Facetime is a popular video chat app that lets you communicate with friends and family face-to-face. But does facetime use data?
If you’re not sure how to track or restrict Facetime’s cellular data usage, don’t worry – we’re here to help!
In this article, we’ll discuss the different ways that you can determine Facetime’s data usage, as well as how to restrict its cellular data usage on your iPhone or iPad. Let’s get started!
Does FaceTime Use Data?
Yes, FaceTime consumes data. It uses far more data than most other applications. Streaming video is one of the few things that use a lot of internet bandwidth, making FaceTime a possible data hog.
There are several methods for cutting down on how much mobile data you use on FaceTime.
Connecting to a Wi-Fi network before calling is the simplest way to do this — this way you’ll stream video over Wi-Fi rather than using your cellular plan.
You may also silence your camera while on the call, and ask those you’re speaking with to do the same. This lowers how many videos you’re streaming, which saves internet data.
Aside from that, all you can really do is keep FaceTime talks brief and avoid calling multiple people at once.
How to Determine Data Usage?
Every minute of a FaceTime conversation requires roughly 3MB of data, for a total of 180MB an hour.
Here’s one way to think about it: You could video chat for nearly 17 hours each month if you have a typical 3GB per month wireless data plan and solely use it for FaceTime chats.
Let’s get started with calculating data usage now. Every app on your iPhone or iPad maintains records of how much data is consumed each month (or “billing period”).
You can discover this information in the Settings app for the current and past billing periods.
Open the Settings app, and on the top of the list, select Cellular. Then look for FaceTime in the list to find it at the bottom. The amount of data used during this billing period is displayed under the name of the app.
How to Track the Data Usage?
If you want to keep track of how much cellular data FaceTime (or any other app) uses, there are ways to do so; however, they are a bit complicated.
Although your iPhone records data usage, it does not reset the numbers on a monthly basis when your cell phone plan comes to an end.
Instead, if you’ve never manually reset your cellular statistics before, it’ll count every minute of data since you signed up for the plan on your present phone.
- Tap Settings > Cellular.
- You may view your data usage in the Cellular Data section, which includes information on how much data you’ve used across all of your apps. FaceTime’s current count may be seen under its name by scrolling down.
- Of course, you won’t discover much about your data usage if you’re simply looking at the total since you purchased the phone. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and choose Reset Statistics if you’d rather focus on how much data you consume each month.
Cellular Data Restriction
When you are in the vicinity of a WiFi network, iOS should automatically switch data to WiFi rather than using mobile data. This doesn’t always appear to be the case.
Turning off cell data enables you to force Facetime onto WiFi. If you want to use Facetime while away from WiFi but don’t need it to run, turning off cellular data can help save your cellular data.
- Navigate to Settings and then Cellular.
- Scroll to Facetime and toggle it off.
This is a permanent change that you’ll need to remember since you won’t be able to use cellular data when you’re in town or need to utilize Facetime when not connected to a wireless network.
Conclusion
Facetime is a great way to connect with friends and family, but it can use up a lot of data. If you’re not connected to Wi-Fi, FaceTime will use your cellular data plan. To avoid using too much data, make sure to connect to Wi-Fi before making or receiving FaceTime calls.
You can also save data by silencing your video while on the call and keeping calls short. Finally, you can track your monthly FaceTime usage in the Settings app. If you want to limit how much data Facetime uses, you can turn off Cellular Data in the Settings app.
FAQs
How much data does a 1 hour FaceTime call use?
A one-hour FaceTime call uses approximately 180MB of data.
Can I use FaceTime without Wi-Fi?
Yes, you can use FaceTime without Wi-Fi; however, you will need to have a cellular data plan in order to do so.
Why does my Facetime not work on cellular data?
If your Facetime does not work on cellular data, it may be because you have Cellular Data turned off in the Settings app.
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