List of Applications That Waste the Most Internet Data

Ilustrasi aplikasi di HP. [Unsplash/Saulo Mohana]

HOLIDAY NEWS - Every Action a user takes on their phone, from browsing the web to watching videos, leaves a trail of data. This data is measured in megabytes (MB) and can increase your internet bill significantly. 

The size of the data footprint depends on the application used. Streaming movies and downloading files consumes more data than just sending messages or reading news. Some apps are more efficient than others, while some can even drain your data plan with background tasks. 

In research conducted by Holafly, there are several applications that use the most internet data. By understanding these applications, users can make informed decisions about how to use their phones. 

Aplikasi sosial media dan streaming yang paling banyak menggunakan data. [Holafly]

Reporting from Gizchina on Thursday (3/10/2024), to measure data usage, Holafly uses the My Data Manager application. With this, Holafly tested popular apps on iPhone 15 Pro Max and Android Xiaomi Redmi 9. 

Holafly isolates each app by closing all other apps and disabling WiFi. It then starts the stopwatch when the app is launched. After five minutes of use, the team recorded total data consumption (MB) from the My Data Manager report. This method provides a reliable assessment of each application's internet data usage. 

YouTube emerged as the first winner in this study of data-hungry apps. As the findings show, YouTube consumes 193 MB every five minutes. With this, YouTube surpasses Disney+ by a significant margin. 

This dominance is caused by the large video file size. These files typically include 30 frames of visual information per second. In addition, there is audio, metadata, and data processing. 

Although YouTube offers lower quality options to reduce data usage, the company often starts downloading full videos in the background. Therefore, it is recommended to set the desired video quality first. 

Aplikasi yang paling boros data. [Holafly]

Comparing YouTube and Disney+ with other streaming apps shows high data consumption. For example, Prime Video only uses two-thirds of the data that Disney+ uses and half as much as YouTube. Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV use even less, while audio-based Spotify only uses 7MB every 5 minutes. 

Variations in data consumption among streaming apps can be attributed to several factors. One of the main factors is how the application processes video files. Additionally, its response to network conditions, such as cellular signal quality, can affect the default resolution. 

On the other hand, social media application data usage can vary based on each individual's usage pattern. For example, Instagram videos consume more data than photos. However, when tested in general use, Snapchat emerged as the most data-intensive social media application. Holafly found that Snapchat consumes 101 MB every five minutes. 

Snapchat's automatic downloading and saving of content and lenses in the background contributes to high data consumption. Enabling data saver mode can help reduce this usage but may impact app performance. 

Pinterest itself consumed 85 MB every five minutes in testing. This equates to more than one gigabyte per hour. Auto pre-loading of apps and playback of video Pins contribute to its data consumption. 

Overall, the top ten apps that consume the most internet data are YouTube, Disney+, Uber, Snapchat, Prime Video, Google Maps, Pinterest, TikTok, Telegram, and Instagram.