Apple Community Discussion/Support

[#1]

I suggest you check back a few months to see what your nightly usage was then. Mine went from most nights being around 16-18K to 2-7MB very suddenly, starting June 16.

[#2]

How do you see the details for past billing cycles?  I was only able to find a data usage trend report that showed total data usage for past billing cycles.  With that, I do see a 20% jump in my total data usage but that is really only using 2 data points - 1 billing cycle before 6/16 and one after (I switched my phone from my company plan to my personal account in April so can't see billing cycles prior to April).

[#3]

log into your account. Go to bill history. Pick a month. Voice usage will display.. You can choose data and it will show the daily usage.

[#4]

I see this same pattern of 2-3 am pushes of 1-5 mb of data back to the earliest bill I have access to which is 4/19/10. I can't go back any earlier because I converted from a corporate plan to personal plan at that point.  So at least as far as I can tell, this is not a new phenomenon.  Concerning yes, but not new at least for me.

[#5]

Your phone keeps track of data sent and received and unless your phone's reported usage does not match your bill, your problem is not with ATT. ATT does not control what data your phone sends or receives. I certainly understand why folks would like to know what is sending/receiving all that data, especially if you are on a limited data plan and it is unfortunate that the bill may not be much help in tracking down what is sending/receiving that data but continuing to blame ATT for this is pointless. Perhaps Apple could expand the phone's usage statistics to show which apps/processes are sending/receiving data.

[#6]

---

sandblaster wrote:

Your phone keeps track of data sent and received and unless your phone's reported usage does not match your bill, your problem is not with ATT. ATT does not control what data your phone sends or receives. I certainly understand why folks would like to know what is sending/receiving all that data, especially if you are on a limited data plan and it is unfortunate that the bill may not be much help in tracking down what is sending/receiving that data but continuing to blame ATT for this is pointless. Perhaps Apple could expand the phone's usage statistics to show which apps/processes are sending/receiving data.

---

Well here's my stand on AT&T's billing practices now that we're on per bit tiered plans, so that now our data plans pretty much work on the same basis of our voice, then the data billing needs to look JUST LIKE our voice billing.

For our voice calls, each and ever call is listed, so for our data each and every instance we access cellular data, our bills should show the date/time and bits sent, bits received.

A lot of this could be figured out if AT&T provided this.  As it is now we're pretty much forced to "take AT&T's word for it", regardless if AT&T has any control over what our phones send, they DO have control over what the billing statements show us.

[#7]

---

DimentoGraven wrote:

---

sandblaster wrote:

Your phone keeps track of data sent and received and unless your phone's reported usage does not match your bill, your problem is not with ATT. ATT does not control what data your phone sends or receives. I certainly understand why folks would like to know what is sending/receiving all that data, especially if you are on a limited data plan and it is unfortunate that the bill may not be much help in tracking down what is sending/receiving that data but continuing to blame ATT for this is pointless. Perhaps Apple could expand the phone's usage statistics to show which apps/processes are sending/receiving data.

---

Well here's my stand on AT&T's billing practices now that we're on per bit tiered plans, so that now our data plans pretty much work on the same basis of our voice, then the data billing needs to look JUST LIKE our voice billing.

For our voice calls, each and ever call is listed, so for our data each and every instance we access cellular data, our bills should show the date/time and bits sent, bits received.

A lot of this could be figured out if AT&T provided this.  As it is now we're pretty much forced to "take AT&T's word for it", regardless if AT&T has any control over what our phones send, they DO have control over what the billing statements show us.

---

That's a reasonable request/expectation but I do not agree that you just have to "take ATT's word for it". You do have the tools at your disposal to determine if their billing is accurate or not. That still doesn't help you track down what's sending all that data but at least you can determine whether your phone is actually using the data you are being charged for.

[#8]

---

sandblaster wrote:

That's a reasonable request/expectation but I do not agree that you just have to "take ATT's word for it". You do have the tools at your disposal to determine if their billing is accurate or not. That still doesn't help you track down what's sending all that data but at least you can determine whether your phone is actually using the data you are being charged for.

---

Specifically what tools do we have that will independantly validate how much data, and when, we send/receive?

Our account information comes from AT&T.  AT&T can manipulate what the phone reports if they so chose.  AT&T can cause our phones to execute the "reset statistics" function remotely and we'd have no way to determine if this months bill showing "170mb sent/3.3GB received" as factual or not.

