The Video Experience Score shows how smoothly YouTube actually played — not peak download speed, but real buffering and frozen frames from real sessions. Higher is better. The same score appears in the Android app and on the live experience map.
Unlike a speed test that measures peak capacity in a single burst, the Video Experience Score captures what actually happened during YouTube playback. It combines how long each buffer event lasted with how many frames were frozen during that stall.
Scores range from 0 to 100. A high score means smooth streaming. A low score means frequent stuttering or long pauses that disrupt viewing. Each map hex shows the aggregated experience across many anonymous YouTube tests in that area — not a single user or speed test.
BufferBeat runs on your phone. You tap Start YouTube Test, the app opens YouTube, and measures your video experience over a 2-minute session using on-device frame analysis. No video is recorded or uploaded — only anonymous buffering metrics, signal data, and location for the public map.
Under the hood, BufferBeat computes a Video Frustration Index (VFI) from each session — the stall “burden” normalized by total watch time:
That internal index is converted to the score you see on the map and in the app:
The map uses an H3 hex grid. The grid sharpens as you zoom in — from regional overview down to neighborhood and street level. If finer data is not available yet, the map falls back to the nearest resolution with enough samples (shown as “nearest available” in the header).
| When you zoom | Grid | Typical scale |
|---|---|---|
| Out (state / country) | Region · H3 res 6 | ~36 km² per hex |
| City | City · H3 res 7 | ~5 km² per hex |
| Neighborhood | Neighborhood · H3 res 8 | ~0.7 km² per hex |
| Street | Street · H3 res 9 | ~0.1 km² per hex |
Click any hex to see sessions, Video Experience Score, rating (Excellent / Fair / Poor), and average RSRP for that area. Filter by country, carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile), or use Gap → Congestion only to find strong-signal areas with poor playback.
A hex only appears on the public map after at least 5 unique anonymous sessions (10 at street / res 9). This K-anonymity rule prevents any single test from identifying a home or workplace. Zoomed-out views may look sparse until an area accumulates enough contributors.
On the live map, hexes are colored by their Video Experience Score. Here's how to read them:
When you see buffering, it can be caused by a weak cellular signal or by network congestion — too many users sharing the same tower. BufferBeat helps distinguish these.
Hexes with strong signal (RSRP > -95 dBm) but Fair or Poor experience (VES below 80) often suggest congestion rather than coverage gaps. Use Gap → Congestion only on the live map to focus on these areas — signal is present but playback still stutters.
Speed tests measure what your connection could do in a short burst. Video streaming depends on sustained throughput, consistency, and how the app and CDN behave over time. Real sessions on YouTube reveal what actually happens — including stalls, rebuffering, and frame freezes that speed tests never capture.
The Video Experience Score is built from actual YouTube viewing sessions, so it reflects the experience that matters: can you watch a video without interruption?