Skip to main content

Verizon will start throttling smartphone video to 480p or 720p

Verizon’s unlimited data plans are about to get a lot more … limited. America’s largest carrier announced that starting Wednesday, August 23, it will begin throttling all videos streamed on its network.

The caps will disproportionately affect smartphone users. Most phones on Verizon’s unlimited plans will see video throttled to 720p resolution (as low as 480p), and tablets and devices tethered to mobile hot spots won’t be able to stream higher than 1080p. They will also have to contend with a hard 10Mbps limit on all traffic that Verizon identifies as video.

Recommended Videos

“We’re doing this to ensure all customers have a great experience on our network since there is no significant difference in quality on a smartphone or tablet when video is shown at higher resolutions,” a Verizon spokesperson told Digital Trends. “You have more choice on our unmatched network.”

Unlike some of its competitors, Verizon won’t offer subscribers options to completely un-throttle video. Instead, it’s extending discounts.

Starting August 23, Verizon’s single-line unlimited smartphone plan will cost $75 a month, or $5 less than it cost before. It will cap videos to “DVD-quality” 480p on phones and throttle all other data to 600kbps.

Verizon’s pricier unlimited plan, Beyond Unlimited, will offer a bit more freedom. Single-line plans will start at $85 a month and include 720p video streaming on smartphones, 15GB of 4G LTE hot-spot speeds per month (reduced to 600kbps speeds after that), and uncapped non-video data.

Customers on both plans will have the option of forking over $20 per month for tablet data. But tablets, too, will be capped at 720p on Verizon’s $75-a-month plan and 1080p on Beyond Unlimited. And Verizon is keeping in place a 22GB “management” limit on unlimited plans. Subscribers who use more than 22GB a month may see speeds reduced in network-congested areas.

Verizon says that all existing customers, including those on a limited plan, will see video resolution reduced to 720p on phones and 1080p on tablets this week. Subscribers on Verizon’s soon-to-be-retired $80-per-month unlimited plan will face the same video quality and tethering limits as Beyond Unlimited customers, but the new 480p limit will apply only to prepaid customers and customers on the $75 unlimited plan.

“More than 96 percent of customers have not used [resolutions higher than 1080p],” a Verizon spokesperson told Ars Technica. “We’re really managing our network in a way to be able to expand unlimited data to more people.”

But network neutrality advocates argue that the caps violate the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules. In response to a temporary test earlier this month of Verizon’s video throttling, advocacy group Free Press said that the carrier was “cherry [picking] which [apps] work” and which don’t. “If Verizon’s network can handle traffic, it can handle traffic, whether it’s video or not.”

Verizon denied violating any rules. We’ve reached out for comment, and will update this article with any statement from the carrier.

Update: Added a statement from a Verizon spokesperson. 

Kyle Wiggers
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
Best Buy is having an Apple Sale — this iPad mini is the best deal
Watching Netflix on Apple iPad mini with A17 Pro.

There's a big Apple Shopping Event going on right now at Best Buy. As you may know, Apple is a big brand. They don't need deals to drive sales. So, while there are always great Apple deals going on, it always feels like there aren't too many of them at any given time. At least that's my experience with the category. This time around, there are a few deals that stick out. Examples include the Apple Watch SE 2 at $169 and this Apple iPad at just $299. But there's one huge winner, and that's the Apple iPad Mini with an A17 Pro chip and 128GB of storage marked down to just $399. That's a $100 discount off of the $499 regular price. It's all yours if you tap the button below. As always, keep reading for our take.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini

Read more
iOS 26 rumored to go back to basics with four intriguing upgrades
An iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18, showing its home screen.

In just two days from now, Apple will take the stage at WWDC 2025 and showcase the big yearly upgrades for its entire software portfolio. I am quite excited about the platform-wide design update and a few functional changes to iPadOS, especially the one targeting a more macOS-like makeover for the iPad’s software. 

Of course, analysts will be keenly watching for Apple’s next moves with AI, but it seems some of the most dramatic features have been pushed into the next year. Apple can afford some of those delays, as long as the company serves enough meaningful updates to its user base. Apple won’t exactly be running dry on AI, though. 

Read more
3 big iOS 19 changes that I hope Apple reveals at WWDC 2025
iOS 19 sample logo.

We’re less than two days away from Apple’s big WWDC 2025 keynote, where the company will reveal new versions of each of its software platforms. One of the biggest changes this year is the expected shift from iOS 19 to iOS 26, with new versions of macOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS also set to follow suit. We're also expecting to see the evolution of Apple Health, including a new AI doctor and Health subscription.

iOS 26, if it is to be named that, is expected to introduce one of the biggest evolutions in design for Apple software since the first iPhone was launched. Inspired by visionOS and the Apple Vision Pro, it’s expected to be a monumental redesign, but I hope that Apple also takes the time to make a few improvements.

Read more