Q: Unknown data usage early morning

I stumbled upon this thread and others similar to it when searching to find if there were other iPhone users with the same problem that we just experienced, and evidently it is still occurring. On one hand, that's a relief to know we're not alone, but seeing this thread started over a year ago and it's still a problem isn't very comforting.

Our son has had an iPhone 3G for about 6 months, on the 200MB plan, and every month he's been very careful about his usage because he knows he has to pay for overages. But 7 days into our billing cycle, he received a text warning that he was at 65% of his usage. When we looked at the account to verify the usage, we saw huge transfers happening mostly after 10pm (when I am 100% certain he is sound asleep and not using the phone).

After reviewing this thread, I called AT&T to see what their take on it was, and was only told that someone had to be telling the phone to access the internet for those amounts to show up. The final advice was to take the phone to an AT&T store to have them find out if there's something wrong with the phone. Has anyone else been told this or actually successfully found a problem with the phone itself? I have to admit I was disappointed the AT&T rep wasn't more helpful. I guess it's because the phone belongs to my son, so her insinuation was that I don't know what my own son is doing with his phone.

WoW!

$188 credit is pretty good.

I have the "old grand-fathered" unlimited plan with the original iPhone and of course AT&T was taken back by my concerns - "why be concerned, you have unlimited data?"

This issue begs the attention of Apple, the App makers and the carriers.

Free domain public WiFi stands a better chance in that customers at least know what they're getting.

When my iPhone was SPOOFED and started receiving calls from a city just as fast as I could answer them, then it stands that your son's iPhone or any smartphone can be hacked, SMART COOKIED or worse.

Come to think of it, if you read these posts--- you will read of a kid (I think he posted he was 16) telling that his MOM had it in for him and wouldn't believe that he didn't rack up the OT charges.

Of course it gave us a laugh but then... maybe your son isn't laughing.  IF the carriers get their way, most will be crying.

We have 96 pages of this discussion and no answer. Some have even blamed apple for no reason.

Amazing, how AT&T has literally got away from being responsible for this outrageous behavior they have fooled us the consumer. I called them and they gave same BS answer. My wife just got a Samsung galaxy s2 and I got th iPhone 4S. Her phone is 7 days old and she is not much into all thi smartphone thing. Suddenly we see she has used 894 mb of data , just past midnight (every night) her phone has pulled down 150-280 mb of data for no apparent reason. At this rate she is sure going to consume 2048 mb in another week. She has hardly use the internet on her phone . I Called AT&T and told then to make a note. Unfortunately AT&T rep has no clue as usual and I am helpless. They also said if the issue is not resolved they might want me to take the phone to AT&T store and swap it for new one.

So guys it's not just iPhone thing. It's AT&T thing. Simply pathetic just as their service.  Btw, I am still with AT&T just because of my unlimited grandfathered data plan.

Still looking for an answer.

This is sadly a scenario where "all roads lead to China" meaning that each points the finger at the other inlcuding the users get the finger proverbially from all parties as being the culprit for not knowing how to use their iPhones.

Apple is not faultless - in creating a great device and not an efficient one is seemingly likely for high data usage. Still, it's easier to fault AT&T for not having a strong network to support the devices or the throughput demands created by the users.  It wouldn't be sporting to not include the developers enticing users with APPS for everything under the sun - if you can think it, you'll probably get it.

Users have posted numerous and diligent points about how to reduce data usage even to the extremes of shutting nearly everything down, still data rules in that what AT&T said rings true, "Smartphones are always ON and always consuming data."

There are some elite on Wall Street mockingly if not arrogantly saying that "those posting and complaining know nothing and haven't a clue as to what they're talking about." (Summarized and if you want the quote, I'll fetch it for you)

Sometimes these quests to conquer the almighty Corporation lead nowhere and I am beginning to think this is one of those such journies leading into a black hole encouraged by the likes of the FCC for the sake of Big Corporations.  This is a huge multi-billion market and the stakes are high with investors banking on continued and new usage of wireless devices, spectrum glut and monetization of every possible opportunity by the carriers.

Your other point about Samsung rings true in numerous other threads throughout the web posting issues with other devices and carriers.  Maybe it's as simple as companies did not properly set the expectations of users but the overt message still is that they are surely going to bill us for our misunderstandings.

These issues with how things really work are not just AT&T or Apple but more widespread with reports in other countries and different carriers.  Apple just has a nice chunk of the market.  The AT&T reps that have no clue is a huge contradiction to many posts, FCC complaints filed and media reports.  The FCC will not release publicly those numbers and or findings and will only release information as required by the FOIA and there's a small catch-- there are fees associated with fulfilling the request if you know what to ask for and then, whether or not the FCC will provide the information.

