Ios6 causing excessive data usage?

i'm still having data issues. got telus to move me to a 6gb plan.

they keep on telling me to disable the cellular data when i'm not using it and i should monitor my usage.

they also say that because it's a faster phone, it downloads more. i reply with a 2mb picture will be 2mb on 3g, lte, or wifi. the size never changes. but it seems that on the iphone 5 it will download 6mb for some reason instead of 2mb. (this is just an example).

i hope a software update comes out to resolve this issue. i knew i should have stayed with my iphone 4.

I had exactly the same issue. Sometime around Dec 15 data started leaking like crazy especially in the middle of the night. You can turn off your cellular data when you don't need it. You can turn off location services and notifications. You can turn your iPhone into a flip phone with no functionality.

What I did was to restore the phone as detailed in http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414

I've turned most of my services back on and never turn off cellular data. I think the problem is resolved with the restore.

I had this same issue.

On this forum (Decemebr 14) there was a simple solution which has completely resolved the issue for me.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4347104?answerId=20594122022#20594122022

I now have no data leakage ... and my iPhone 5 battery lasts according to what Apple says it should.

I think I have licked the problem on my iPhone 5, iOS 6.1.2. I was getting up to 24 MB of cell data that I did not explicitly ask for, and I had no idea where it was going. I had cell data turned on in general settings, but turned off for all apps except for email, weather, and maps (and my data tracker). I noticed that I was getting big blocks of cell data download only when I left home. So a little more investigation showed me that I had missed turning cell data off in one place. That was in Settings/Privacy/Location Services/System Services (scroll all the way to the bottom). I had compass calibration and traffic turned on. I think the latter was the culprit. I unchecked both of those, and the problem has disappeared - I have not gotten more than about 0.75 MB of cell data in any one day for the last three days. FIngers crossed here.

I'm having the same problem. I used almost as much data in six days as our entire organization used to use in a month, even though I was connected to wifi 90 percent of the time. I called support and they reccomended a reset. I did that and found that my phone stopped using data while on wifi overnight. But this morning it's doing it again. They said if the reset doesn't work I will need to replace my phone. But I don't want to go through the pain of getting a new phone if that won't fix it. Seems like a problem with OS6?

Here is an interested article I found:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-rosenbaum/apples-iphone5-crisis-a-d_b_275513 0.html

I have the same issue too. After upgrading to 6.1.2 my iPhone 4s is CONSTANTLY downloading data. Everything - and I mean everything is turned off. I have been researching this for days, following every suggestion I can find. To no avail. I can watch my data usage tick .01MB PER SECOND. Yes, PER SECOND. I am not using iCloud for anything. Turned off iTunes, don't have Podcaster installed.

I used 1.04 GB yesterday in one 24 hour period.

What is fascinating, and truly dispiriting, is that I have seen complaints about this from all over the world. It seems that there must be hundreds of thousands of people who are affected by this issue - and there is no help to be found.

It is not an option to 'turn off cellular data when not using it'. The entire purpose of the phone is to be able to receive this data when you need it. Many of my most used apps are rendered useless if the phone needs to be used in this way. And STILL, this solution does not solve the problem - the moment the phone enters a wifi area it starts gulping down data for no reason at all.

I hope help comes for this soon. I have been a dedicated iPhone user since the day the 3GS came out. I love the products - but this will force me to, rather unhappily, go to another provider.

The Huffington Post article seems to indicate that it's an iCloud bug. Try turning off iCloud. Also, consider filing a complaint with the FCC, as others have done. That does get some attention, at least.

Sk8Dreams, thanks for the suggestion - but as I mentioned in my post, I am not using iCloud for anything - it is completely turned off. And the data usage is ridiculously, outrageously high, absolutely excessive - and with everything turned off. And I do mean everything. Location services, auto iTunes downloads, I have never had podcaster...

I am absolutely certain that this is an iOS issue.

Apple - please solve this excessive and unexplained data usage before you force me to trash the iPhone and never return to it again. I love the Apple products, but need a product that works.

rollcamera - sorry I missed that. This has been a problem for a long time before iOS 6, so it may be a result of that OS in some cases, but it is not exclusive to it.

Sk8Dreams, I'll accept that. But it's not encouraging!

Fortunately for me I only just encountered this problem with 6.1.2 - I had held on to 5.0.1 until very recently. I was worried about the upgrade....should have trusted my instincts.

By the way, I just deleted my iCloud account completely. Rebooted a couple of times. Still watching data drain into my phone for no reason at all at a rate of .01MB per second.

Deeply discouraging. Thanks for the feedback!

rollcamera - Is your phone still under warranty? If it is, you can take it back and get a new one. One of the reasons I bought an iPhone 5 and signed another 2 yr contract was that my 4 was over 2 years old, and I was afraid one of the dreaded bugs would get it if I upgraded to 6, but needed 6 for an app I use for work. The two worst bugs, IMO, are the data drain, and the disabled wifi. Fortunately, since I'm with AT&T, I was able to unlock my phone and hope to sell it soon on eBay, where it should just about pay for my new one.

Unfortunately it is an iPhone 4s that was purchased in the week it came out. I also just ditched AT&T - just before I upgraded to 6.1.2.

That is a mistake I won't make again.

I must say I have found Apple products to work seamlessly - until this critical fail.

If I can't solve this issue, I think it would be unfair of me to try to sell this phone. I'll just have to trash it and move out of the Apple world, much as I hate that option.

Good luck on selling yours!

I deleted the Podcasts app and began using the Music app for podcasts. That solved it.

I highly recommend the free Data Usage app. It helped me determine that Podcasts was causing the problems, and helped me get through the remainder of last month without an overcharge from AT&T (after Podcasts had sucked up almost 50% of my data allotment the first two days of the month).

Also, kudos to AT&T. (Words I never thought I'd type.) The data problem began two months ago for me. A very nice rep gave me full credit for that month's overage charges.

Patrick,

Thanks so much for that. I actualy have two different apps running that track data usage.

I also never installed the Podcast app.

Unfortunately the data trackers are not reporting what is sucking down so much data. That's why I think this is a deeper problem. Whatever is sucking data down is doing so at a lower level than what rides on top of the OS can find.

Unfortunately for me, I left AT&T. But, nonetheless, without the problem solved, gettting a rebate for usage would need to be a recurring thing!

Thanks again.

Hi folks this problem clearly has not gone away! My daughter has an iphone5 and nothing unusual was noticed until Friday when we got o2s warning of 80% used of 2gb allowance in 18 days. As I'm not usually aware of her usage I got an additional 500mb and told her to keep an eye on what she does. Sunday 17th same warning data going fast? So checked online bill and realised that problem started last Tuesday on the 12th when 333mb sucked out of account at 6am! Same amount 13th and 14th at bizarre times 10am and 7am Thursday at 7am nearly 700mb??? Friday no use then Saturday at 6am 107mb gone! So most of months 2gb gone in 5 days. Given she was asleep or in school on all theses occasions a technophobe like me is a bit lost, so all help appreciated, thanks