Facebook Adverts are Stealing Your Data Download Limit - How To Stop It!

Have you noticed that your data limit on your mobile device has been used more quickly lately? There could be a very simple and sneaky explanation.

Not long ago, Facebook started using video adverts in their news feed. On top of this, all types of normal videos posted in your newsfeed auto play when you scroll past them.

Videos are a very common feature in social media, but unfortunately they also chew up download limits very fast. If you really wanted to see the video, you would've pressed play, right?

Here's a simple guide to turning off this option, or making it only work when you're connected to a source that can handle larger downloads, such as Wifi.

A 3 minute Youtube video can burn 15-30mb of data. If you're watching lots of videos, that adds up fast!

On Android:

1. Go into App settings.
2. Turn off video.

On Desktop:

1. Click the triangle at the top right of the screen.
2. Click on Settings.
3. At the bottom left click on Videos.
4. Turn the slider to off.

On iPhone:

1. Visit Settings.
2. Click on the Facebook icon.
3. Click on Settings.
4. Click on Auto Play On Wifi Only.

On Samsung:

1. Go into the Facebook app.
2. Press the left button next to the home key.
3. Press Settings.
4. Auto play option should appear.

It's easy to chew through a lot of data. Here are some more tips to minimise your data usage:

1. Connect to Wifi any chance you get.
2. Avoid videos or other large downloads unless you're on Wifi.
3. Upload later. Even if you think that your awesome face needs to be on the interwebs right now, wait till you're close to Wifi. Uploads suck data too!
4. Cache music to your phone instead of streaming it.
5. Bookmark important stuff for later.
6. Properly close apps when not in use. They can suck up battery and download limits without even being open.
7. Turn off automatic push on your email and instead wait till you're on Wifi to download it.
8. Don't update your apps unless you're near your Wifi!