If you are one of the people who would most likely search why is my internet usage so high all of a sudden, then this guide is perfectly made for you.
Just like you, thousands, if not millions of people look for the answer to this question periodically.
So, in this guide, we will be giving you an outline as to what the possible causes are!
By the end of this guide, you will not only be knowledgeable about what the culprits are, but we will also walk you through how you can apply it for your own sake!
Several activities can consume your mobile data swiftly. So, we will give you some of the things you can do to restrict this from happening.
Whether or not you are concerned about using up all of your data, it’s important to know how your data is used.
How Do You Use Your Mobile Data?
A lot of people still can’t wrap their heads around how they use their data. So, let’s begin by discussing what actually eats up internet usage.
Doing a Search on a Search Engine
The first thing that people might not know about browsing is the fact that it uses the internet.
Even if you just performed a single Google search, you are using up the internet. So, if you are not connected to WiFi and you decide to browse, you will be using your mobile data.
Using Social Media
Quite possibly the most common activity most of us do is get on social media. And yes, you use the internet even if you just want to load a single photo.
Media, in case you are not aware of it, is one of the things that consume data the most. Whether you are trying to access images, videos, and even music, you need the internet to access it.
Video and Music Streaming
Streaming, in case you don’t know, is the act of watching videos or listening to music while connected to the internet.
With streaming, you don’t need to download the content you want to access!
Gaming (Online)
Of course, when you are playing online games, you need to use the internet.
While most people believe that gaming does not consume that much data, several games need at least 1GB of internet for you to play it.
These are the activities online that eat up data.
So, are you part of the demographic that might inquire why is my internet usage suddenly so high even if your activities didn’t change?
Are you looking for ways on how you can save up on internet usage?
We have explored the world of data and usage. And, with that, we will discuss each of them one-by-one.
Reasons Why My Internet Usage is So High All of a Sudden
In the event that your internet usage suddenly spiked up, it could be one or more of these reasons:
Video Streaming
When you watch or stream videos, what video qualities do you watch?
Many people don’t know it but streaming or watching videos in high resolution or high quality eats up more data compared to watching it in low quality.
To give you a bit of an example, here’s a table that discusses how much data is used per quality:
| Resolution | 3 Minutes | 1 Hour |
| 4K | 135 MB | 2,700 MB or 2.7 GB |
| 1080p | 83.5 MB | 1,650 MB or 1.65 GB |
| 720p | 43.5 MB | 870 MB |
| 480p | 13.2 MB | 264 MB |
| 360p | 3.9 to 5 MB | 200 to 234 MB |
The better the quality of the videos you watch, the more data you consume.
NOTE:
These values are not 100% exact. It’s just a close estimate based on deep and thorough research.
Social Media Usage
Most, if not all of us use any type of social media. It could be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, or any other social networking site there is.
All of these websites have images. And, if you weren’t aware, images require more data and more internet than text.
Auto-Playing Music and Videos
One of the things that most people don’t realize is that these websites usually have auto-play on by default.
Auto-play is the functionality where all videos that you encounter will play automatically even if you don’t click on them.
Does Messaging Matter?
Other than “media,” you can also use social media to talk and communicate with friends and relatives. You can make voice calls, video calls, and chat via messaging, too!
But, compared to accessing media like photos and videos, messaging or chatting would not consume much data.
Nevertheless, you still use the internet when you use the chat or the messaging facility.
Background Applications
Whether you are on your computer, or your smartphone, applications, and programs are running in the background.
Since they are running, if you need internet or data to access them, you need to close it if you don’t want it to leech data.
Playing High-Definition (HD) Games
While most games don’t actually require too much data, some need extreme amounts of it for the rendering of the quality and the content.
There are games nowadays that have high-quality graphics.
Not only do you need to have fast internet to play them, but you also need to ensure that you have a high data cap or that your mobile data does not run out.
Software Updates
The software of our devices needs to be updated from time to time. The size of these would depend on the type of operating system you will be updating.
How Do I Save Up on Data or Internet Usage?
Here are some of the tips and tricks you can do to slow your internet usage down!
Try Lowering the Quality for Video Streaming
Whenever you are streaming or you are watching videos, try watching them in lower quality.
For instance, if you are used to streaming in 1080p or in 2K, try streaming at 720p – even down to 480p.
You will notice the difference in terms of data consumption by doing that alone.
Toggle Auto-Play on Social Media Apps Off
As we mentioned above, some apps have auto-play functionality. In order for you not to have sudden high internet usages, toggle or deactivate the auto-play feature.
Many people found this to be the primary reason why their usage spiked even if they didn’t do anything different in particular.
Set Software Updates to Manual
Some people set automatic updates automatically regardless of what network they are using.
What they don’t know is that it can happen if they’re not on WiFi, which can immediately and urgently eat up and consume their data.
Follow the tips we outlined in this guide and free yourself from the constant worry of high data usage and consumption!
Read Next: Can you have two Internet Providers in the Same House?
Conclusion
With this guide, you won’t have to search “why is my internet usage so high all of a sudden” any longer! You have all the answers and the knowledge that you need here!
If you initially thought that someone else was using it, or that your service provider is ripping you off, try to trace back to the activities you have done!
Consuming 10G per day is possible. In fact, some households even exceed that! Check on your usage and follow our tips to save up money on your internet usage and all will be fine!
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.