Addicted to Twitter but on a limited cellular plan? Learn how to save bandwidth and reduce data usage in the official X app and website by turning on the data saver option.
Social networks like X that feed you live information load new stuff as things happen. But scrolling past auto-loading photos and auto-playing videos in your timeline can cause X to use excessive cellular data on your iPhone.
Turn on Data Saver and adjust other settings to save data if you’re on a wireless plan with limited allowance.
Turn on data saver mode for X
- Open the updated X app.
- Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Navigate to Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display, and languages > Data Usage.
- Turn on the Data Saver switch to stop videos from playing and lower-quality images from loading automatically.
If you use X on the web, turn on data saver at x.com/settings/data. You can also configure X to load high-quality images on Wi-Fi instead of cellular data.
Turn off Background App Refresh in iOS
Background App Refresh, turned on by default, is a feature that permits apps to periodically fetch new data in the background, which negatively impacts the battery and increases data consumption.
Background App Refresh is automatically suspended in Low Power Mode, but you can turn it off entirely or just for the X app in Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
I keep this setting turned off for all apps except WhatsApp, where it causes delayed notification delivery.
Turn off cellular data for X
You can also stop X from using cellular data on your iPhone by turning off the switch for X in Settings > Cellular > Show All.
Doing so restricts X on your iPhone to Wi-Fi; it won’t work on cellular data. This option isn’t for everyone. In fact, it’s pretty extreme, so only use it when traveling abroad (to avoid risking roaming charges) or when you’re approaching your monthly data allowance and have no other choice.
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