Personal hotspot usage stats incorrect (please hear me out)

As you can see, the top which is “other devices” has wild usage, although if I look at the statistics using my carrier, they do not report this wild usage (>200GB)

Same issue here. Other devices showing a lot of GB wvwn though I didn't use my hotspot at all. Carrier plan does not count the data used.

iPhone 15 Pro on iOS 17.1.1.

I have the same problem.

I have an iPhone 15, latest IOS version, "Other devices" of Personal Hotspot consumes a lot of data, even if I have the hotspot turned off. I hope they solve it.

Apparently, iOS 17.4.1 didn’t fix the bug :-(

Your question appears to be academic.

Your cellular carrier is not saying you used more data than you actually used, so there is no billing issue. The issue you’re discussing is merely a statistic, with no side effects.

I have the same experience. I use my hotspot on my other Iphone… Iphone connected to Iphone… dont ask why… and it will eat like 6GB in 10 min. Browsing for 5 min Google Maps, 3 Min Video on Youtube and 2 Min Social Networks. I have done this many times, the pattern is the same. In reality it used like 150Mb. It is really annoying, since you have no idea, how much traffic you are generating and what is your real data usage.

This is driving me insane too. I do frequently use the tethering feature to work on my laptop, but I had never seen the amount the iPhone is reporting after my iOS 17 upgrade. I just ended February with 192GB reported use, while my carrier app shows only around 20GB used. I did notice that the “other devices” usage seems to come from apple CarPlay, which I didn’t have previous to November 2023 (had an older car that I recently traded in for a model that comes with it). So after I take a trip I check the usage, and sure enough, after an hour in the car, with a distance of about 20 miles driven, the usage in the “other devices” category showed 1.92GB used. Carrier shows 20MB consumed. Apple, please fix this!!!

Interesting idea, but this is not what is happening, because the data usage is not reflected by the carrier. In my case, my phone will show tens or hundreds of gigabytes of hotspot usage for the month, but Verizon shows less than 10 GB of usage for the entire month when I get my bill. The numbers on the phone outstrip the amount of hotspot usage that is even allowed on my plan.

Additionally, this happens on both my work and personal phone with two different carriers, so it would be unlikely that this occurred on both, and I'm not even sure if an eSIM can be entered on two different devices, I am pretty sure they are one time use and not transferrable.

But ultimately this is disproven by the fact that the carrier does not reflect this data consumption.

It sounds like an unusual situation with your iPhone showing significantly higher hotspot usage compared to what your carrier is reporting. Here are a few potential explanations and steps you could consider:

1. iOS Reporting Error: Sometimes, there can be glitches or errors in the way iOS records data usage. It might be worthwhile to restart your iPhone and see if the data reporting normalizes.
2. App Background Data Usage: Some apps might use data in the background without your active knowledge. Check your apps to see if any are consuming more data than expected in the background.
3. Software Update or Reset: If the issue persists, consider updating your iPhone to the latest iOS version or performing a reset (making sure to back up your data first).
4. Usage by Other Devices: Ensure that no other unauthorized devices are connected to your hotspot without your knowledge, which could be consuming data.
5. Network Settings Reset: Try resetting your iPhone's network settings. This can sometimes resolve connectivity or data reporting issues.
6. Contact Apple Support: If the problem persists and seems to be a system-level issue, reaching out to Apple Support might provide more tailored and specific assistance.

It's encouraging that your carrier's data usage stats align more closely with your actual usage. However, if your iPhone continues to report significantly higher hotspot usage, further troubleshooting or contacting Apple Support directly might be the best course of action.

Are you referring to “Personal Hotspot” as shown here under Settings > Cellular?

If so, what do you see when you press the “>” at the right of that row?

Hi! Any news on that? I found out when I transfer Data (full backup) from my iPhone (iP14, IOS 17.2.1) to my Windows Pc it counts on hotspot usage (other devices).

My mobile data was just used up by other devices in no time during my holiday. Whole 75GB used up by other devices. Hoping for a statement from Apple. This is really unacceptable and wasting your clients‘ money…

Has this bug been fixed in the iOS 17.4.1

Agreed. I am seeing the same thing. I’ve barely used the hotspot over the last month and it is showing transfer of over 250 GB (I had a reset my stats three weeks ago). I’m running iOS 17.4.1.

Yeah or you could try resetting the phone and turning off and on your hotspot from cell company side. What I’ve gathered is that apple is either reading the usage wrongs or the cell company is sending false or glitched information, it’s probably apple though. Again I advise resetting the phone or Maby even settings. (If you look up “reset it settings” you can chose what to reset)