Unknown data usage early morning

Two days ago, I made sure Safari had no open windows. Then I put the phone in the charger and left it. No data transfers!

Last night, I made sure to go into Fetch/Advanced and set all those separately to manual (even though Fetch was on Manual, my .mac mail and gmail were both set to push. I assume the higher level was controlling, but there's no clear way to confirm that.)

3G was on.

There was a tiny transfer - 2 kb - at 12:30 am. I don't know if this was when I turned 3G back on for the night's test. A few KB this morning - "Hello, I'm awake, are you awake?" size.

My guess is the culprit is Safari. I have often had a few pages "open". I figure it has to be either an Apple app - since nothing else runs in the background, right? Or an app that uses the Apple apps for info.

Should It Really Be This Hard? (And Expensive)

Regarding jump in data "usage" including phantom outgoing
DISCLOSURE: I changed the names and corrected most of my typos

The following is from AT&T Technical Live Chat
15 June, 2010 8:06 AM

Please wait for a representative to respond.
Welcome to AT&T Data Support Chat. My name is 'AT&T CSR' and I’ll be happy to assist you today.
AT&T CSR: Hello Mr. XX I will be happy to assist you with your issue on your 3G iPhone . I am sorry that you are experiencing challenges with data usage but I will make every effort to resolve this for you today.
AT&T CSR: In order to better assist you today, I will need to access your account. Will this be ok?
ME: That's fine, yes.
AT&T CSR: Thanks.
AT&T CSR: This is a secure channel. Please provide the following information:

1-The wireless phone number you are inquiring about, area code first.
2-The first and last name as listed on the account.
3-Your full name.
4-The last four digits of the Social Security # or password listed on the account.