Without a date/time log and at a "transmitted to", "received from" sort of manifest, we're at their mercy.

That kind of bothers me.

[#9]

---

DimentoGraven wrote:

AT&T can cause our phones to execute the "reset statistics" function remotely and we'd have no way to determine if this months bill showing "170mb sent/3.3GB received" as factual or not.

---

The phone's usage statistics is exactly the tool that I believe allows you to independently verify whether ATT's billing is accurate or not. Now, if you do not believe the phone's usage stats are accurate, not much I can do to convince you otherwise. Anyway, I do not believe that ATT can cause an iphone to execute the "reset statistics" function remotely. Please provide proof.

[#10]

Wow -

Just started reading the forums as I was thinking of ungrading to iphone 4 and giving my husband my 3gs.   Saw this usage forum.

I checked my usage - just for the last 2 weeks - data only - 2 mb.   Out of 11 [so not EVERY night] only 2 were possible out of wifi - the others were all at home - and aggregation will not work because on most all of those, not only was I home and on wi-fi, but had not even left the house for several days.   And any app upgrades were done through my computer.  My phone is plugged into AC most every day while I sleep. 

At this time, I am on unlimited data, but was thinking of downgrading as my busiest month was the one after I got the new phone in April :-).  And even that was less that 200 mb [175].

I am going to rethink downgrading or switching my husband over to ATT.

Sandblaster, do you work for ATT?  You appear very defensive to anything said against this company.  Maybe I am just misreading the forum and interpreting your responses inaccurately.

[#11]

---

sandblaster wrote:

The phone's usage statistics is exactly the tool that I believe allows you to independently verify whether ATT's billing is accurate or not. Now, if you do not believe the phone's usage stats are accurate, not much I can do to convince you otherwise. Anyway, I do not believe that ATT can cause an iphone to execute the "reset statistics" function remotely. Please provide proof.

---

Pretty much every phone function is executable via remote command.  Just think about MobileMe and all the remote functionality it gives you, up to and including, wiping the phone.

I am certain that AT&T has its own remote command set for "troubleshooting" phone problems.

[#12]

---

DimentoGraven wrote:

Pretty much every phone function is executable via remote command.  Just think about MobileMe and all the remote functionality it gives you, up to and including, wiping the phone.

I am certain that AT&T has its own remote command set for "troubleshooting" phone problems.

---

Yes, but MobileMe can't do anything remotely until you give it permission by enabling MobileMe push syncronization. Maybe I'm naive but I don't think anyone can remotely execute anything on your phone unless you've given permission somehow.

[#13]

Can someone please answer a post from before - where your bill actually reflects the overage if you had the 200MB plan and went over it for these nightly charges. IN other words, can someone confirm we are / are not actually getting billed for these nightly data transfers. I know some of you got your iPhone bill by now. I was a new customer, and after reading about this and seeing the nightly data charges (even though it was around 130kb), I returned my iPhone 4 in 2 days. Sigh... I've been patiently waiting 3 years until I can afford one, and this problem made me regret going with AT&T.

[#14]

I received my July bill and it had 90MB of data usage. My usual is 30MB and I have not changed my habits. In my opinion, it is counting the data I'm using over wi-fi because it did those 2am transmissions on days when I did not leave the house.

On days when I went out, I had the 2 am plus additional data at various points during the day while I was out.

I had push email turned on and have now turned that off to see if it makes a difference because with push, the mail comes in while the phone is sleeping and wifi is turned off.

[#15]

Okay thanks. It looks like the data is counting against the allotted 200MB. I guess whether or not ATT can tell the difference between the two if you go over the 200MB should be interesting..

[#16]

The two being data you actually used and data being transferred at night... Guess I will have to get a 2GB plan. OR wait until an iPhone on VZW?

[#17]

There are so many things about this that are a little unsettling.  Personally, if AT&T is going to charge for data using a tiered approach, they need some way for people to accurately monitor their data usage.  I don't like the idea of getting billed for data that I can't trace.  The second issue to me is that it doesn't appear AT&T can even trace this data.  So they're billing us for data, but have no justification for that billing?  That just seems problematic on so many levels.

I completely understand that purchasing an iPhone goes hand in hand with data usage.  But we should at least be able to understand what / how the data is being used.

