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Data Usage Error- iPhone reports using 4GB sent & 4.1GB received??

My iphone 4 reports having Sent 4GB and received 4.1GB of data. There's no possible way I could've used that much data, especially sending that much. I hardly use 3G and I remain on WiFi where it's available. I also reset my usage statistics at the start of billing cycle so it's not accumulated. I contacted AT&T knowing that that amount of data would cost a fortune seeing that I'm only on the 200 mb plan. I figured it had to be an error of some sort because I never received an alert for reaching the half or full data limit. AT&T replied that I have only used 75 mb. What a relief! I remained on the phone for another 40 minutes trying to find out why I got an error. However, they weren't able to help me.

To avoid being stuck on the phone for another 40 minutes, I went to the Genius Bar. The "Genius" there had no idea why the phone reported that amount. He claimed that the amount was accumulated, I replied that there's no way I could've used that amount of data since July and I have reset the counter on 10/4/10. My send data is always 1/10th of what I receive. He claimed that the data counter includes Wifi usage. I stressed that the counter says that it is "Cellular Network Data" again and again seeing if he might correct himself. His final solution was to just restore the phone.

I went home, reset the usage counter, connected to wifi, downloaded and an app, and voila! the data usage says 0 bytes received proving that my wifi has not been running up the counter. Apparently Apple needs restaff that store.

I've discovered a few ways to accurately check my data through AT&T:

1) Get AT&T's myWireless app (which I am unable to access because I am not the AT&T account holder.)

2)*3282# receives an alert on data usage.

3) simply call AT&T

Here's my question: How could the counter come up with that outrageous of a number? I wouldn't want it to someday send that data amount to AT&T and bill me for it.

iPhone 4, iOS 4

Posted on Oct 20, 2010 4:06 PM

Reply
70 replies

Dec 5, 2010 7:37 PM in response to Yousef Marafi

the exact same thing just happened to me as well. My cellular network data says 4.0GB sent and 4.1GB received within 24 hrs. Please tell me this is impossible. If i really used that much data, my phone would be dead right now, right? it's still got a lot of battery left. Doesn't it take more than one full charge to send and receive so much data?

oh man i am really freaking out right now.

Dec 12, 2010 6:01 AM in response to Alarby

I've faced exactly the same problem; within a day the cellular usage jumped from 170MB to *4.1GB received & 4GB sent*. which is beyond imagination specially I hardly used 3G connection. However thank you guys for sharing this information. Before I read your comments I thought maybe one of the applications on my phone was constantly downloading or a hacker might be involved' but apparently I'm not the only one facing this. It looks like a software problem and hope apple will do something about it.

Dec 15, 2010 8:40 PM in response to Detortugo

This has happened to me twice now I got the phone end of November. The first time it said 4gb sent 4gb received, called fido they said dont worry about it as thats not what they had. But it happened again today! although this time it says 16gb sent and 15.9 received. Not even sure how it would be possible to accumlate that amount, on my fido online account it says ive used 1.65MB this billing cycle.

I know the counters are usually not perfect but 16GB, i nearly had a heart attack guess ill call fido in the morning and make sure nothings going on :S

Dec 16, 2010 4:45 AM in response to Detortugo

I am having the same issue. Just purchased the phone last month. Last weekend I was home all weekend using wi-fi...here is what shows on my data
12/10 07:58 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 421KB
12/10 07:34 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 3752KB
12/10 06:42 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 3715KB

Again I was on wi-fi so no data should be sent over 3G. All apps were closed, push notifications off and I do not have e-mail even set up on it yet. My account show little bits of data sent throughout the day when I am at work (also on wi-fi), I'm stumped.

Also, on my usage it shows all data as being sent and zero received...why is that?

Dec 16, 2010 9:38 AM in response to alain84

I've got a 3Gs and lately I've had large data spikes as well. I've done nothing different and this month went over my usage. I have now been checking daily and there are weird spikes of large data usage at random times during the day. These are not small chunks of data either:

12/15 10:58 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 13601KB
12/15 03:42 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 156403KB
12/15 03:35 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 85KB
12/15 08:16 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 9321KB
12/15 08:09 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/14 10:49 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 3507KB
12/14 05:12 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 6071KB
12/14 05:05 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 23KB
12/14 03:34 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 2010KB
12/14 08:24 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 6711KB

Of course the phone usage log is useless. I reset that 5 days ago and it shows my "cellular Network Data" as Sent=6.6 MB and Received = 36.9 MB which is clearly less than adding up just the two days worth of data I've listed above.