Please bear with me while I access your account. Once I have the information it may take me 1-2 minutes to complete this. 
Thank you.
ME: 617-xxx-xxxx
ME: ME, ME, xxxx
AT&T CSR: Thank you for that information Mr. XX.
AT&T CSR: I understand you would like to review your recent data charges on your 3G iPhone.
ME: Just the outgoing to "phone" ones. What are they? I'm not using 3G at home--and very rarely am I out.
AT&T CSR: I am currently reviewing your data usage now. Data consumed while on a Wi-Fi network does not count against your included data bucket of 200MB for $15.00.
ME: Thus my confusion.
AT&T CSR: I do see that you went over 590.96MB of data. On this plan if you exceed 200MB in a monthly billing cycle, then they will receive an additional 200MB of data usage for $15 and will continue to bill $15 for each additional 200MB of usage thereafter until the end of their bill cycle.
AT&T CSR: There are ways to monitor your data usage for your iPhone:
AT&T CSR: • From your wireless phone, dial *DATA# to check the amount of data you’ve generated in your current monthly billing period. AT&T will send you a free text message with the data usage information. • Go online towww.att.com/wireless to access all your data usage information using our secure online account management tool. • The free AT&T myWireless application available for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android customers allows you to instantly monitor your network usage.
ME: I know. But how did I go over? I'm not using 3G. I only have about 32MB of data on my phone--no pictures, no video, no itunes--there isn't enough on there to explain why there would be huge uploads from my phone. Plus I don't use 3G. We have WiFi at home. No one has been able to explain what this data is, where it is going, or how it is going without my knowledge or permission.
ME: I use the tools you mention.
AT&T CSR: You mentioned you only have 32MB of data on your phone. Are you referring to the memory on your phone?
ME: No, the data--excluding apps. In other words, there isn't enough on there for the phone to be able to upload these huge amounts. Plus, I do not use 3G, I have WiFi.
ME: I miscounted: Audio (Ringtones): 16MB
ME: Photos (contact images): 12MB
AT&T CSR: This has no relation to data usage on your phone. When you are connected to WiFi you are not charged for data usage on your phone. AT&T does not have a WiFi network. It is possible that you are not connected to WiFi when accessing data on your phone which is causing these charges. Accessing the internet, socials sites such as Facebook, Email, and downloads can cause data access.
AT&T CSR: There is not a way for AT&T to charge you for WiFi access.
ME: But I am being charged for 3G usage. That's what this about. We have 24/7 WiFi in the house. I don't use social networking sites, and if I did they'd go through WiFI. These are all showing on my account as going to "phone" via MediaNet--even at times when am I asleep.
ME: Plus these are all outbound, not inbound.
AT&T CSR: Do you receive email on your phone Mr. XX?
ME: Yes. But nothing that would explain these amounts. I've usually cleaned my email on my laptop before my phone is even on. No attachments, no videos, no photos. Plus, I am using WiFi NOT 3G!
ME: Sorry, caps were a typo
ME: I am asleep by 9PM. Look at the times of some the charges.
AT&T CSR: I understand you mentioned you being on WiFi however if you are not correctly connected to WiFi you will connect to 3G network. As mentioned since AT&T does not have a WiFi network we are not able to charge you for usage while on WiFi. Your device can not access WiFi and 3G at the same time. Regarding your emails the iPhone will continue to receive emails while you are sleep and when your email account is updated with a new email. These emails do not need to include attachments, videos, or photos. The 200MB included in your plan is equivalent to 100,000 single-page text e-mails or 400 e-mails with photo attachments.
ME: Our wifi doesn't turn off. The charges I'm seeing are outbound, not inbound.
ME: I haven't received 400 emails so far this year.
ME: Push is not on. My email has to be retrieved manually.
AT&T CSR: Mr. XX I see that you have already upgraded your data plan to the 2GB plan for $25. If you have additional questions regarding your billing you may contact Customer Care at 1-800-331-0500 for advanced support.
AT&T CSR: Unfortunately I am not able to determine what was being accessed on your phone during these times data is being accessed on your phone. I can tell you that your iPhone is connected to the 3G network while data is being accessed for you to be charged.
ME: I upgraded following a text message from ATT saying I was near my limit. Then I checked my data usage which is when I discovered it more than octupled from normal and saw all these phantom outbound data records to "phone." The AT&T CSR I spoke with (prior to this) was very nice but couldn't help. I upgraded up to the 2GB with the (apparently incorrect) notion that I could avoid extra data charges. What I need to know is what data is going out, where it's going, and how it can happen if I'm asleep and my phone is using our wifi. Else the next CSR will be as stymied as the last.
ME: Also, I combed the internet as well as AT&T and Apple forums and I see I am not alone with this oddness
AT&T CSR: I understand your concern. If you see the data increase only while you are sleep I would suggest to turn off your Iphone over night to see if there is a change in your data. I am also an iPhone user. I have many applications and email setup on my iPhone that send data back in forth however there is not a way to determine the actual data usage being used from the bill. When you are correctly connected to WiFi you are not charged for 3G. I am sorry I am not able to explain in detail what is being accessed on your iPhone since the bill does not go into detail about what data is being accessed. One way you can test. Make sure you have WiFi on your phone and over the next 24 hrs if possible not manually access any data on your iPhone. Review the data usage to determine if you are charged. One thing you may want to keep in mind any applications you have installed can also send and receive data on your iPhone.
AT&T CSR: *WiFi turned OFF
AT&T CSR: If you see data usage occur then this would be a billing dispute you would want to refer to Customer Care for assistance. We handle data related issues in this chat such as internet, email, tethering, ect.
AT&T CSR: Are you still with me?
ME: I tried what you suggest earlier. I also made sure 3G was disabled. After that, there were no phantom wee-hour charges for several days. 3G was automatically reenabled 2x after I had to reset the phone. It seems as soon as I left the wifi radius of our house, the phone pumped out massive amounts of data--these occurred during daytime hours. So, am I correct that "you" have no way of telling where that data went? If I saw an errant phone call, there'd be a number, for example. How do I track down a problem if no one knows what is going where?
ME: FWIW the only app left on my phone that isn't an Apple default is the AT&T myWireless. Push and Fetch are off. 3G is disabled. Location services are disabled. Is this an iPhone hardware issue?
AT&T CSR: Yes after resetting the phone 3G is automatically enabled. You can definitely determine if this a hardware issue by performing a Master Reset on your phone. If you see that you are still experiencing this issue you may contact Apple at 1-800-694-7466 for assistance on a replacement phone.
ME: I tried the master reset (what a pain) before the last huge data outpouring. I'll try Apple again--though last time "they" said it was the carrier's issue, no theirs. I feel I am on the edge of something Dante-esque here. Thanks anyway. Is it okay for me to save this chat?
AT&T CSR: Mr. XX today you contacted Data Support Chat regarding data usage and billing dispute on your 3G iPhone. We reviewed your current data plan and usage. You were advised that AT&T does not have a WiFi network and you are only charged when your iPhone accesses the 3G network. You have been provided options on how to monitor your data usage and referred to Customer Care regarding any billing disputes. You were also given the option to try a master reset and contact Apple for assistance on replacement device. Did you have any other questions for me today?
AT&T CSR: Yes you can save this chat. You will have the option to print the transcript at the end of the chat.
ME: Ok. Cheers. {END}

