Facebook's auto-play video feature could impact your cell phone bill
Have you noticed your cell phone bill skyrocketing due to a sudden surge in data usage? The Facebook app might be to blame.
Facebook's app automatically loads and starts playing videos that are in your feed. Those videos can quickly eat through your data plan, leading to additional charges on your cell phone bill.
The issue was flagged by consumer finance site MoneySavingExpert.com after getting what it was were "many complaints from people who have been stung with data bills after exceeding their monthly allowance and who believe it to be because of Facebook auto playing videos."
The good news: Fixing the problem is very easy.
If you have an iPhone, follow these instructions:
- Tap your 'Settings' button
- Scroll down and click on 'Facebook'
- Click 'Settings'
- Click 'Auto-Play'
- Then choose 'Wi-Fi only' of 'Off'
If you have an Android, follow these instructions:
- Open your Facebook app
- Go to 'Account Settings'
- Click 'App settings'
- Then choose 'Auto-play only on Wi-Fi' or 'Off'
Facebook isn't commenting on the report and isn't saying why it chose to make the data hogging feature a default setting.
