Unlimited data plans are the newest addition to the mobile phone sales agenda, but do you actually need this much over the course of a month? Every phone user out there has different data usage habits, so the answer to how much is really necessary varies from person to person. Given that the lowest plans generally start at 1GB and move upwards to unlimited, is there a number in the middle that is enough for the average mobile? 250GB is one of the most popular figures, and this guide is going to determine whether that is sufficient for everyday use.
What Is Data?
Data is the term behind all those 4G and 5G labels you see dotted around. It is a way to stay running online, use apps, stream music, and so on when there is no access to an active Wi-Fi connection. So, if you are searching for something on Google, playing a song, or opening a game on your phone, but you are not connected to a wireless internet point, you will be using data out of your allowance.
What Sort of Things Use Data on a Phone?
To answer this question properly, let’s first take a look at what kind of things use data on a phone. When you open up an app, there is a good chance that you will be drawing from your data supply in some way. You can check this on most phones by opening up your settings and having a look at which apps are switched on to use data by default, and which are restricted to just Wi-Fi. Anything that uses a location out and about, for instance, is guaranteed to use it in some way.
Apps
The biggest thing that drains data on mobile phones is the apps. How many apps does the average person have? The answer is a lot. Even ones you don’t use can be eating into your allowance in the background if you leave them unchecked, so everything is worth taking a look at. The most dominant data-depleting categories tend to be games and social media.
Games
There are thousands of gaming options on all the app stores across all of the operating systems. Whenever you load these up, the majority are actively searching for a connection so that they can provide updates, in-app purchase options, and general notifications from the gaming company. You can check how much is being taken up from games in your phone settings.
Social Media
With hundreds of millions of users worldwide, social media is another leading force using up data allowances everywhere. Scrolling through reels, creating content, posting, and reading content all take up GBs over the course of one day. The average person may spend an hour or more on the main social media platforms, and if they are an influencer or use it for business and marketing purposes, this figure is bound to increase.
Streaming Music and TV/Film
The next biggest consideration is music. Lots of people stream music on their mobile, and why wouldn’t they? It’s convenient, there is access to the majority of songs in the world and you can upload original music too. To put things in perspective, 1GB of data allows for about 30 hours of uninterrupted music listening. The other big one to think about is the number of people who use their phone data package to stream TV and film as well. There are loads of reasons why you might want to watch things on your phone, but it is also an easy way to quickly use data.
Browsing
Lastly, browsing on the internet takes up fewer data points than the other things discussed above, but it is still a factor worth noting. Every time you check your emails or search for something, it consumes data too.
Finding Out About Your Data Usage
You can see which apps and habits are most relevant to you by checking in with the usage on your plan. If you have a contract, this is straightforward; you just have a look at your bill or ring up the phone provider. You can also check in your settings to see what uses which amount, and where the biggest drains are. If you find you are using a lot of data on one particular app or game, make sure the Wi-Fi option is switched on so you can use that instead whenever it’s an option.
How Much Data Does the Average Person Use?
The average person may use around 140GB of data every month. While this figure might seem high, when you factor in how many apps and things actually use data to function, it is not a big surprise. The need for a fast connection is a pressing one, and people are willing to pay more for a faster data setup if it means there are fewer delays to their browsing or general phone activity.
Someone who watches a lot of movies or downloads a high amount of content will always have a higher usage figure than someone who only streams the occasional TV program. Similarly, a person who spends hours each day playing online games will increase their upload and download capacity and, therefore, use more data because of it. So, while it’s easy to say an average, it all depends on mobile phone habits as to what’s appropriate for each user.
How Much Data is 250GB?
So, if 250GB seems like the right amount for the average person, how much data is that realistically? 250GB will last a typical user streaming a few films or TV programs every week, listening to music, and playing games every day for the whole month. It is sufficient for a single person with fairly high usage across their apps, and that is what makes it such a popular figure. Think about the following facts to help you decide if that’s true for you.
- Consider that streaming a film or TV program in high-resolution will consume around 3GB of data over the course of an hour.
- The same film or TV program in normal resolution will take up around 1GB of data over the course of an hour.
- Streaming music for one hour will use up far less than 1GB of data.
- Most game options will require about 100MB for an hour’s playing.
When you look at this information, it is quite straightforward to say that 250GB should, in theory, be more than enough until the allowance refreshes. Even people who use a little more can make it stretch further by making sure they do most of their browsing with their Wi-Fi connection instead of drawing from the data well.
Is 250GB a Lot of Data?
For a single person, 250GB is a lot of data. When you factor in things like additional family members, or other joint plans, then it might become a stretch if there is high usage over the month for things like watching films. For three users all watching things, playing games, and listening to music, it is a certainty that 250GB would run out pretty quickly.
Is 25GB a Lot of Data?
25GB is not a lot of data for the modern mobile phone user. There are too many apps and opportunities for scrolling that would make this allowance run out fairly rapidly. Of course, if you only use your phone for calls and texts then this will not be a problem at all and 25GB will cover all of the basic usage for the entire month until it refreshes.
Is 15GB of Data Enough?
Again, the answer to this question depends on how you use that data. The average person might use up to 150GB every month on their phone plan, but you have to really think about whether you fit in with the ‘average user’ specifications. If you stick with music streaming instead of watching films, for instance, there is a good chance that 15GB will see you through. It’s when you begin to add in additional usage demands that the number becomes insufficient.
How Much Do Data Packages Tend to Cost?
This depends on what kind of mobile phone setup you have. SIM-only, for instance, rolls the cost of data into the monthly payment and while you will pay more for a higher allowance, it is a fixed cost for the amount of access on offer. It is possible to find a SIM-only plan with unlimited data for around £20, for example, but the same cannot be said of contract phones. 1GB of data on a contract phone may cost up to £30, with unlimited plans coming in on average of £50+ depending on the handset.
So, is 250GB of data enough for everyday use? The answer is probably yes, if you are a single person and have conservative usage habits then 250GB of data will be more than sufficient for the entire month. However, if you are a particularly heavy gamer, or you tend to watch a few movies every day and night, you may find yourself needing more than this. 250GB plans are often well-priced by good network providers and offer sufficient usage for millions of people.