plan, and the hardest to notice: there's no download that starts and finishes, there's a constant trickle while your thumb keeps moving.
How much it uses, in figures
It depends heavily on the quality the app decides to serve, and it makes that decision based on how good your connection is. On a fast network it uses more, not less.
| How you're using it | Per hour, roughly |
|---|---|
| With data saver switched on | 150 to 300 MB |
| Normal use on 4G | 350 to 600 MB |
| Good network and high quality | 700 MB to 1 GB |
| Uploading a one minute video | 20 to 60 MB |
For context: twenty minutes of TikTok a day over a week of travel is between 800 MB and 2 GB. Twenty minutes a day is not much for most people.
The setting to change before you fly
TikTok has a data saver mode in its settings, in the cache and data section. It lowers video quality and, above all, stops preloading the next ones, which is where a good part of the invisible usage comes from.
With that on, usage falls by roughly half. Over a two week trip that's several gigabytes of difference.
Preloading, which is what nobody sees
So the next video starts without a wait, the app downloads the upcoming ones in advance. If you stop watching and lock your phone, those videos have already been downloaded and already been paid for, whether you watch them or not.
That's why your phone's usage counter shows a bigger number than the time you remember spending on it.
Downloading before you leave, the simple way out
If the flight is long or the trip has a lot of journeys, saving content on wifi before you go is the real saving: downloaded series, music and playlists use nothing at your destination.
And it leaves your data plan for what a trip actually needs, which is maps, messaging and bookings.
How to find out what you personally use
Your phone measures it. Your mobile data settings show usage per app for the period, and TikTok appears there with its number. Check it over a normal week at home and multiply by your days away: it's the most reliable estimate you'll get, because it's built from your usage and not from an average.
To turn that number into an actual plan, the guide is in how much data you actually use on a trip.
Frequently asked questions
How much data does TikTok use in an hour?
Between 350 and 600 MB in normal use, up to 1 GB on a good network at high quality, and between 150 and 300 MB with data saver on.
How do I make TikTok use less?
Switch on data saver mode in the app's settings. It lowers the quality and stops preloading upcoming videos, which is where much of the usage comes from.
Why does it use data when I'm not watching?
Because it downloads upcoming videos in advance so they start without a wait. If you close the app, those videos had already been downloaded.
How much does uploading a video use?
Between 20 and 60 MB for a one minute video, depending on quality and length.
How much data do I need if I watch TikTok while travelling?
Reckon on 0.5 to 1 GB for every half hour of normal daily use. With data saver, half that.
