Streaming throttling

[kusius]

Hi, why is there such throttling of streaming from my mobile device? I’m on a 5G+ plan (with a 15 Pro Max phone), but I can barely watch Twitch or YouTube at 720p. Speedtest always shows 200+ Mbps and otherwise the internet is really fast, but what is wrong with streaming? I just can’t stream videos in good quality while on the go. What’s the point of all that talk about infrastructure investment, etc., that justifies Canadian phone plan prices being some of the highest in the world, if I can’t stream 1080p videos, let alone 4K? I would understand if throttling occasionally happened in some locations, but it’s everywhere: Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City. What am I paying for? 

[Nighthawk]

Which apps are you having issues with? Most of the streaming apps default to lower resolution and data use for cellular unless you specifically go and change the settings on them. 

I have an iPhone 15 and if I set the apps to 4K or best quality, I get 4K / best quality. I usually don't leave them set to that while on cellular because it can use a lot of data. Amazon Prime Video for example estimates Best quality at 5.8GB per hour and Better quality at 1.3GB per hour. It defaults to 600MB per hour.

[kusius]

For example, Twitch or YouTube. To clarify, I am not saying I am not getting the best quality. What I’m saying is, when I set a YouTube video to 4K or a Twitch stream to 1080p (which is the max resolution on Twitch), it just becomes impossible to watch due to constant buffering. Have you tried to watch YouTube in 4K? Does it work for you? There shouldn’t be any issues with that; it doesn’t even require that much bandwidth. But for some reason, it’s just not working for me. It’s only watchable in 720p.

[TELUS_Support]

As Nighthawk mentioned, most apps do default to a lower res for cellular data use, but can always be changed. In terms of buffering, there are a number of factors that come in to play. Since you're on the 5G+ plan, you shouldn't be seeing buffering occur too frequently, though of course it depends on where you are specifically in relation to the network itself. Have you tried restarting your device or speaking with our Mobility team about this?

[Nighthawk]

@TELUS_Support  So I went and did a bit more testing in the Edmonton area. I was direct line of sight to a 5G+ tower at a distance of about 2 blocks. I had my iPhone set to 5G Auto. Had a lot of buffering. Switched back to LTE and almost no buffering at all, except the first few seconds it loads the stream, and it loaded much faster. I can't say for sure but I suspect there's something with 5G data at least in the areas I've been in. It's not the first time I've noticed it either but it has improved from what it was previously.

@kusius As a short test, try switching your data to LTE and test the streaming apps. LTE should still offer more than enough speed for 4K. Highest speed I've had on LTE was over 300mbps though it will vary by tower and location.

Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data > Select LTE

Additionally under Cellular Data Options, under Data Mode, does it show Standard or Allow More Data on 5G? Stanard may make iOS put a restriction on the quality of video.

[FuzzyLogic]

Are you viewing the video in the YouTube app or through a web browser? I don't use the app but haven't had any issues when viewing the videos in a browser on my iPhone at 1080p.

[Fartgoblin1999]

I have the same problem even on our Telus fibre wifi 💀 idk

[kusius]

Thanks for all your messages. I've walking around downtown Toronto with my wife, who has a Samsung, testing this thing. Youtube 4K or Twitch 1080 have terrible buffering everywhere around downtown Toronto, on 5G or LTE, on both our phones, whether in the app or in the browser. Youtube 1080p was acceptable but not what I would expect from Telus network. So it's not a phone or app issue. There was one random case though when we were inside a store with 2/4 bars of LTE reception - no buffering at all, lightning fast video rewinds.  

As I know, streaming videos even in 4K doesn't require much bandwidth. 25 mbps would be more than sufficient to have a decent viewing experience, and even LTE networks should be able to easily handle that. On my phone, speedtest shows 300/400+ mbps so I don't understand if it's all fake or what. But anyway, I believe that if Telus network wasn't good enough to handle 1080p Twitch streams, just in general the whole web browsing etc. experience on my phone would be unusable, but it's not, everything else is great. Just the video streaming has these weird issues, which leads me to believe that Telus purposely throttles video streaming speeds - unless there is another technical explanation I am not aware of, I am not a pro in the world of mobile networks. One of the main competitors seems to be doing that already - didn't test that myself but their 480p SD or 1080p HD streaming plans suggest they wouldn't allow customers to watch 4K content as well. But on Telus, I can't even watch a 1080p Twitch stream!

Tried calling customer support - waited for 30 min for someone to pick up, was redirected to a tech support team, waited for another 45 min, and just gave up. Maybe I'll try calling again but I don't think they can help. 

