Excessive data usage...all in one day!

[dwcliff703]

I've been on the 200 MB data plan since getting my iPhone 4 when they first came out. I rarely go over 100 MB in any given month because I have wifi at work and home. 

However earlier this week, just a week after my monthly cycle started again I get a text saying that I've exceed my data usage for the month. So I check my account and amazingly it shows that in one event at a specific time (while I'm at the office on wifi) I have used 197543 kbs!! Supposedly I've used almost my entire monthly allotment of data in one moment of time.

Made for an interesting conversation with c/s and I get the speech, "Sir you will need to turn off 3G when on wifi to make sure your data isn't used". Give me a break lady. After much complaining and asking that she please look at my data history she agrees to give me a $10 customer service credit on my bill. So all is well since I can just backdate a change in my data plan to when my month began and it only costs the extra $10, but it sure makes me wonder how anything like that could happen. 

Very strange

[gara56]

I would still take a look at at how you set up your push notifications and make sure those data hog apps are not consistently running in the background. I agree with you that ATT's customer service department tend to think they are IT experts and like to make ignorant assumptions (i.e., you the customer are so stupid you don't know how to work a smart phone). I have rarely exceeded 200MB (even though I have the unlimited plan) because I'm curious like everyone else how they can use so much data in a short period of time. I guess if you use internet radio, push notifications for all you apps, skype, etc and you consistently run them in the background--I guess you can reach that limit pretty quickly. Hope you are able to find out what's going on with your phone.

[johninsj ACE - Wizard]

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However earlier this week, just a week after my monthly cycle started again I get a text saying that I've exceed my data usage for the month. So I check my account and amazingly it shows that in one event at a specific time (while I'm at the office on wifi) I have used 197543 kbs!! Supposedly I've used almost my entire monthly allotment of data in one moment of time.

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Was your phone plugged in at work all day? If not, it wasn't on wifi 15 minutes after it went into standby at work.

What did you do for up to the previous three days on the phone? 200MB would be about 30 minutes of video streaming, one upload of video, one (albeit large) email attachment, or 10-15 (or less than 1) app update in the app store - or 15 minutes of driving with google maps for example.

BTW the call center lady is right. If you want to fully controll cellular data, you'll have to turn it off, and switch it on as needed/desired only. There is no other finer grade control of the data, and that's an issue to take up with Apple.

[SLIKRICK]

I learn something new every day on this site. I did not know you could use 200 mb of data in 15 min with Google Maps. I use it all the time. I'm on the unlimited plan, so I've never bothered to check my usage. But that's huge.

[johninsj ACE - Wizard]

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SLIKRICK wrote:
I learn something new every day on this site. I did not know you could use 200 mb of data in 15 min with Google Maps. I use it all the time. I'm on the unlimited plan, so I've never bothered to check my usage. But that's huge.

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If you use streetview or satelite view, it's quite a bit of data. Not saying it's the sole case, just one of many data intensive (potentially, anyway) internet apps.

[darrylad]

I had similar problems with data usage all at once.  I consistently use Wi-Fi for internet access and e-mail and have gone with the 200 MB plan.  Out of the blue with 12 days left on my billinig cycle, I got a text saying that I was about to exceed my 200 MB.  I reviewed my current usage and found large blocks of data transfer at times during the night when the phone was in the charger.  (I don't turn it off at night, but charge it nightly).  I am assuming that since the phone goes into the lock mode, the Wi-Fi may be dormant.  If some app asks for my location for whatever reason duriing the night, I may be gettiing data usage through 3G which is going against my plan.  I am experimenting by turning off location services for all apps except for find my iPhone.  I will be closely monitoriing this, as it is a condition that cannot be tolerated.   This is very unexpected, but perhaps I am getting to the bottom of it.

[johninsj ACE - Wizard]

Hi Darrylad,

Instead of posting to a topic that is several months old, please feel free to open a new topic,

Also, you missed the many topics on this subject where "large blocks of data at night" are discussed at length,

* wifi goes dormant after 15 minutes off charger on standby, but never goes dormant ON charger - leave phone plugged in overnight.

* AT&T batch REPORTs data usage up to 72 hours after actual use, and these "2am" data chunks are seldom actual 2am data use, but rather just data use that was reported then, happening any time in the previous 3 days.

Good luck.

[MarkHays]

Mysterious and massive data usage on AT&T iPhone:

We are also puzzled by mysterious 'data use' charges on our son's iPhone 4s.  We noticed the problem early this year, after we received a bill that showed hundreds of megabytes of data transfers -- while our son was in the hospital. His iPhone phone was not being used, was turned off and was not charged. 

I called AT&T a number of times and spoke to CSRs and supervisors to report this problem.  I also found that this is a common complaint on AT&T's support site, Apple iPhone user blogs and other websites.  Many AT&T customers are mystified by phantom data charges that often occur in the middle of the night.

An AT&T supervisor kindly removed the phantom data charges for the period our son was in the hospital.  As I told her, this correction was very helpful -- but we wanted to make sure it would not happen again.

Unfortunately, the pattern continues.  For example:

05/03	12:31 AM	phone	Internet/MEdia Net	Sent	65,545 KB
05/02	09:07 PM	phone	Internet/MEdia Net	Sent	11,623 KB
05/02	12:21 AM	phone	Internet/MEdia Net	Sent	27,188 KB
05/01	12:13 PM	phone	Internet/MEdia Net	Sent	14,851 KB
04/30	11:55 PM	phone	Internet/MEdia Net	Sent	24,029 KB

Note that these were data uploads ("Sent"), not downloaded movies, music files etc.  The file sizes are also massive -- 65 megabytes in one transmission on 3 May! 

Clearly there is a problem.  Our son does not have 65 megabytes of data on his new iPhone 4s, which would equal over a million text messages or hundreds of MP3 song files.  There is no possible way 65 megabytes could be sent in one batch in the middle of the night.  (Even if an app was automatically sending data in the background.)

AT&T's network transmits all of this data, and tracks the sending and receiving IP addresses.  When I spoke to AT&T technical support team and customer service managers, however, no one could explain the bill we received.  The charges are simply there, created by AT&T.  Their only suggestion: upgrade your data plan.  (Pay AT&T more money.)

Frankly, I do not understand how a business could create and bill for charges like these, with no explanation.

Mark

[edited for privacy]

[Krillz]

I know that it may seem like a bit of a headache but what I do is always check which apps are running periodically. You can find that option under manage apps on your phone because sometimes those apps will continue to run although you are no longer using it. Some apps require you to hit a button to close out.

[johninsj ACE - Wizard]

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MarkHays wrote:

Note that these were data uploads ("Sent"), not downloaded movies, music files etc.  The file sizes are also massive -- 65 megabytes in one transmission on 3 May! 

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FYI All data in either direction is reported as "Sent" so the wording  is meaningless in the usage report..