On average, Discord consumes data ranging from a few megabytes for text and voice calls to several hundred for video calls and streaming per hour. Understanding the specific average can be critical, particularly for those with limited internet bandwidth or mobile data plans.
This article will delve into the specifics of Discord’s data usage, providing you with a better understanding of how much data you might consume during your online interactions and gaming sessions. This is particularly beneficial if you are working with a limited data plan or wish to optimize your bandwidth usage.
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Data Usage for Discord Text Chat
While it’s challenging to pinpoint the exact data consumption for Discord text chat, it’s safe to assert that it’s considerably less than the other features the platform offers. The data usage of text chat primarily depends on the frequency and length of your messages.
Text messages are small, usually only a few bytes, making them the least demanding in terms of data usage. However, keep in mind that this does not account for other activities within the text chat such as loading images, user profiles, or maintaining the server connection, which also consume some data.
Discord Voice Chat and Data Consumption
Compared to text chat, voice calls on Discord use significantly more data. However, when put side by side with other internet activities, voice chat is quite modest in its data consumption. Discord voice calls use approximately 0.46MB per minute, which adds up to about 28MB per hour.
Video Calls on Discord: A More Data-Intensive Activity
Data usage shoots up when using video calls on Discord. At default quality (480p), video calls use around 300MB per hour, which is roughly 4.5MB per minute. Should you wish to enhance the quality to 720p or 1080p, expect a corresponding increase in data consumption, with 1080p using nearly three times more data.
Discord’s General Data Usage
Considering a mix of activities, general usage of Discord on a PC, including sending files and participating in voice chats, varies from 5MB to around 50MB per hour. On smartphones, the app uses between 6–20 MB per hour for voice calls and 200–300 MB per hour for video calls.
The amount of data that Discord uses depends primarily on the features you use and how frequently you use them. While text chat uses minimal data, features like voice chat, video chat, and live streaming can consume significantly more.
If you’re conscious of your data usage, monitoring it directly on your device will give you the most accurate picture of your consumption. Remember, Discord’s data usage can vary based on several factors, so your experience may differ.