Postlude: This *****

"Should It Really Be This Hard? (And Expensive)"

well, I work internal chat tech support for my company, and pretty much all this guy did was drop in canned responses and a couple of "personal info" to try to appease you, which considering the iPhone 4 coming out, and that when doing this type of chat support, you're on a time limit...so he's pretty much gathered info for the analysts and developers, but unfort. he did no real troubleshooting, bad on him, and also, just to let ya'll know, when you're chatting with a support agent, they're chatting with anywhere from 7-10 other customers at the same time...

a side note on my having this issue, for the last 2 nights, I turned off my phone and when I turned it back on, no changes in my data usage and at ATT site, nothing showing either...I'm thinking something has a leak and is phoning home somewhere.

I don't have ATT, but with my carrier, I do know that they store a copy of MMS messages I send online. Could it be possible that the iphone stores this information and waits to upload it online in bulk at some time in the evening?
Does ATT have a Media Net site online where you can view the MMS messages or videos, etc, that you've sent through their network? This might be worth something looking into.

I mention this because on my current carrier (Sprint), I noticed that MMS messages fall under DATA, and that I can look up any MMS messages I've sent online when I check my account. Just some thoughts to help out.

Cheers.

I'm thinking that it's just the way that their billing system displays things. I reset my counters and watched it carefully for a couple of days and I'm seeing similar results, but it matches up with my data usage. It's almost as if the system figures out how much data you used in big chunks and does it overnight and that's where the timestamps are coming from. The time stamp isn't the moment the data usage occurred, it's the time when the billing system got around to your account and totaled everything up for the day.

That's my theory.

Just got off the phone with an AT&T rep to discuss why my phone used 85MB of 3g data around 2am every night even though I have wi-fi at my house.

He said the phone does updates at that time and if the phone is sleeping but not fully shut down it doesn't hold the wi-fi signal, so the updates are using 3g.

He said I could turn the phone off completely each night of shut off the 3g.

I told him it would be better if the phone could continue to use wi-fi while sleeping or choose when updates were done so wi-fi could be used.

He responded that Apple controls those kinds of things.

So, if you are not on an unlimited plan, completely shut down your phone at night or shut of the 3g until you need it.

The last three nights I have set my iPhone to Airplane mode. It seems when I switch it back on in the morning, between 7:00-7:30AM, it is playing catch up...

06/16 07:14 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 2015KB
06/15 07:32 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8009KB
06/14 07:13 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 228KB

8MB sent while I was in the shower... Interesting.

I ordered an iPhone 4. Presumedly I can turn off cellular with it... Then perhaps I will drop to the 200MB plan. Until then, there is not way I'm giving up my Unlimited plan.

I may have solved this. I reset the warnings by connecting the iPhone and right clicking on the iPhone on the left in iTunes (CTRL click) and selecting reset warnings. The first time after when I sync the phone it asks me if I want to send diagnostic info to Apple and I select NO.

Ever since I did this on 6/13 I have seen transfers during the night, but they are relatively small, tens of K to a few hundred K. Nothing like the multi megab?yte transfers I saw before.

Can others try duplicating this to see if this fixes it

rdmassey wrote:
So, if you are not on an unlimited plan, completely shut down your phone at night or shut of the 3g until you need it.

I tried that. As soon as I turned it on the data transfer that would have happened between 2 & 3 AM took place. So turning it off will not solve the problem.

Well, I followed your recommendation and we'll see what happens. Did you do anything else too? Like disable Push or Notifications or shut off in the evenings at the same time? Just wondering if you changed one factor or multiple. I have been continuing to shut off Push and Notifications each evening and gets rid of the 2-3am data posting but still there is often a large transmission sometime between 5-8am which could correlate with when I reactivate push/notifications in the morning. Although in truth there really is no rhyme or reason to the data charges since some mornings they are there and others they are not. I really think it is a "daily accounting" of the previous day, but it is just so inconsistent.

