Ranking apps with the highest mobile data usage for an eSIM provider
What we did
For a client that provides mobile internet connectivity services, we tested data usage of popular apps to identify which ones consume the most mobile data.
How we did it
Step 1: Seed list building
We built a seed list of the most popular smartphone apps, based on rankings from Business of Apps and YouGov.
Step 2: Data collection
We conducted a series of experiments on an Apple phone (iPhone 15 Pro Max) and an Android phone (Xiaomi Redmi 9). For each app, all other apps were shut down and Wi-Fi access was turned off. A stopwatch was started as the app was launched. The app was used for five minutes and the total data usage (MB) was recorded using My Data Manager.
Step 3: Data analysis
We used the data we collected using My Data Manager app (which records mobile data usage to an accuracy of 0.1 MB) to rank all apps based on how much mobile data each of the they used.
Step 4: Data visualization
We visualized the data in a series of charts, ranking the most mobile data-hungry apps overall. We also produced category-specific rankings for streaming, social media, travel and email browser apps.
The results
104
Unique Referring Domains
62
Average Domain Rating
PhoneArena, Android Headlines, Digital Trends, Frommer's
Big Wins
The cherry on top
The results of Holafly’s report were shared on X by Evan Kirstel, B2B thought leader, top technology influencer and host of TechImpact.tv, which is featured on Fox Business and Bloomberg TV.
The campaign assets
Which are the apps that use the most mobile data on our smartphones? This is a VIQ (Very Important Question), especially to those who often travel – be it for work, or leisure.
Most of us want to pay as little as possible for an eSIM with a data plan that's just enough to get us covered. However, we're so accustomed to scrolling through our different apps, that we can easily lose track of the data these apps are consuming.
Holafly did a detailed analysis of the issue and identified "the apps that have the biggest appetite for megabytes".
Sebastian Pier
Phone Arena