[TELUS_Support]

You can always try the Live Chat option, visiting the nearest TELUS store so our team can take a look, or resetting your Network Settings to see if that helps. 

[kusius]

Going to a Telus store was actually kinda funny - I showed the issue to the employees there, and they didn't believe it at first, thought something was wrong with my device, so they decided to check it on their phones - and guess what, they were also throttled! 1080p or above streaming just doesn't work. As it doesn't for everyone else on Telus network that I asked to check this issue. And then I showed them that with VPN I can easily stream anything in 4K - which just proves beyond reasonable doubt that Telus does throttle. They were surprised but what can they do, they still have to sell people these 5G+ unlimited plan with "blazing fast data" that only allow streaming up to 1080p at best, realistically it's just 480p/720p though.

[wArpAtH]

I'm experiencing the same issues with Youtube and Twitch, I can only watch them on 720p without any buffering, every time I switch to 1080 on either of the apps the buffering starts and is unbearable to watch. I called TELUS and they made me restart my network settings and switch off my phone for a couple minutes. They told me to monitor my phone for at least 24 hours and they would call me back tomorrow at the same time to check if this fixed the issue. However, I tested both apps and the problem persist, it didn't change anything at all.

I honestly thought this had something to do with me leaving the country and using my roaming because I only been experiencing this since I came back from the US, about 2 weeks ago....  

[kusius]

Ok so I did more research online about this, and people on reddit almost unanimously agree that Telus does tend to throttle video streaming traffic, and the solution is to use a VPN. The logic is, if Telus doesn’t know you’re streaming a video, they won’t throttle.

So I tried using icloud private relay, it only works in safari though, but oh wonder! 4K videos with no buffering at all. The quality on Youtube even defaults to 4K by itself.

I guess it is what it is, but I wonder if it’s even legal that Telus does this. I pay for my high speed data allotment assuming I can use my high speed data any way I want. But then it turns out I can’t.

[Fartgoblin1999]

Wait this would make so much sense, as the buffering problems I’ve also been having don’t happen on my laptop or iPad anymore. The only thing that’s changed is that I have an iCloud relay/vpn/sometimes cloudflare on 24/7 for work (I write for a living & Canadian Google skips relevant research to push CBC articles). 

[wArpAtH]

I knew that my data would get throttled if I exceeded my monthly cap but I'm not even near it. I have 300gb among 4 phones and we barely 50gbs so far this month...

[AdamC]

Came here after having issues the last few weeks on Telus network as well. I just upgraded to the Z Fold 6 on a 150GB plan, and I cannot even watch a Twitch stream at 720p without constant buffering or stuttering. Pretty rediculous

[username111]

I'm here for the same reason as everyone else.

I've been daily watching Twitch and YouTube on the Telus network for the better part of 4 years. It's only within the past few weeks that this issue began. I'm a longtime internet user, I've been throttled before, I know exactly what it feels like.

I'll tell you right now, messing with the *only reason* I pay for a high data internet plan is a SURE FIRE way to lose my business. My first step was checking forums to see if this was a widespread issue.

My next step is checking the Bell forums to see if -their- customers are having any throttling issues. If not, it's goodbye Telus.

Imagine thinking you could just start hard-throttling us without even saying anything. It's not even the typical soft-throttling that ISPs do to alleviate traffic during high use periods. It's straight up 24/7 throttling of content.

I hope someone brings you to court because I never agreed to pay for high speed internet that's restricted to google searches and emails. I will be sending this story to every law firm in Canada with an interest in class actions.

[iWillLift]

SAME here… I watch Twitch daily on my coffee break and past few weeks even months its gotten so bad I get stuttering stream on Twitch buffers every few seconds or mins 

[iWillLift]

I’ve been having the EXACT same problem for months with Telus, every day I watch Twitch Stream and YouTube video and it stutter every few seconds or every few minutes, I work downtown Edmonton, full 5G+ cell reception, allow more data on 5G all settings correct.
Telus ABSOLUTELY throttling streaming service on data there is zero doubt cuz I had no issue when I’m using Wifi.
It’s honestly so sad and pathetic they have to do this while I’m paying for 150GB data and half of them is useless.
 

[username111]

I get buffering even at 480p sometimes. You have to use a VPN now if you want to keep using Telus. I use Surfshark, free 7day trial. Works like a charm.

[iWillLift]

SAME!!! I changed it down to 480 I still get buffers

[wArpAtH]

Yes, the only workaround for it to work properly is with a VPN.

How do we issue a formal complain about this? I have 280gbs that I can't even use....