I reserved an iPhone4 the other day (like many I experienced ever ordering crash senario in the book) and I'll likely keep my unlimited plan for a few months until I see what kind of data usage I rack up on the new model. Once I switch away, there is no turning back!

TinhMaiMongCho wrote:
Sorry I am new to Iphone, just have one silly question.
Is there a way to turn off 3G completely? because I have the 200MB plan. I don't to get charge if I go over it.
thanks.

Settings App -> General -> Network -> Enable 3G

Useful for keeping your phone from rapidly consuming data unless you need it. Right below that is how you turn data roaming on/off. Combined, these are the most important switches when traveling internationally. Only switch data roaming on when you need to check email/etc, then only switch on 3G for speed. Obviously switch all push/pull automatic fetching of mail and other nonsense in these situations, too.

Hope that helps. It's also useful in marginal areas to keep the phone from draining the battery, like a coworker and I found would happen at certain remote customer sites.

When I heard about the 200MB plan, I thought it was total insanity. I ran over in a single week in a foreign country, even with the above carefully controlled consumption. I couldn't imagine anyone that uses it much at all would avoid overages. AT&T is evil.

Asked this earlier and got no response (which might be an answer in itself). Is there any possibility that downloading something brought along a malware app that is now uploading spam? The 50-70 MB uploads don't really make any sense otherwise.

So, this is NOT late night data usage. What you're actually seeing is AT&T's billing cycle. So at late night they aggregate all of your data usage for the day and then bill it, and then start aggregation for the next cycle. Notice how none of your other data usage is logged? Test this by downloading a large free app over cellular data at like 1pm, and then use your phone normally for the rest of the day. Then in the morning look at your data usage again. Why else would it be at almost the same time each day on your bill?

AT&T doesn't give us up-to-the minute logging, and you should call AT&T and ask to talk to someone in billing that understands how this works. I got a good education on it when I called.

Hi all, like all of you I am here because I recently started paying attention to data usuage in light of the recent changes. I as well have noticed the 2am data usuage. I called AT&T a couple of weekends ago and all it accomplished was wasting a half hour of my life I will never get back. I did go back and examine my data usage for several weeks. Having a predictable routine in life I did notice a pattern that I hope may help you all, which I believe I confirmed through a week of experimentation. Please bear with me as the explanation is somewhat lengthy.

When I drive to and from work, I constantly stream music. I go to work about 7:30am and come home about 4:30pm. On my phone I have Pandora, LastFM, and SlackerRadio. I notice on my data usuage that on some days I had usage show up at around 7:30am and 4:30pm. Some days that does not show up and that night (or more accurately between 2:00am and 2:45am the following morning) I see the usage. For the past six days I have been alternating between LastFM and SlackerRadio exclusively. No other data usage except over WiFi at home. When I use SlackerRadio, I see the 7:30am and 4:30pm usage on AT&T's website. When I use LastFM, no usage shows up for 7:30am or 4:30pm. However, that night/moring I get the "mysterious" 2:00am data transfer.

My theory is some apps transfer (or report) data in a lump sum (LastFM) and some do it in relative real-time (SlackerRadio). When I add up the totals for the 7:30 and 4:30 usage on SlackerRadio days, they are approximately the same size as the total 2:00am tranfer on the LastFM days. Makes sense, LastFM would be reporting both the drive to and from work together.

I have one more experiment I am going to try this weekend. Tomorrow night, at home, I am going to stream 1/2 hour of LastFM with my WiFi on in the house. Saturday night I am going to stream 1/2 hour of LastFM at home but disable WiFi on the phone and force it through the 3G network.

My wife's phone has some 2:00am usage as well but never near the data usage that I see. She does less with her phone as a rule so I'm guessing she has some apps that do the same thing. Report all at once after the day.

Hope someone finds this helpful!

Message was edited by: trypticsoy

Message was edited by: trypticsoy

It's not data-usage at all. What you're seeing is AT&T aggregating your daily usage. Do you have Push enabled? If you do it'll always be at the same time every day. The only other times it does it otherwise is if you have a long period of inactivity with push disabled or if you power-cycle your phone. Those trigger billing. Their billing reports are really confusing, and could be a bit more helpful in this regard by offering a clearer FAQ as to what is going on.