My iPhone is still on backorder.  Coming off the BlackBerry plan, I am grandfathered in to the unlimited data so I guess this really doesn't affect me.  But I have an inherent distrust for a bill that I cannot understand and that cannot be explained to me.

[#18]

---

mjwood0 wrote:

There are so many things about this that are a little unsettling.  Personally, if AT&T is going to charge for data using a tiered approach, they need some way for people to accurately monitor their data usage.  I don't like the idea of getting billed for data that I can't trace.  The second issue to me is that it doesn't appear AT&T can even trace this data.  So they're billing us for data, but have no justification for that billing?  That just seems problematic on so many levels.

I completely understand that purchasing an iPhone goes hand in hand with data usage.  But we should at least be able to understand what / how the data is being used.

My iPhone is still on backorder.  Coming off the BlackBerry plan, I am grandfathered in to the unlimited data so I guess this really doesn't affect me.  But I have an inherent distrust for a bill that I cannot understand and that cannot be explained to me.

---

Well said!  Something does not seem right about this!  Especially since sooooo many people are reporting the phantom data usage.  I see it on my BB Bold 9000 on days that I don't leave the house (and thus do not leave Wi-Fi)... but its never over 100kb, so I don't see it as THAT big of a deal!  If AT&T wants to move toward capped/tiered data plans, they need to get this issue under control!  I smell a lawsuit!  Get you act together AT&T!!!

[#19]

---

mjwood0 wrote:

There are so many things about this that are a little unsettling.  Personally, if AT&T is going to charge for data using a tiered approach, they need some way for people to accurately monitor their data usage. 

---

In my opinion, you already have the tools needed to accurately monitor your data, at least in terms of how much data is being used. You can see what ATT says you've used via the on line account or via the mywireless app on your iphone at any time and compare that to what your phone says you've used via the usage statistics. I understand that does not tell you what app or process is using the data on your phone but I do not believe the service provider is responsible for telling you that. Even if they could, I think many people (myself included) would consider that a privacy violation. I don't want ATT or any service provider monitoring where my data is going.

I recently went to Europe and purchased the 20mb international data plan to cover while I was there. During that time I needed to very carefully control and track my data. Of course I used wifi whenever possible but for tracking what I did over cellular data, I found that using the usage statistics and comparing to what ATT said I used worked perfectly. I knew exactly how much data I had used and how much I had left. I see no reason why the same approach wouldn't work with a 200mb or 2gb plan.

[#20]

There is no "unauthorized" or "mysterious" data usage going on--it's just AT&T's way of "bookkeeping"; the figures for each date/time are aggregate totals since the last time AT&T updated your data usage; sometimes they log your data usage totals once a day, sometimes twice a day or more.  Proof?  I took a look at my historical usage from 12/2009 (there is a significance of why I chose that month/year--more in a moment) to 6/2010--some days will have one entry, others will have two... the most entries I saw for a single day was six.  Now, here's the kicker--at one point there were 13 consecutive entries...each exactly 12 hours apart from the next/previous entry!  Now I know for a fact I did not use my iPhone just once exactly every 12 hours...and especially not for 13 consecutive 12-hour periods, so I'm pretty sure there is no mysterious unwarranted data transfer going on with my iPhone--and oh BTW, since 12/2009 there was not even one single 2 AM data transaction listed in my OLAM bill history; the closest transaction to 2 AM time-wise were a few 12 AM-ish and 4 AM-ish ones.

Off-topic--I chose 12/09 as my starting point because prior to that, OLAM data usage history (at least on my account) itemized each and every transaction event when I pulled data off AT&T's network--i.e., if I pulled data on 15 separate occasions on a particular day, OLAM will list each and every single one of them for that day.  AFAICT from looking at my usage history via OLAM, starting with my 12/09 bill this is no longer the case so it would be practically impossible for me to determine via OLAM exactly what time(s) I had accessed AT&T's network using my iPhone (or any other smartphone for that matter, I suppose).

[#21]

---

sandblaster wrote:

---

mjwood0 wrote:

There are so many things about this that are a little unsettling.  Personally, if AT&T is going to charge for data using a tiered approach, they need some way for people to accurately monitor their data usage. 

