The iPhone 5 uses Cellular Data over WiFi?

mhollis wrote:

Call AT&T! Tell them that your data usage is completely out of any rational comparison with previous months before your new iPhone. Tell them you're not going to pay for an increased data plan and, that if they cannot give you satisfaction you will call your state's Attorney General.

Then register the complaint with your Attorney General. Send AT&T a copy of your complaint. That absolutely will get their attention.

IF the Verizon "fix" actually does work, then the code exists out there to fix the problem and Apple will encourage AT&T (or show them how) to fix the issue.

Remember, folks, this is the first month with the new 4G iPhone. The last thing Apple and the Telcos want is an Attorney General sniffing around, looking to protect consumers.

The Verizon fix corrects the problem of the phone using cellular data when it should use WiFi. It does not correct any problems with excessive data usage.

Thanks for the info Lawrence. If my ipad (that is wifi only) and iphone (when cellular setting is set to off) can receive pushed mail and other alerts/notifications while asleep, why is it that my iphone sends and receives data via cellular when the cellular setting is on. I understand what you say about wifi handshaking and power comsumption being suspended while asleep, but when I wake up my ipad, my mail box has messages waiting for me, there is no delay while it checks for new mail.

It has been another hour and now my data usage has gone up another 100KB and I haven't moved out of wifi range. I realize that 100KB is just 1/10th of a MB, but at this rate, the trickle of usage over a month would come to 72 MBs (0.1 x 24 hrs x 30 days = 72). If a family of four used Verizon's share everything plan at the 2GB level and we all had the same iphones, the phones would be consuming 288 MBs of data via cellular while in the sleep mode within a wifi signal.

I know that turning off my cellular setting cuts out the trickle usage. I could switch this setting on only when I want to use SIRI or navigation or get email etc. while outside of a wifi signal, but that is not what I expected.

Since I am new to the smartphone, I am trying to figure out if this usage is the nature of the data plans and technology or if it is a bug that has yet to be fixed.

Thanks for any facts, insight, or opinions. I'll try the app mentioned earlier to get a better sense of what I'm using over cellular while in wifi zones.

WiFi only devices (iPad and iPod Touch) do not turn off WiFi when asleep. As there's no cellular chip in them the battery demands are much lower. All iDevices have a steady level of background data use, and the amount depends on what features you have enabled. Go to Settings/Notifications. Every app listed can use background data, so you should turn off the ones you don't use.

Go to iTunes & App Stores. By default these will keep your music, apps and books synced with your computer. Also iTunes Match. Down at the bottom is Use Cellular Data. You can turn this off and it will only sync when on WiFi.

Another place to check is well hidden. Go to Settings/Privacy/Location Services. Scroll all the way to the bottom, past a long explanation of what the arrow means and you will find System Services. Open this. All of these services use cellular data:

Cell Network Search can be turned off, you don't need it in the US

Compass Calibration can be left on; it is used infrequently

Diagnostics and Usage - If ON, this sends problem reports and usage statistics to Apple, using cellular data

Genius for Apps - suggests new apps based on what you have

Location-Based iAds - customizes ads you see in apps based on where you are. I leave it OFF

Setting Time Zone - I leave it off; the US cell carriers do this automatically. But it doesn't use much data.

Traffic - This sends data to Apple about how fast you are moving when you are on highways. The cumulative data is then used to display traffic information in Maps

Ha this is what I've been telling my mom to do all the time. When we got our new phones from Best Buy a week or so ago and went over the AT&T plan stuff, they showed that my mom used more data and that I only used about half of the plan because she never turned off her cellular data while I've always turned it off when I use wifi. I've seen that this problem doesn't affect me since I've been already doing what people have suggested others to do. At first, I thought this problem was some glitch where it would happen even if you turned off the Cellular Data, so I did a test by writing down the data I've used so far (133MB thanks to YouTube videos I think), watched Oppan Gangnam Style and this cool Hey Arnold! Cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wz80Rvxgw4, went back to see what my data was, and it stayed the same.

So keeping your cellular data off by going to Settings > General > Cellular > and turning Cellular Data off will solve the problem. I guess you might just have to call your cellular provider about the data issue. If I see any problems where my data plan goes up even when I have the cellular data turned off, I'll be sure to let you guys know. That would really be a glitch on my end since I use mostly wifi at college and at home, but when I'm out and about at the store or at some sports game, I use 4G or LTE. btw, does which one uses the battery less? I remember on my iPhone 4, when I chose not to use 3G, it would turn my cellular usage towards EDGE, which used the battery less. Now on my iPhone 5, I have the option of LTE or 4G and below I think if I choose not to use LTE. If it's what it was like on my iPhone 4, should I choose not to use LTE and use the network below it so I don't lose that much battery power?

I turned my Cellular Data off, but either I accidently turned it on again, or I did something to require it to be turned on, and now I've used almost 300 MB of data in four days. I think. I dunno. I'm not sure what's considered data usage or data storage? It doesn't make it very clear.

I have an iPhone 4, by the way, and even though it seems like your asking about the 5, it seems relavent. I've turned off both 3G and cellular data now, and I'm going to see what happens with my usage.

Data usage from 9/21 iPhone 5 Friday to Monday 10/1 11.5GB. Only 2hrs of streamed Directv Redzone channel on Sunday. No way that was 10-11GB. I have a grandfathered unlimited data plan so my bill won't change. It would be nice to get this fixed.

2 hours of streamed HDTV could easily be 10 GB.

Did you not receive a text about throttling your connection? I got one of those when I was almost to 3GB in a month.

The old iPhone 4 would stream HD 3-4 hrs every Sunday and never went over 3.8GB. Not to mention that I reset usage yesterday at 323pm pst and now it's at 1.1GB at 1033am pst. Very minimal use. a few txts and about an 1/2 hr of calls and checked emmails. All on AT&T

No txt. I did get a couple txt with the iPhone 4.

Confirmed same problem. iPad 3, iOS6, AT&T. I can actually see my cellular data usage increase in the data counter while on WIFI. If I disable cellular data, then no problem. Not sure if my iPhone is affected since I have unlimited data. Appears to be an iOS6 problem.

I spoke with AT&T and they deny any knowledge of the issue.

+1

iPhone 5, AT&T. Reset cellular data counter when I was on home WiFi. Stayed on WiFi all evening and has 3MB of cellular data usage. Wish I knew about this problem earlier - the only reason I went to look is I just got the throttling e-mail from AT&T yesterday when I noticed I used up 4.8GB in 12 days.

When you say you were on WiFi all evening, were you actively using the phone, or was it on standby? And, if on standby, was it plugged in? The reason this is important is WiFi is off when the phone is on standby and not plugged in. So if it was using cellular data then that's normal. However, if the phone was plugged in or actively being used it should have used no (or minimal) cellular data. If it does then there's a real problem with the AT&T baseband as well as the Verizon that was fixed with an update.

Plugged in, but also active use. The reason it was plugged in is my other iPhone 5 complaint... battery life *****! Other than those 2 problems, I do actually love the phone.

Youre lucky, My phone said i used 894MB, ROGERS online says 2GB so i called and they say it might be over billing for usage ??

What does that mean. They are precharging me for data ?