I've tried the following tips which I gleaned from Google searches to no avail:

* opted out of network advertising by going to http://oo.apple.com using safari on my iphone
* turned off all location services
* connect to wifi whenever I can
* clear out running apps (double click on the Home button, then close out those running processes)
* set my mail to 'manual fetch' (it only checks for mail when I manually check it)
* Downloaded a "System Status" app to check on my usage and see if I could tell if there is some app running that I don't know about, but nothing really looks to out of place.

Something is really weird here and I'd like to know what it is.

Edited to add: I did call AT&T last week when I got a notice saying that I had gone over my limit. They were very nice and I talked to a "Tier Two Technical Support" person (that's how he identified himself). Who said that they have no way of knowing what apps could be sending the data. All they can do is see that the usage is there and coming from/to my phone. They offered to transfer me to Apple and perhaps they could help, but I opted out of that. He mentioned a few apps that he knew of that could suck up bandwidth, most noteable Pandora, the radio app. I do have Pandora on my phone but have not used that app in months, and it's not running in the background either.

I think I may go visit the Genius Bar at my local Apple Store this weekend and see if they have any advice.

Message was edited by: JamiRae

Dec 16, 2010 9:35 PM in response to JamiRae

JamiRae,

I am seeing the exact same thing on my wife's 3Gs. She hardly uses internet or apps at all, and she gets mysterious spikes in data usage. I had installed the DataMan app to try to track it in more detail, and between 2pm and 3pm - sure enough, suddenly there was ~60mb downloaded and ~55mb uploaded on 3G.

Two months ago this started happening, which forced me to switch over her to the 2Gb/month plan - Since AT&T said they could not do anything about it. I simply had to upgrade her plan to avoid paying overage fees! @ %^&$#%&#$&%!!! I have tried restarting her phone, making sure all non-apple apps are gone from the taskbar. It still happens.

NOTE - It does not occur on my own iPhone 4. Just on her 3Gs. We are both running iOS 4.2.1.

So far this month, her 3Gs data usage is reported to be 20% more than mine - even though she rarely uses for anything - and I am using Pandora and browsing the web for several hours per day. It simply makes no sense!!!

My own speculation is that there is an iOS bug that affects 3Gs phones, where a low-level stack causes some bizarre data usage to occur. 😟

Dec 17, 2010 11:13 AM in response to stlcards1

Being curious I rechecked my data usage today at noon. I have ran no apps today, push notifications and location services are off. The only thing I have done is make phone calls. Here is my data usage so far this morning.
12/17 10:51 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 10:44 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 10:38 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 10:30 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 10:15 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 9KB
12/17 09:59 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 9KB
12/17 09:45 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 09:42 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 09:40 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 09:33 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 09:25 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 09:24 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 09:01 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 08:55 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 8KB
12/17 08:37 AM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 1514KB

These are small data transfers but if it does this all day, it will add up. AT&T can not give me a reason for any of these data transfers.

Dec 18, 2010 11:44 AM in response to Detortugo

Got the same issue today, but for me it was
4.1GB sent
4.2GB received

I checked with the provider, my total volume is 359 MB right now, so I assume the real numbers should be:

0.1GB sent
0.2GB received

So it looks like the 32nd bit flipped - maybe a signed/unsigned flaw/shifting problem etc. who knows. Apple should fix it though to avoid heart attacks of its users.

Jan 7, 2011 5:29 PM in response to Detortugo

I just checked mine right now found i had 4.0GB sent and 4.3GB recieved and I nearly died. I then thought just no way i had used that much since i checked it the previous day and in the 6 months iv had the iphone i had only had 320mb used... checked tescos data too on my log in with them and its saying iv only used 16mb this month... (from the 15th of december)

So this is obviously some weird bug.

Data Usage Error- iPhone reports using 4GB sent & 4.1GB received??

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