Travel expert urges holidaymakers to change this phone setting before boarding a plane to save £100s

• Georgia Brivida, of Sim Local, warns setting can 'burn through data in no time'

As the holiday season ramps up, many travellers will be ticking off their pre-flight checklists: passports, chargers, and even a few downloaded playlists or movies.

But, according to a travel expert, one overlooked phone setting could end up costing holidaymakers hundreds in unexpected roaming charges.

Georgia Brivida, of international SIM provider Sim Local, is urging Brits to switch off the 'autoplay' feature on their phones before boarding their next flight.

The setting, she says, could quietly drain data and rack up a significant phone bill - often without users even realising it.

She explained: 'Autoplay is a feature that automatically plays videos as you scroll through apps like Instagram , TikTok , Facebook and YouTube , often without you even tapping play.

'It’s fine when you’re connected to Wi-Fi at home but when you're abroad and paying per megabyte, it can quietly burn through your data in no time just from using your phone like you normally would.'

While it might seem harmless to scroll through social media or stream a short video to kill time at the airport, the data usage can add up rapidly.

Streaming a video on platforms like YouTube or Netflix for just 10 minutes can use up to 100MB of data.

In addition, scrolling through TikTok or Instagram uses around 20MB, while general web browsing can consume about 10MB. Listening to music or podcasts on Spotify may use around 15MB.

That means spending just 30 minutes on TikTok while waiting at the gate could use roughly 60MB.

Meanwhile, watching a few videos while sipping coffee at the airport could quickly burn through another 200MB.

Add in a couple of Google searches, a quick map check, and a short WhatsApp call, and you could easily use over 300MB in a single day - and that's only day one of your trip.

Without a suitable international data plan, multiple days of this kind of usage could push your phone bill into the hundreds.

Fortunately, the fix is simple and takes only a few seconds.

For iPhone users (iOS):

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on Accessibility.
3. Select Motion.
4. Toggle off 'Auto-Play Video Previews.'

For Android users:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and select Google.
3. Tap on All Services.
4. Choose Search, Assistant & Voice.
5. Select Other Settings.
6. Tap on "Autoplay video previews" and select 'Never.'

Georgia added: 'One small change before takeoff can save you a big headache later. It's a simple fix that makes all the difference when you land.'

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