How much data does a WhatsApp call and video call consume?

Do you use WhatsApp calls and video calls with mobile data? It is a good option to make calls if your rate does not have an unlimited calling plan, but… do you know how much data a WhatsApp call and video call consume? I have checked how many megs are spent on Android and iOS, this is the result.

These are the data consumed by a call in WhatsApp for Android

To do the tests on Android I have used a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra updated to the latest version of Android and with the latest stable version of WhatsApp available in the Play Store. I have used Vodafone 4G networks and I have measured the cost from a third-party app, since the functions offered by Android are not very useful to measure. There are 0 MB that I have spent on WhatsApp, since I have not activated mobile data until doing the test.

In the first test I make a 5 minute audio call (without video). I use the headset for calls and the screen is off. Then I add minutes to the limit of one hour. So are the results.

• Result after 5 minutes: 0 MB to 1.45 MB of data used.
• Result after 10 minutes: 0 MB to 2.9 MB of data used.
• Result after 30 minutes: 0 MB to 8.7 MB of data used.
• Result after one hour: 0 MB to 18 MB of data used.

How much data does a WhatsApp video call spend on Android?

This is what a 5 minute video call spends on WhatsApp for Android.

Same methodology to check how much a WhatsApp video call consumes: Vodafone 4G network, data usage counter at 0 through the My Data Manager app and in this case with the camera activated. The first test is 5 minutes and then I add up to an hour of video call. This is the result.

• Result after 5 minutes: 0 MB to 32.3 MB of data used.
• Result after 10 minutes: 0 MB to 65 MB of data used.
• Result after 30 minutes: 0 MB to 193.8 MB of data used.
• Result after one hour: 0 MB to 388 MB of data used.

WhatsApp video calls on Android spend almost up to 400MB per hour, while 5 minutes takes about 30MB.

How much data does a WhatsApp call spend on iPhone?

For the test I used an iPhone 11 Pro with a 4G connection from O2 (Telefonica). I check the data consumption from the iPhone's own settings. It starts counting on the 1st of each month and I have already used WhatsApp with data for several days. Therefore, and in order not to confuse current spending, I have reset the statistics. In this way, the consumption that appears in the system settings will be those of the call.

The first test consists of making an audio call for 5 minutes using 4G. I go to WhatsApp, look for the contact and call a friend. During the call the screen of the device is off, since I use the upper earpiece, and not the speaker or hands-free. Then, I add time until I get to the hour to check how much he has spent with 60 minutes of call.

• Result after 5 minutes: 0 MB to 1.6 MB of data used.
• Result after 10 minutes: 0 MB to 3.2 MB of data used.
• Result after 30 minutes: 0 MB to 10 MB of data used.
• Result after one hour: 0 MB to 20 MB of data used.

Therefore, 5 minutes of calling with 4G on iPhone spends approximately 1.6 MB, taking into account that we enter to search for the contact, dial etc. At the time WhatsApp has used 20 MB of mobile data of our rate.

This is what a 5 minute audio call spends on WhatsApp for iPhone.

And video call on iPhone?

I reset the data usage in the iPhone settings again to perform the same exercise but with a video call. Here I expect a higher MB spend as it activates the camera and the screen is constantly on. Again, with O2 4G connection and making the video call.

• Result after 5 minutes: 0 MB to 31.1 MB of data used.
• Result after 10 minutes: 0 MB to 63 MB of data used.
• Result after 30 minutes: 0 MB to 186.6 MB of data used.
• Result after one hour: 0 MB to 375 MB of data used.

5 minute video call up to approximately 30MB. If we are about 30 minutes, you can upload without problem up to 200 MB depending on the coverage. Finally, with an hour of video call we spend almost 400 MB of mobile data.

Do you want to know how much battery WhatsApp uses? You can check it here.