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Why does Facebook app override use of cellular data

G

gaanee

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 8, 2011
1,435
249
I usually turn-off the cellular data for Facebook app unless really needed and there is no wifi around. But somehow Facebook app overrides it.
Try this under Settings -> Cellular data turn-off Facebook, close the settings app and open it again, and its on again for Facebook. I don't think it's a bug, because this happens only with Facebook app.
Is there a way to set this to off without deleting the app?
 
I have been noticing the same thing. As many other people here when at home I connect to my comcast wi-fi at home, but as soon as I walk out from home, FB begins to ride the cellular network and uses lots of data today I have used like 24MB and I'm only on AT&T's 2GB/mo share data plan.
 
chestvrg said:
I have been noticing the same thing. As many other people here when at home I connect to my comcast wi-fi at home, but as soon as I walk out from home, FB begins to ride the cellular network and uses lots of data today I have used like 24MB and I'm only on AT&T's 2GB/mo share data plan.
Click to expand...

How do you check the data usage by individual apps?

I read the FB app constantly listens to your surrounding sounds to recognize what music/tv shows you are playing, but that uses data. This and the above looks like FB app is sneaking pass, because it turns the cellular data back on. Wonder how how did Apple allowed it.
 
Last edited:
Under the on-off tab for cellular data, if you scroll down you'll see individual apps and how much they have consumed.

hepejyje.jpg
 
gaanee said:
How do you check the data usage by individual apps?

I read the FB app constantly listens to your surrounding sounds to recognize what music/tv shows you are playing, but that uses data. This and the above looks like FB app is sneaking pass, because it turns the cellular data back on. Wonder how how did Apple allowed it.
Click to expand...
It doesn't just listen or always listen, only if a particular desire is enabled and is being used by you: http://www.snopes.com/computer/facebook/facebooklisten.asp

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gaanee said:
I usually turn-off the cellular data for Facebook app unless really needed and there is no wifi around. But somehow Facebook app overrides it.
Try this under Settings -> Cellular data turn-off Facebook, close the settings app and open it again, and its on again for Facebook. I don't think it's a bug, because this happens only with Facebook app.
Is there a way to set this to off without deleting the app?
Click to expand...
By the way, just tried to reproduce this and it worked just fine for me. The setting stayed at whatever I selected for it. I even disabled WiFi to go to cellular and opened Facebook to try it and got a message that data is disabled for it and that it's offline and that I could change that setting in Settings (as I did). Sounds like something odd is going on with your install/phone.
 
Turn off the streaming within the settings->Facebook-Settings-auto-play.

That may help. I agree that FB seems to be using a lot of cellular, I blew my quota this month and near as I can figure it was due to my wife's use of FB.
 
When I turn Facebook cellular off it stays off. After I turned it off I tried everything from opening Facebook, closing the settings app, power cycling the phone etc and in settings it stayed off.
 
Why does Facebook app override use of cellular data

It must be a bug then on some of our phones. Perhaps I need to re start mine I have not done a re start in quite a few months.

I'll check that auto play setting as well.

Update: I don't see auto play ???
te7e4uzu.jpg
 
Last edited:
chestvrg said:
It must be a bug then on some of our phones. Perhaps I need to re start mine I have not done a re start in quite a few months.

I'll check that auto play setting as well.

Update: I don't see auto play ???
Image
Click to expand...


Click on setting on that screen?
 
I've noticed this on my iPhone 5 jailbroken with Pangu on 7.1.2 that the toggle doesn't display correctly for many apps. I attempt to turn off cellular for an app, it displays off. But when I re-enter the use cellular data menu, it shows that it's still on. But when I attempt to access data while on cellular, there's no connection. So definitely a bug in the toggle button.
 
I know that I didn't log in to FB in the settings area but rather through the app and only gave it permission to access photos, videos and location services. When I went to log in through settings I found that it was too intrusive. :mad:
 
btw, I am running 7.1.2 and not jailbroken.

Is there any difference between logging in the FB app and through Settings app?
 
gaanee said:
btw, I am running 7.1.2 and not jailbroken.

Is there any difference between logging in the FB app and through Settings app?
Click to expand...
They are essentially connected when you have the app installed.
 
I had an app that would toggle cellular data on for itself even after turning it off. Problem went away when I got a new iPhone. Thankfully it didn't cause my to blow my data limit.
 
Looks like this is a bug, because when I open FB app, it says cellular data is turned-off for FB app and asks to turn it on or connect to wifi, but under settings-> cellular data it's showing it's on. After the data is set to off for FB, just swipe back and then again to cellular data shows it's on.
btw, I am using FB app and not signing in under settings app, if that makes any difference. Signing under settings app sounds too intrusive for sharing on FB.
 
gaanee said:
Looks like this is a bug, because when I open FB app, it says cellular data is turned-off for FB app and asks to turn it on or connect to wifi, but under settings-> cellular data it's showing it's on. After the data is set to off for FB, just swipe back and then again to cellular data shows it's on.
btw, I am using FB app and not signing in under settings app, if that makes any difference. Signing under settings app sounds too intrusive for sharing on FB.
Click to expand...
Doesnt signing into FB essentially sign you in in the Settings part as well?
 
C DM said:
Doesnt signing into FB essentially sign you in in the Settings part as well?
Click to expand...

At least it doesn't show username & password in settings. While using login from settings app, it displayed a message that it will download FB friends, calender events into contacts and enable apps to work with FB.
Does it merge all contacts with a list of >500?
 
gaanee said:
At least it doesn't show username & password in settings. While using login from settings app, it displayed a message that it will download FB friends, calender events into contacts and enable apps to work with FB.
Does it merge all contacts with a list of >500?
Click to expand...
You can turn all those off. Once you sign in the options for apps and contacts and calendar appear there and you just slide them to off for each one and that's basically it.
 
I haven't had this problem myself, and I'm not sure if someone else mentioned this, but are push notifications turned off for Facebook? If you have it turned on, it will always be looking for new content.
 
Did you also switch off the background app refresh with FB? My understanding is that FB constantly updates itself, unless you have that option toggled off. I find the background updating totally useless, since it's not a huge wait for the FB feeds to update when I open the app.

It seems that lately, they've made numerous changes that burn through data like crazy (most notably, the video auto-play, which you cannot turn off).
 
Woochifer said:
Did you also switch off the background app refresh with FB? My understanding is that FB constantly updates itself, unless you have that option toggled off. I find the background updating totally useless, since it's not a huge wait for the FB feeds to update when I open the app.

It seems that lately, they've made numerous changes that burn through data like crazy (most notably, the video auto-play, which you cannot turn off).
Click to expand...
You can turn that off both on the phone (under Facebook settings in the Settings app) and on the desktop version as well (under video or ad settings I believe).
 
We recetnly got my mom on our plan and she has been using a LOT more data than she ever used before. I need to look into it but I am guessing facebook is the cuplrit.

----------
gaanee said:
Signing under settings app sounds too intrusive for sharing on FB.
Click to expand...

Not saying your opinion isn't valid, but I wanted to point out that signing in this way basically just gives iOS the ability to push a photo/video to facebook straight from your camera roll. AFAIK there is no other communication that occurs between facebook and your phone (through the settings login).
 
C DM said:
You can turn that off both on the phone (under Facebook settings in the Settings app) and on the desktop version as well (under video or ad settings I believe).
Click to expand...

Where did you find that? I've been poking around the settings for both the mobile and browser apps, and couldn't find anything that disables the video autoplay.
 
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