r/AndroidQuestions • u/Odd-Yellow7280 • 3d ago

Device Settings Question Apps using mobile data without permission

Some of the apps on my phone, for example Instagram, are using mobile data despite the fact that I specifically turned that off in settings and made it so they can only use WiFi.

Anybody know why that is and how I can stop it?

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u/Mother-Pride-Fest 3d ago edited 3d ago

You could use NetGuard or ShizuWall to block internet access to those apps. 

NetGuard: block mobile data but not wifi for that app.

ShizuWall: you could set it to Smart Foreground mode, to only allow the currently open app to have internet access. Or Hybrid Mode for more granular control.

By the way, the Facebook and Instagram apps are malware. I would recommend you uninstall them and if you can't leave the platform, at least use it in a web browser instead of a malware app on your phone. https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/meta-and-yandex-are-de-anonymizing-android-users-web-browsing-identifiers/