Unknown data usage early morning

Lawrence -- regarding "Tethering" and "WiFi" on iPhones ----

a)is there usable information in a packet trace when iPhones are connected to WiFi?

b)Since the earlier iPhones (Vers 3.x) could be spoofed, wouldn't the packet trace reveal necessary info in the certificates?

c)How secure is "tethering?" Then, if the device that is tethered to the mobile device has malware of any sorts, isn't it reasonable that traffic will/could increase?

BackPacker57 wrote:

Lawrence -- regarding "Tethering" and "WiFi" on iPhones ----

a)is there usable information in a packet trace when iPhones are connected to WiFi?

b)Since the earlier iPhones (Vers 3.x) could be spoofed, wouldn't the packet trace reveal necessary info in the certificates?

c)How secure is "tethering?" Then, if the device that is tethered to the mobile device has malware of any sorts, isn't it reasonable that traffic will/could increase?

If an iPhone is connected to an open (non-encrypted) WiFi network then any communication can be intercepted. Unless the communication is over established a Secure Sockets Layer connection (HTTPS) it can all be captured. This is how the researcher in the CarrierIQ video found what was being sent.

Tethering, that is, using the iPhone as a cellular modem to a computer, is secure, both because the connection is WPA2 encrypted, and the cellular network itself is encrypted. However, this does not prevent an app on the phone (such as CIQ) or on the computer from phoning home.

I doubt that much data is sent this way, however. Even when the location database was bening sent, it was usually only a few KB.

I too am experiencing excessive/unexplained cellular data usage. Is there any specific diagnostic data that I can view to pinpoint any/all data transfer to pin point exactly what app or iOS feature is transferring so much cellular data (anywhere from 9-15 MB) when the phone is asleep?

If not is there some kind of profiler app that exists that I can install to monitor this?

Dataman will monitor WHEN data transfers happen, but not which app the are coming from. There are several apps that have a reputation for receiving huge amounts of data. One is the Maps app when you are using it, because maps are downloaded as they are needed. It can easily use a megabyte a minute if you are moving when using it. Another is Facebook. All streaming apps (e.g., Wunderadio, Heart radio, SiriusXM). FB and the streaming apps run in background, so it won't be obvious they are running.

OK, I'm not using any apps that stream media but I am using the FB app. Is this widely known? I'm surprised that FB downloads content in the background when the phone is asleep. If that is indeed true, this is most likely the culprit. I'm very conscious about not using FB when I'm on 3G. 99% of the time I use it I am on WiFi.

After searching the web it seems that nobody really knows if FB continues to download/send data while in the background or when the phone is in sleep mode. Anybody who can provide information regarding this or any other apps that might be behaving this way, please chime in with some sources to back this up. Thanks in advance!

Well, the evidence is indirect. A lot of people (if you read this and other threads) have said their heavy data usage dropped after removing Facebook. But correlation does not equal causation.

Other indirect evidence: If you press HOME while if FB, then open it a few hours later, is there content that wasn't there when you closed it?

@ddarko @Lawrence Finch

"After searching the web it seems that nobody really knows if FB continues to download/send data while in the background or when the phone is in sleep mode. Anybody who can provide information regarding this or any other apps that might be behaving this way, please chime in with some sources to back this up. Thanks in advance!"

Am I missing something here? Surely if every other App is closed, all 3G, Mobile Data, and Location Services are OFF, FB is running and you get data usage -checked either via the Settings menu or via your router logs ....... then FB is still downloading?

The developers of iPhone apps have already stated and confirmed that:

"Some apps can go on for 10 minutes before the iOS watchdog kills it. It depends on how an app is designed by the developers."

So to expect users to act as a kill switch is first unreasonable and secondly unlike Apple wanting to think for the users (as is often claimed).

As long as the app runs, you rack up data charges against your account.

I think everyone needs to go back and read over some of the prior 100 pages of discussion. All of this has been discussed and the Facebook topic is just clouding the water.

Maybe we should go back and get a list of conerns together for Apple and wireless carriers so we have some common concerns.

Marvelous idea!

Just let it not be this thread.

May I suggest that enough folks do as you mentioned that it be done on Google app with a shared document. IF enough are willing to participate and the conclusions/observations are sound, it can get published.

My daugther Iphone use 547 megs in one day. She works in an hospital for 10 to 16 hours a day and drive about 45 minutes to her apartement. What do you think about? At the end the resposibility of the excesive data is not from the consumer but from Apple and the Carriers. We the consumer do not aprove the applications. If the application is sending or receiving data in the background etc it must be explained when you download the application. I already call my carrier and Apple and had a conference call and they cant explain the excesive data. I already tell the carrier that I am not going to pay for the excesive data and they agre until they explain in more detail what is going. The same think is happening to other consumers but many pay for the excesive without knowing what is happening.

Thanks and sorry for my English

EJS

EJS. You're quite right. I feel sure each country involved in this issue must have consumer protection laws which could be brought into play. I am UK-based, so maybe I should defer to my American cousins who seem to be much better at litigation than us ! That's meant as a compliment by the way !

And there is no need to apologise for your English. It is perfectly understandable - and probably far better than my version of whatever language you speak ! (My guess is Français?).

Thanks for your words fred robot, I am from Puerto Rico and we speak Spanish. PR is a litle island in the Caribbean of about 4 million people and the Iphone , Android and Blackberry sales are very good here. I think that about 40 % of the people have an Iphone We have about 4 different carriers here and the competition is very aggressive. A few days ago one carrier anounced the Iphone 4s 16GB at $99.99 with a two year contract and $85.00 unlimited monthly plan. My wife and I have the IP4S and she consumes about 25% more data than me and she rarely use the phone data. Again my carrier agree not to pay for the excesive data. I have unlimited data but my concern is what is the content of the transmited or received data. Listening to an hour of internet music with Tunein Radio Pro uses about 14 to 15 megs an hour and my dougther consumes 547 megs in one day or about 39 hour of continued music. I would like to know how much is the maximun data consumed in one day for the other people here.

Thanks

EJS

Same problem here! This is ridiclious! Please help! AT&T has threatened to cut off my unlimited data!