How much data is Pokémon Go draining on your mobile?

Pokémon Go is officially a phenomenon!

Since rolling-out in the United States in early July, millions of people all over the world have seriously caught the Pokémon bug (and we’re not just talking about catching Caterpies!).

But while we’re all out hitting Pokéstops, catching copious amounts of Pidgeys and attempting to battle it out as king or queen at our local gyms, is there any impact on our phones or data plans?

Apart from the fact that the app noticeably drains mobile battery, just how much data is being consumed and what sort of bill could we be facing?

Does Pokémon Go use a lot of data?

Level 1

According to many reports, the Pokémon Go data usage is not as astronomical as one might expect.

The maps used on the game are already downloaded from Google Maps and the GPS is used to track your movements as you play, so these elements are not using any data at all.

So assuming that you don’t spend every waking minute of every day on the app (thought we would not judge you if you did), your data usage should be relatively affordable, or at least well within your existing data plans.

Level 10

In terms of swallowing up data, the logic is pretty simple. The more you play, the more data you will consume.

According to Business Insider, on average Pokémon Go eats up about 25 megabytes in an eight-hour period. This works out at about 3 MB per hour.

Considering that there are 1000 MB in 1 GB and that the average data plan for many is about 2 – 4 GB per month, we reckon your Pokémon Go addiction is more than manageable in terms of data (though perhaps not in terms of maintaining a social life).

Level 30

For those avid trainers out there who are still worried about how much data they are consuming, there are some simple tips and tricks you can use to make sure your poké-hunting is not costing you.

To start, there are a number of free apps you can download straight to your phone to help you monitor just how much data you are using. 

Or if you really don’t trust yourself, you can set up a data plan with your mobile operator in which your data will run out once it hits a certain level (lets just hope it's not when you are about to catch a Mewtwo).