iPhone 15 Pro / Extreme mobile data consumption by system services

For two months now, after the update to 18.5, I have had to suffer from extremely high mobile data consumption (more than 10GB per month) through general system services. No real solution from Apple support. They only recommend waiting for a new update (how long?) and having mobile data turned off most of the time (??). At the end of the month I have to buy additional data from the provider. According to discussions on the Apple forums, this problem affects many iPhone 15 owners, but I did not find any solution in their posts. I temporarily blocked access to data for most applications, I only use them on wifi. I set low data mode, turned off wifi assist, limited location services, iCloud backup only via wifi, uninstalled paid VPN. (... but we probably didn't buy an iPhone for this kind of user experience, did we?). Despite these restrictive changes, my mobile data is still being used through system services. I am angry and disappointed. It has been going on for a long time. It is costing me money. On a certain recommendation, I'm testing from today whether "reset network settings (in the Transfer or Reset iPhone section)" will help in this matter. If it helps, I'll let everyone know here. I hope that the engineers at Apple are also trying something (... but for three months?).

iPhone 15 Pro

Posted on Jul 10, 2025 1:41 AM

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Posted on Jul 14, 2025 11:27 PM

Hi, SravanKrA, thanks for the advice. You're probably right. I also use Microsoft Exchange (incl. EAS) to manage my email accounts in the native Mail app. After your post, I turned off mobile data for the Mail app for 48 hours. During that time, the system didn't consume any extra data. Until Apple fixes this problem (I didn't have this problem before las update), I'll probably have to connect my email accounts through a different engine to avoid EAS. In any case, thank you.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 14, 2025 11:27 PM in response to SravanKrA

Hi, SravanKrA, thanks for the advice. You're probably right. I also use Microsoft Exchange (incl. EAS) to manage my email accounts in the native Mail app. After your post, I turned off mobile data for the Mail app for 48 hours. During that time, the system didn't consume any extra data. Until Apple fixes this problem (I didn't have this problem before las update), I'll probably have to connect my email accounts through a different engine to avoid EAS. In any case, thank you.

Jul 12, 2025 1:42 AM in response to Espi_74

You may --> Check the cellular data usage on your iPhone and iPad ...


Worried about data consumption?

  1. Disable Push notifications for apps you do not use often --> Use notifications on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple ...
  2. Location services to be allowed only while using the app --> Turn Location Services and GPS on or off on your iPhone, iPad
  3. Set your iPhone to fetch email and calendar data from internet less frequently --> Push Fetch email Settings - Apple Community
  4. Turning off Background App Refresh --> Switch apps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
  5. Disable auto backup for any third party apps (e.g. WhatsApp) --How to back up to iCloud - WhatsApp FAQ
  6. Uneasy about automatic App updates? Turn on or turn off automatic updates. 
  7. Disable WiFi Assist --> About Wi-Fi Assist - Apple Support


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iPhone 15 Pro / Extreme mobile data consumption by system services

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