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Here’s how to limit Facebook data usage

Jesse Simms • November 14, 2019

One of the reasons your data usage at the end of the month may be more than expected is media-rich apps auto-playing videos and displaying high-quality photos by default. In this Ting Tip, we’re going to show you how to limit Facebook data usage for both Android phones and iPhones.

How to limit Facebook data usage on Android

Enabling Data Saver in the settings menu will lower the resolution of photos you’ll see in your Facebook feed as well as disabling autoplay videos inside the app. 

Open the Facebook app and tap the Menu icon (the three horizontal lines on the top right). On the menu page, tap Settings & Privacy and then in the resulting drop-down menu, tap Data Saver. 

Make sure the Data Saver slider is in the ON position. You can also choose to Always turn off Data Saver on Wi-Fi. This allows for high-quality images and enables auto-play when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, but automatically turns Data Saver back on when you switch to cellular data. 

How to limit Facebook data usage on iPhone

Somewhat surprisingly, three years after being introduced, the Data Saver feature hasn’t been added to the iPhone version of Facebook. You’ll still be able to prevent the most data-hungry feature from eating up your megabytes: video auto-play.

First, tap the Menu icon (the three horizontal lines at the bottom right).  On the menu page, tap Settings & Privacy and then in the resulting drop-down menu, tap Settings. Scroll down to the Media and Contacts section, and tap Videos and Photos. 

Under Video Settings, tap Autoplay and choose On Wi-Fi Connections Only. If you’ll be uploading photos or video while on cellular data, you may want to ensure Upload HD is turned off both under Video Settings and Photo Settings.

If you’re looking for more ways to save, check out our complete guide to lowering mobile data usage. 

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