diff --git a/services/settings/RemoteSettingsClient.jsm b/services/settings/RemoteSettingsClient.jsm
index 88626b743e47..124a0b0174e9 100644
--- a/services/settings/RemoteSettingsClient.jsm
+++ b/services/settings/RemoteSettingsClient.jsm
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ class RemoteSettingsClient extends EventEmitter {
    * @param  {Object} options.filters          Filter the results (default: `{}`).
    * @param  {String} options.order            The order to apply (eg. `"-last_modified"`).
    * @param  {boolean} options.dumpFallback    Fallback to dump data if read of local DB fails (default: `true`).
-   * @param  {boolean} options.loadDumpIfNewer Use dump data if it is newer than local data (default: `false`).
+   * @param  {boolean} options.loadDumpIfNewer Use dump data if it is newer than local data (default: `true`).
    * @param  {boolean} options.syncIfEmpty     Synchronize from server if local data is empty (default: `true`).
    * @param  {boolean} options.verifySignature Verify the signature of the local data (default: `false`).
    * @return {Promise}
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ class RemoteSettingsClient extends EventEmitter {
       filters = {},
       order = "", // not sorted by default.
       dumpFallback = true,
-      loadDumpIfNewer = false, // TODO bug 1718083: should default to true.
+      loadDumpIfNewer = true,
       syncIfEmpty = true,
     } = options;
     let { verifySignature = false } = options;
diff --git a/services/settings/test/unit/test_remote_settings_offline.js b/services/settings/test/unit/test_remote_settings_offline.js
index 2eff2901f7ba..2dbb76642a4b 100644
--- a/services/settings/test/unit/test_remote_settings_offline.js
+++ b/services/settings/test/unit/test_remote_settings_offline.js
@@ -65,30 +65,31 @@ add_task(async function test_load_from_dump_when_offline() {
 });
 add_task(clear_state);
 
-add_task(async function test_skip_dump_after_empty_import() {
+add_task(async function test_optional_skip_dump_after_empty_import() {
   // clear_state should have wiped the database.
   const before = await client.get({ syncIfEmpty: false });
   equal(before.length, 0, "collection empty after clearing");
 
   // Verify that the dump is not imported again by client.get()
-  // when the database is initialized with an empty dump.
+  // when the database is initialized with an empty dump
+  // with `loadDumpIfNewer` disabled.
   await importData([]); // <-- Empty set of records.
 
-  const after = await client.get();
+  const after = await client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: false });
   equal(after.length, 0, "collection still empty due to import");
   equal(await client.getLastModified(), 0, "Empty dump has no timestamp");
 });
 add_task(clear_state);
 
-add_task(async function test_skip_dump_after_non_empty_import() {
+add_task(async function test_optional_skip_dump_after_non_empty_import() {
   await importData([{ last_modified: 1234, id: "dummy" }]);
 
-  const after = await client.get();
+  const after = await client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: false });
   equal(after.length, 1, "Imported dummy data");
   equal(await client.getLastModified(), 1234, "Expected timestamp of import");
 
   await importData([]);
-  const after2 = await client.get();
+  const after2 = await client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: false });
   equal(after2.length, 0, "Previous data wiped on duplicate import");
   equal(await client.getLastModified(), 0, "Timestamp of empty collection");
 });
@@ -97,7 +98,7 @@ add_task(clear_state);
 add_task(async function test_load_dump_after_empty_import() {
   await importData([]); // <-- Empty set of records, i.e. last_modified = 0.
 
-  const after = await client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: true });
+  const after = await client.get();
   equal(after.length, DUMP_RECORDS.length, "Imported dump");
   equal(await client.getLastModified(), DUMP_LAST_MODIFIED, "dump's timestamp");
 });
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ add_task(async function test_load_dump_after_non_empty_import() {
 
   await importData([{ last_modified: 1234, id: "dummy" }]);
 
-  const after = await client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: true });
+  const after = await client.get();
   equal(after.length, DUMP_RECORDS.length, "Imported dump");
   equal(await client.getLastModified(), DUMP_LAST_MODIFIED, "dump's timestamp");
 });
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ add_task(async function test_load_dump_after_import_from_broken_distro() {
   // No last_modified time.
   await importData([{ id: "dummy" }]);
 
-  const after = await client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: true });
+  const after = await client.get();
   equal(after.length, DUMP_RECORDS.length, "Imported dump");
   equal(await client.getLastModified(), DUMP_LAST_MODIFIED, "dump's timestamp");
 });
@@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ add_task(clear_state);
 add_task(async function test_skip_dump_if_same_last_modified() {
   await importData([{ last_modified: DUMP_LAST_MODIFIED, id: "dummy" }]);
 
-  const after = await client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: true });
+  const after = await client.get();
   equal(after.length, 1, "Not importing dump when time matches");
   equal(await client.getLastModified(), DUMP_LAST_MODIFIED, "Same timestamp");
 });
diff --git a/toolkit/components/search/SearchEngineSelector.jsm b/toolkit/components/search/SearchEngineSelector.jsm
index 18d054e3b2e1..10dadc7cb304 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/search/SearchEngineSelector.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/search/SearchEngineSelector.jsm
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ class SearchEngineSelector {
     try {
       result = await this._remoteConfig.get({
         order: "id",
-        loadDumpIfNewer: true,
       });
     } catch (ex) {
       logConsole.error(ex);
diff --git a/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/Blocklist.jsm b/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/Blocklist.jsm
index c713c8f5fb8b..6cf193ed285d 100644
--- a/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/Blocklist.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/Blocklist.jsm
@@ -1008,7 +1008,7 @@ const ExtensionBlocklistMLBF = {
         this._stashes = null;
         return;
       }
-      let records = await this._client.get({ loadDumpIfNewer: true });
+      let records = await this._client.get();
       if (isUpdateReplaced()) {
         return;
       }
diff --git a/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_clients.js b/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_clients.js
index 7caaacb5e0ca..f89386d1531b 100644
--- a/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_clients.js
+++ b/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_clients.js
@@ -198,8 +198,10 @@ add_task(
       for (const record of records) {
         await client.db.create(record);
       }
-      await client.db.importChanges({}, 42); // Prevent from loading JSON dump.
-      const list = await client.get({ syncIfEmpty: false });
+      const list = await client.get({
+        loadDumpIfNewer: false,
+        syncIfEmpty: false,
+      });
       equal(list.length, 4);
       ok(list.every(e => e.willMatch));
     }
diff --git a/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_gfx.js b/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_gfx.js
index 6e6c3105a014..2b243ec6505a 100644
--- a/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_gfx.js
+++ b/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/test/xpcshell/rs-blocklist/test_blocklist_gfx.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const SAMPLE_GFX_RECORD = {
   feature: "DIRECT3D_9_LAYERS",
   devices: ["0x0a6c", "geforce"],
   featureStatus: "BLOCKED_DRIVER_VERSION",
-  last_modified: 1458035931837,
+  last_modified: 9999999999999, // High timestamp to prevent load of dump
   os: "WINNT 6.1",
   id: "3f947f16-37c2-4e96-d356-78b26363729b",
   versionRange: { minVersion: 0, maxVersion: "*" },