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Instagram is the most popular app worldwide, with 2 billion active users. If you are spending most of your time scrolling reels and watching stories, it can be the most data-consuming app on your device. The more time you spend on Instagram more data is in use. To monitor your data consumption, consider how much data you use with Instagram.
In this article, I will go through the details of how much data Instagram uses and the tips to reduce over-data consumption.
Instagram data usage is not similar for every individual. It depends on how much time you spend on Instagram and at which resolution you scroll through reels. If you post high-quality photos and videos on Instagram, you may require high data. Standard video consumes 840 MBs in an hour, while high-standard quality takes 1.5 GB. The data usage depends on which activity you like most to do. Browsing feeds may not require much data while uploading the content uses more data.
The estimated monthly data consumption according to users.
Data User Time per day Monthly data use Light user 30 minutes/day 2-4 GB/month Moderate user 1 hour/day 5-9 GB/month Heavy user 3+ hours/day 15-30 GB/month
It varies based on your feed content. If it contains HD videos, definitely more data will used, while for pictures, the consumption is different. On average, browsing a feed without videos takes 100 to 200 MBs in an hour.
As I mentioned, watching HD videos on Instagram uses big data amount. Watching reels for a minute takes 5 to 10 MBs, according to the video length. If you spend an hour watching the stories, 300 to 500 MBs will be used. While scrolling reels may consume 800 MBs to 1.2 GB of data. It may also vary based on your video resolution.
Uploading a high-quality image on Instagram takes up 2 to 4 MBs. If you are uploading a one-minute video of high resolution, it may consume 50 to 100 MBs. It happens because devices store high-quality content, and when it is required to upload one Instagram, it consumes more data amount.
Like other social media apps, Instagram doesnโt have a direct feature to monitor data usage. Thus, you can check the data consumption from your device Settings.
If you think Instagram consumes most of your data, the following tips will help to reduce this data consumption.
Data saver mode can be beneficial to reduce data usage. It will disable the video preloading and the image quality to reduce the data use. You can simply do it from your Instagram app settings.
Android users can minimize the resolution quality to save the data. You can do it from the Instagram settings page. Tap high-resolution media in the app to restrict data consumption.
Instagram Lite is the best alternative to reduce data consumption. The app is designed to be used in regions with lower network signals. It takes less data but offers fast performance. Is the Lite app similar to Instagram? There may be a limited filter, and the app is restricted to use in limited regions.
Connection to WiFi is the better solution to avoid the extra data consumption. If you are traveling abroad, use public WiFi at hotels and restaurants. You can also set high resolution while using WiFi.
eSIM is an excellent connectivity means for international travelers. If you are a high-data user, like an influencer who needs data every time to share and capture videos and pictures of every travel moment, the eSIM unlimited data plan will help you a lot here to access a fast internet connection. Whether you are traveling to the USA, UK, or different regions of Europe, Yaalo eSIM plans will help you access roaming-free connectivity. With an unlimited data plan, you can use data to scroll through social media and online audio or video streaming.
Instagram is the 3rd most popular app globally, with 2 billion active users monthly. Compared to the other social media apps, it is considered the most data-hungry app. But we canโt accurately measure how much data it consumes. Instagram data consumption varies from person to person. If you spend most of your day time watching reels, videos, live streaming and uploading, definitely, it is the most data-consuming app on your device. To reduce the extra usage, you can monitor consumption from your device settings. In this article, I have mentioned the steps that can help you to reduce data usage.
Yes, Instagram uses more data when it comes to scrolling the reels. Thus, it takes a significant amount of data compared to Facebook and Spotify. However, TikTok uses data similar to Instagram.
Yes, it minimizes your post or video quality. But the content still looks visible and clear.

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