---

In my opinion, you already have the tools needed to accurately monitor your data, at least in terms of how much data is being used. You can see what ATT says you've used via the on line account or via the mywireless app on your iphone at any time and compare that to what your phone says you've used via the usage statistics. I understand that does not tell you what app or process is using the data on your phone but I do not believe the service provider is responsible for telling you that. Even if they could, I think many people (myself included) would consider that a privacy violation. I don't want ATT or any service provider monitoring where my data is going.

I recently went to Europe and purchased the 20mb international data plan to cover while I was there. During that time I needed to very carefully control and track my data. Of course I used wifi whenever possible but for tracking what I did over cellular data, I found that using the usage statistics and comparing to what ATT said I used worked perfectly. I knew exactly how much data I had used and how much I had left. I see no reason why the same approach wouldn't work with a 200mb or 2gb plan.

---

I understand what you are saying, but would have to disagree.  While we may have access to a myWireless app (BlackBerry has this too), clearly people don't feel that they can understand where the data is going or they wouldn't be upset about these middle of the night charges. And if people can't understand it, then it's not clear enough for billing purposes.

I do understand the issue with itemizing data and the sheer quantity of records this would generate.  But you can't bill someone by the MB and not allow them to have at least the option of understanding what's going on.

For the record, I don't agree with the service provider having access to what app is using what data.  But for those trying to understand where their precious 200MB is being used, detailed date / time records would go a long way to satisfying them.

[#22]

I started to see this recently as well, I don't think it is aggregate billing, we recently went on a road trip and I can pinppoint the spots my wife got bored and was streaming nascar videos, as well as seeing the 2am transfers.

I work from home and some times don't go out for days and still see the transfers becuase I leave the phone on over night and it is probably the theory that the wifi is not active when the phone locks or sleeps.  Some times just a few kb and some times a few mb, with as much as 16mb once, and I can see it perfectly on the data usage report, when I switched from bb to iphone, I had no such usages while on bb

this switch to iphone is just one surprise after another

[#23]

---

westpak wrote:

I started to see this recently as well, I don't think it is aggregate billing, we recently went on a road trip and I can pinppoint the spots my wife got bored and was streaming nascar videos, as well as seeing the 2am transfers.

I work from home and some times don't go out for days and still see the transfers becuase I leave the phone on over night and it is probably the theory that the wifi is not active when the phone locks or sleeps.  Some times just a few kb and some times a few mb, with as much as 16mb once, and I can see it perfectly on the data usage report, when I switched from bb to iphone, I had no such usages while on bb

this switch to iphone is just one surprise after another

---

Once and for all, it is just AT&T's weird way of itemizing your data usage when you view your usage via OLAM.  Note that when I say "data usage" as it applies to OLAM, I'm not necessarily referring to exactly WHEN data was being sent to/from your phone for each and every instance you used your phone, but HOW MUCH data was used since the last time AT&T checked your usage.  I don't know how your data usage is being itemized when you check it via OLAM but when I log in and check my account, I can tell that the entries don't always correspond to exactly what time(s) I had data usage taking place.  Here's proof--for 8/4 (this past Wednesday) it shows just one entry--569 kb used at 11:12 PM; now I know for a fact that I did not use my phone for data only one time that day, and definitely not at 11:12 PM...but I do know that I did use it to surf the web multiple times between 8 AM and 5 PM that day...yet not even one transaction from that time and date is listed in my OLAM data usage details.  If you or anyone else thinks AT&T is doing something unwarranted as far as data usage is concerned...then why don't you try to explain how, even though I used my phone multiple times during the day on 8/4, OLAM shows but one entry for that date--at 11:12 PM.  And no, it's not a matter of simply waiting for AT&T to completely update my data usage for that particular date--I think they're already done doing so since I also see entries for 8/5-8/7.

Why and how AT&T chooses to post usage details at varying times during each day (when viewing your account via OLAM)--or even just only once in a given day--I would not know...but I'm willing to bet it has nothing to do with them pulling data to/from your phone at some weird hour when you're not expecting them to do so.  I mean, if you knew you used your phone a whole bunch of times during a particular day but when you check OLAM it only shows a single 2 AM entry--why would you be wondering as to whether your phone is getting "unauthorized" data usage?  If anything, if that is the only entry (or if there are only a few entries and you know you used it way more than just a few times) showing for that day, logic would dictate you should be grateful AT&T didn't "catch" all those other times you used your phone that day...especially if it's not showing up in OLAM.

