How can i fix this issue? I had no problem on iOS 12. I started realizing this problem after updating to iOS 13 beta 5 or 6. I downgraded back to iOS 12 thinking it was just a bug. My Documents and Sync went back to normal. However, after updating to iOS 13 yesterday, Documents & Sync skyrocketed!! I have turned off all apps in cellular data. I even turned off iCloud Drive completely but nothing worked.
iPhone 7
I've seen reports of "documents & sync" leeching data around 3 years ago (possible for different reasons, but still). Reasonable action would have been to split it up into multiple categories. Since We are now in 2020 and this hasn't happened (blame is on Apple here), I think the most logical way forward is to step-by-step narrow it down to the culprit.
Anyway, got my hands on the phone again and re-enabled all of these
Data usage before: 1.7MB ( 800 KB in docs & sync)
Disabling Wifi and Enabling 4G for a few minutes (2-3): 4MB (with 3 MB in docs & sync).
Ok, so the issue is still occuring. So let's continue, first resetting data-stats and then:
Leaving it for a few minutes (2-3): 0 bytes used...
Next test (randomly picking Whatsapp)
Leaving it for 2-3 minutes: 1.7MB in documents and sync
Counter-test
Leaving for a few minutes: 1.4 MB total, but this went into "Safari services" (merging back data... understandable). Documents & sync remains at 0.6KB.
Counter-counter test
Almost no activity for 2 minutes, after that documents & sync at 300KB.
So in this specific case it looks like WhatsApp is to blame for leeching the data. Looking into the WhatsApp setting-screen (in whatsapp itself:
So let's test this what "Network usage" means. Resetting the ios-datastats + whatsapp-statistics and re-doing the "Counter-counter test". Re-enabling 4G instantly shows the ios-data-statistics for "docs & sync" at 1.2 MB, but the WhatsApp-statistics remain at 0 (everything in that screen is zero or 0).
There still is an option to "Low Data Usage"while on cellular (enabling this one to see if it will keep leeching data).
-> nope -> 600KB usage within a few seconds after re-enabling 4G.
Next steps is to slowly re-enable the important apps again, and see if anything else misbehaves.
Note: I do think Apple is partially to blame by enabling apps to misbehave, by not splitting up "documents & sync" into categories per-app, and for letting this continue for at least 3 years looking at similar bugreports. It's quite disturbing a multi-billion company isn't able to track this down over a period of at least 3 years (and doesn't even help by making statistics visible) but instead depends on unpaid QA services from their customers.
Yes, and it hurts badly when you’re in roaming ... Dear @applesupport, any ETR for this issue?
Same problem here, on an iPhone 8 with ios13.3 and iPhone SE with 13.3 - neither of which had this problem with ios 12 (problems started end of 2019). No problem on the iPhone 7 with ios 12.4 (didn't upgrade - and obviously don't intend to upgrade either).
Trying to systematically narrow it down, disabling feature after feature I'm currently at the following point:
Turned off iCloud drive but still leaking data, removed all files from iCloud drive, same issue.
Disabled WiFi-assist, background app refresh for almost everything except gmail, skype, whatsapp, notes, calendar and weather.
Disabled automatic downloads for music, apps and app updates
settings/icloud: disabled sync for mail, messages, home, health, wallet, game center, siri, iCloud backup, iCloud drive, maps and Shortcuts ( remaining enabled: safari, notes, reminders, calendars, contacts and photos),
iCloud-settings for photo's: iCloud Photo's enabled, Optimise iPhone Storage: enabled, upload to photostream: disabled, shared albums: disabled -> still leaking
Automatic updates (to the o/s): disabled (just to make sure this wasn't causing it).
Remaining candidates: Photo's ( if I don't find anything else, I'm going to completely remove every single photo and video from there, see if that solves it. As a sidenote, if that does happen to solve it, that'll also be the moment I stop my iCloud storage subscription.
There is still an update to ios 13.3.1, will try that too.
Honestly, why can't I see what exactly "Documents and Sync" is doing, in more detail? That would help a lot in figuring this out, as opposed to trying to disable every feature (which are spread out all over the place hidden in various submenu's in the settings ).
My kid has a small datasubscription of 500 mb for emergency use, which was entirely eaten by ios 13, after which is happily continued with the 10 euro of prepaid - so now she can't call at all anymore, and topping up is useless, as everything is grabbed by "Documents and Sync". Seriously, this is ridiculous. It's a know fact Apple hardware is expensive, but that's offset by the great user-experience. Not sure about that however, my user-experience is dropping very fast.
Documents & Sync using up all my data after updating to iOS 13
