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Level 1

34 points

Unexpected high data usage on the iPhone

I have since November changed from an iPhone 3G to an iPhone 4S and recently noticed a triple increase in data usage (with additional costs incurred). While I used below 250 MB before I'm now using 470+ MB. A Genius at the Bar recommended to switch off Location Services and Cellular Data, but that doesn't really make sense. Is anyone aware what services might consume exorbitant amounts of data (maybe in background processes)?

Is there an app, that monitors data transfers and could give me some clue as to what app or services use most data?

I've asked my operator to tell me if they would be able to let me know which services might have consumed so much data, but due to privacy regulations they are not allowed to access my data usage history.

I have also read somewhere that Siri uses a fair bit of data, but I haven't used that too much either.

iPhone 4S, iOS 5.0.1

Posted on Feb 27, 2012 5:17 PM

184 replies

Apr 26, 2016 8:47 PM in response to Harperist

my phone was consuming a ton of data when connected to wifi, uploading. After much effort I found I needed to turn off icloud>share my location

I added a data monitor and it was uploading 2G a day!

Fadel914

Level 1

4 points

Nov 23, 2016 5:02 AM in response to Harperist

Unfortunately it seems not a Verizon glitch. Yes they want to sell their data plans but the iOS is not offering any settings to set a warning or limit the data usage once you reach the plan you are using 5gb or whatever you have. I use an android too which have this built in so why won't apple do the same thing. I own an iPhone 6s Plus and don't use it except at home because you'll be charged or throttled once you exceed the data you have. I still use my android with all respect to Apple devices.

Bloozbee

Level 1

4 points

Dec 22, 2016 5:11 AM in response to davipt

I had the same problem, and it was especially perplexing to me because I almost never use my phone in public outside of the occasional text or call. I'm almost 100% certain it's the new feature they're calling "Background App Refresh" which essentially keeps apps running when you go to the home menu, instead of freezing them like it did before . This means that any apps that actively use internet connections will eat up data whenever you aren't connected to wifi. It is a bit annoying that Apple didn't make sure to notify everybody about this change, but the feature is easy to disable. In Settings, the 3rd row down, is a tab that says "Background App Refresh", you open it, and untoggle the switch at the top.

May 2, 2017 6:25 AM in response to invenio

I have all you eat data and texts on iPhone 6 how has my bill gone over and my data

Unexpected high data usage on the iPhone