Many of us are still looking for an answer but it may not be readily forthcoming.

powerguru wrote:

 

We have 96 pages of this discussion and no answer. Some have even blamed apple for no reason.

 

 

---snip----

So guys it's not just iPhone thing. It's AT&T thing. Simply pathetic just as their service.  Btw, I am still with AT&T just because of my unlimited grandfathered data plan.

 

Actually, there are many explanations in those 96 pages if you read them, including the fact that the unexpected usage appears on many different carriers around the world, not just AT&T. So either many carriers have the same problem, or the problem lies with the one common component, the phone.

Also in those 96 pages is the fact that the timestamp on data usage on the bill is NOT the time the data usage occurred; it is the sum of the data usage across the day, and the timestamp is the time the cumulative data usage was reported to the billing system. There's more to it than that, including the explanation of why there is more than one data usage charge in a day, but I'll let you read the thread to find out rather than repeat it for the umpteenth time.

The test is whether the usage shown in Settings/General/Usage on the phone is close to the billed amount or not. And the only way to track this is to reset your counters at the start of your billing cycle, and/or use a data usage tracker such as DataMan, which can record minute-by-minute data usage throughout the day. If there's a big discrepancy the problem is with the carrier, if the phone's idea of its usage matches what appears on the bill then the phone is really using that data.

Until they find a better solution - Very simple, turn off your Cellular Data connection. When at work, at home or anywhere with WIFI  turn off the data. I have been experimenting and I'm about 30 percent in to my data rollover date and have only used 10 percent of my 200 MB. I haven't missed a thing and not denying myself from usage when I want or need , that includes using Siri. Your phone and texting works just the same. You do have to turn data on  to listen to voice mail, that's about the only inconvenience I have encountered however, the phone alerts you. You can turn on, listen to voice mail and then turn off. Try it youll like it. No more over night mystery  Mega Data usage.

I was doing that for a while, and then I realized that if I lost my phone, the Find My Phone app would be useless.  I now leave cellular data on all the time, and close every data-using app when I'm done with it, even when I'm home and on wifi.  I also monitor fairly closely with DataMan Pro.  I'm still convinced that, in my case, at least, AT&T's app "My AT&T" was at fault one way or another.  It's gone, never to return, nor will I ever install another app that insists on cellular when wifi is available.  Heads up, by the way - many users who installed iOS5 are having problems connecting to wifi or staying connected.  This can blow you out of the water very quickly if you don't realize that you aren't on your home wifi when you expect to be.

SK8 - Thanks for the tip - I have downloaded DataMan Pro - Looks great, especially the price. I am still going to shut down Cellular Data at night. After a week or so I'll leave it on at night  to see what happens. I have the 4S, I have  never had a problem connecting to WIFI.

Thanks

I think Apple has designed iOS 5 to automatically download minor software updates and patches over 3G. I, too, was experiencing higher-than-normal data usage and this is what the gal at the AT&T store told me.

I have posted previously on this thread with major data activity at night. I am with the Australian carrier,Telstra. Telstra had no explanation but admitted it was happening with IPhones. Over the past few weeks there has been totally insignificant data transfer at night with either of our phones, so there has been a change. Go figure.

One thing that bothers me though is that in this thread a while ago someone said that when the phones are asleep there is no wifi activity. The other morning we woke up to find both phones totally flat. They were fully charged when we retired for the night. We found out that for the whole night our ISP was down. Our home wifi network was working, however. The only reason I can think for the flat phones is that they spent the entire night trying to connect to the ISP through our wifi and this somehow used all the battery power. Does this make sense. Does this mean that the phones actually do stay connected to wifi all the time if its available???? We are using IOS 5 on IPhone 4's.

Mike in Atlanta - If your phone is charging at night, it won't lose the wifi connection.  Maybe near the end of your billing cycle, when you know you have lots of leeway, you could leave cellular on at night while the phone is charging and see what happens.  My cellular usage is always 0 for the times the phone is charging at home.

Film915 - This problem has been around for at least a good year prior to iOS5.  If Apple has done what the AT&T "gal" said, then they are royalling screwing their customers, and they know it.  I think that info calls for some serious fact checking.  AT&T people are notorious for spewing all kinds of garbage.  At any rate, that's just one more reason for me to put off installing iOS5. 

I have looked at Dataman Pro, and Download Meter, and I don't see that either of them have the capability of telling me, which app is using what data, other than if I deliberately turn on an app, and then calculate the data used after I've the app for a while.  Since my problem is that I am allegedly getting data usage, when I am not even using my iphone, I don't see how either app can help me track down the source.  Am I missing something?

@Damper

iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S ?  The iPhone 4S apparently has a major battery problem.

@Sk8Dreams

The new iOS5 now has an option in the Settings Menu to turn off sending usage and location info.  Perhaps this was done in response to complaints.