How not to consume Giga on YouTube

Offers to not consume Giga on YouTube

The ever-increasing diffusion of chat, social networks and streaming services (both audio and video), has led telephone operators to package offers that provide unlimited traffic for the use of content from platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Spotify, Apple Music and - what matters most to you right now - YouTube. Unfortunately, this must be said, the offers that allow you to do not consume Giga on YouTube they are still few, but they exist, and the hope is that in the future they will be more and more numerous. Having made this necessary premise, I would say to go to the point and examine them all in detail.

Vodafone Pass Video

Among the (few) offers that allow you to watch YouTube without consuming Giga there is Vodafone Pass Video: an option, available to all Vodafone customers who have an active data or voice + data plan on their SIM, through which it is possible to watch all streaming videos, both in the app and in the browser, without consuming traffic. It costs 10 euros / month and provides for automatic renewal. It does not include video calls and video downloads.

Videos played via Vodafone Pass Video have a optimized resolution of 480p on all video platforms that provide it. YouTube provides a resolution of 480p: this means that without consuming traffic you can only watch videos in standard resolution and not those in HD. Forcing the playback of videos in higher quality can lead to blocking of vision: a minor problem, since it is enough to return to automatic resolution to restore the enjoyment of the contents. Alternatively, if you want to watch videos in HD quality while connected to Vodafone's 3G / 4G network, you can temporarily disable the video option in the Vodafone or DIY app and use the Giga from your offer.

It should also be noted that Vodafone Pass Video only works if there are Giga available on its line (extra Giga compared to the unlimited ones for the videos provided for by the option) and that, according to the regulations in force in terms of roaming, it can also be used in other countries of the European Union. If you run out of Giga included in your data plan (the "generic" Giga to use to surf the Internet), you can surf according to consumption (2 euro / 200MB) or buy new Giga packages.

As for the ability to exploit the function Hotspot, and therefore to share your connection with the unlimited Giga for videos, with other devices, you must know that the option is available for free for all customers Vodafone Exclusive. Non-Vodafone Exclusive customers, on the other hand, can use the Internet in hotspot mode according to their basic rate at a cost of 6 euros up to 5 Giga. Beyond the threshold, the cost is 2 euros per 100 Mega.

For more information on Vodafone Pass Video, consult the operator's website (the box with all the technical details is at the bottom of the page). To activate the option, instead, start the app MyVodafone on your smartphone, press the button capacitor positive (+) lead located next to the indicator with the remaining Giga and tap on the item first Vodafone Pass and then on the button Continue related to Vodafone Pass Video.

Alternatively, if you prefer, you can also activate Vodafone Pass Video by clicking on the button Active on the Vodafone website or by visiting an operator's shop. To find the Vodafone stores closest to you, linked to this web page.

Other interesting offers

If you want to find other interesting offers for your smartphone or tablet, you can go to the SOS Rates site, which allows you to easily compare the best offers of cittàn operators for telephony and Internet browsing on the move (and not Alone).

To compare smartphone rates, use the adjustment bars that allow you to set the minimum number of Call, SMS e Jig you want to have in your offer and click on the button Compare rates (bottom right). A page will open with the list of the best offers compatible with the profile outlined and the characteristics of each of them.

To compare, instead, the Internet offers for tablets and portable modems, connect to this other SOS Rates page and use the buttons located in the left sidebar to set the characteristics of your ideal offer: duration, monthly cost, traffic included, etc. .

Again, the results will be automatically shown in the table displayed on the right side of the screen, with the offers automatically sorted by price (from cheapest to highest).

For more information on how to compare telephone rates, you can also consult the tutorial I dedicated to this topic.

Restrict YouTube's use of Giga

If you haven't found any offer that suits you, you can still reduce YouTube's Giga usage by changing the app settings. By doing this you will not have the unlimited traffic you want so much, but at least you will be able to make the Giga included in your offer last a little longer!

The settings you need to change are those relating to the quality of the videos played under 3G / 4G network: because you know, the higher the resolution of a video, the greater the data consumption caused by the latter.

To prevent YouTube from viewing HD videos (the ones that consume the most Giga) when you are connected to the Internet via 3G / 4G network, open theofficial app of the service on your smartphone or tablet (the YouTube app is available for Android and iOS), presses on tua photo collocata in alto a destra e seleciona la voce Settings give the menu check if you press.

At this point, if you are using a terminal Androidi went his Generali and move up ON the lever for the option Restrict mobile data use. I invented, I used a iPhone or iPadsposta su ON the lever for the option In HD solo su Wi-Fi.

Mission accomplished! From now on, YouTube will only play HD videos via Wi-Fi network limiting data usage under 3G / 4G network. The setting only applies to the app, so don't use YouTube via Chrome, Safari or any other browser for your smartphone or tablet.

If you want, you can also "manually" select one of the standard resolutions offered by YouTube and use that to play streaming videos without consuming too many Giga. The standard resolutions available are 144p, 240p, 360p e 480p (default standard resolution): if you want to limit data consumption without sacrificing too much image quality, you can choose 360p.

To manually select the resolution at which to play a video, start watching it in the YouTube app, press on three dots at the top right and tap on the item Quality which appears below. The setting will also be remembered for videos played later.

Find free Wi-Fi networks

Another piece of advice I can give you, however trivial it may seem, is to look for some reti Wi-Fi gratuite in your city (for example the Wi-Fi networks offered by public places) and to use those to watch videos on YouTube without consuming the Giga of your offer.

If you don't know where to find free Wi-Fi networks in your city, try installing WiFi Map: it is an app for Android and iOS that allows you to view all the public Wi-Fi networks available in the world on a convenient map. It also suggests access passwords for networks that are public but closed, and therefore require a security key to be entered in order to be used.

The operation of the app is disarmingly simple: after installing and starting it, follow its brief initial tutorial, grant it permission to access the geolocation and wait a few seconds for the map to load with all the networks available in the area.

To know the password of a network, tap on the name of the latter and consult the appropriate box on the page that opens. In some cases, you will have to press the button Unlock password and view an advertisement to see the password in clear text.

If you are planning a trip and want to find out which Wi-Fi networks are available in the city you are going to visit, use the Campo di Ricerca located at the top of the WiFi Map home screen and search for the location of your interest. Easier than that ?!

How not to consume Giga on YouTube