Here's an analogy--not quite accurate but does give a somewhat-clear understanding of what's going on:  you buy something from AT&T on 8/1 and charge it to your CC on that date...roughly a month later you get your CC monthly statement and notice that there is a charge posted by AT&T on 8/4, at which point you might ask yourself, "Hey I didn't buy anything from AT&T on 8/4...what gives?"...but after a bit of digging around you realize that the transaction was POSTED to your account on 8/4 even though the transaction itself took place on 8/1.  Same transaction, just a different method of bookkeeping.

[#24]

A few days ago, I changed from Push email to check every 15 minutes and my big 2am downloads went away. Here is a copy from my page of usage: (read from the bottom up) 08/04 03:11 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 9KB 08/04 02:56 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB 08/04 02:41 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 16KB 08/04 02:26 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 16KB 08/04 01:55 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 1KB 08/04 01:25 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 1KB 08/04 12:54 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 17KB 08/04 12:24 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 9KB 08/04 12:09 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 9KB 08/03 11:38 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 9KB 08/03 10:59 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 1KB 08/03 10:42 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 10KB 08/03 10:13 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB 08/03 09:58 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB 08/03 09:43 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB 08/03 02:09 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 2809KB 08/02 02:09 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 2836KB 08/01 02:08 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 1370KB 07/31 02:08 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 2289KB 07/30 02:08 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 4990KB 07/29 02:08 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 2903KB 07/28 11:08 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 1991KB So far I have used 26MB, most of it in the first 7 days before I switched Push email off. I still don't know what the big data chunks are, but I don't have them anymore. One day not shown, I downloaded a 1.4 MB msg in the middle of the day - I guess while I was out of the house. But almost every other charge was when I was supposedly on wifi, but once the phone goes to sleep, the wifi is off and the check email keeps going but over the cell connection.

[#25]

Oh well, I posted a nice neat table and it turned into text. It kept telling me I was posting too much, so I attempted to switch to plain text. That didn't work out too well.

[#26]

---

signem wrote:
A few days ago, I changed from Push email to check every 15 minutes and my big 2am downloads went away. 1991KB So far I have used 26MB, most of it in the first 7 days before I switched Push email off. I still don't know what the big data chunks are, but I don't have them anymore. One day not shown, I downloaded a 1.4 MB msg in the middle of the day - I guess while I was out of the house. But almost every other charge was when I was supposedly on wifi, but once the phone goes to sleep, the wifi is off and the check email keeps going but over the cell connection.

---

Which again suggests that it's just a daily tallying of usage.

[#27]

If it is just a daily tally of data, how come it was reduced by 2-4mb per day when I turned Push off?

[#28]

---

signem wrote:

If it is just a daily tally of data, how come it was reduced by 2-4mb per day when I turned Push off?

---

because it had less to tally? I'm figuring certain apps "phone home" at the end of the day and tally up.

[#29]

I have attempted to have an open-minded discussion with the readers of this forum, but several people have their minds absolutely made up that the chunk of data at 2am is some kind of tally for the rest of the day. Even if it were a tally when I was using push, why did it go away when I turned push off.

If the explanation is that push has an absolutely gigantic data overhead that disappears when you don't use it, so be it.

But, people should be warned that having push turned on could eat up half of their 200MB allotment. And, the other thing that people should be told is that even though they think they are on wifi, as soon as the iphone sleeps, it turns wifi off and any activity while sleeping is charged to the data plan.

So, the only real way to conserve data usage is to not only turn push off, but also turn off any automatic checking of mail so that the only time you check mail, the phone is awake and, if using wifi,  wifi is enabled and used to get mail.

[#30]

---

signem wrote:

I have attempted to have an open-minded discussion with the readers of this forum, but several people have their minds absolutely made up that the chunk of data at 2am is some kind of tally for the rest of the day. Even if it were a tally when I was using push, why did it go away when I turned push off.

If the explanation is that push has an absolutely gigantic data overhead that disappears when you don't use it, so be it.

But, people should be warned that having push turned on could eat up half of their 200MB allotment. And, the other thing that people should be told is that even though they think they are on wifi, as soon as the iphone sleeps, it turns wifi off and any activity while sleeping is charged to the data plan.

So, the only real way to conserve data usage is to not only turn push off, but also turn off any automatic checking of mail so that the only time you check mail, the phone is awake and, if using wifi,  wifi is enabled and used to get mail.

---

What do YOU believe is happening at 2am?