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The iPhone 5 uses Cellular Data over WiFi?

The first two days after I received my iPhone 5, I racked up 400MB of Cellular Data. 99% of the time I was using my phone, I was connected over WiFi. So I ran a test on my own by watching a YouTube video over WiFi and then looking at my Cellular Data under the Usage menu. Sure enough, it had went up by around 10MB. I called into Apple Support and asked them what was going on. They thought that it might have been a problem with my phone or my house's WiFi connection. After them walking me through a series of test and restores, the lady semi-acknowledged that it could be a problem with how their phone interacts with the new LTE network.


If you guys out there could keep an eye on your Cellular Usage Data, that would be great. Maybe it's a problem with my iPhone 5, or maybe it's a much larger problem. Seeing as I used to have unlimited data with Verizon, being charged with everything above 2GB would be very costly for me...especially when it's not even my fault.


Hopefully we can get this issue sorted out.


Here's how to enter the Cellular Usage menu: Settings->General->Usage->Cellular Usage

iPhone 5

Posted on Sep 24, 2012 1:47 PM

Reply
1,208 replies

Oct 12, 2012 7:05 AM in response to Seaslugofdoom

On our Verizon iphone 5, the data level has not changed at all in the last 24 hours and changed only slightly since the reset of all iphone settings to default 2 days ago. So far so good.


Are there other Verizon users who have seen their problem resolve without turning off cellular data? Is the problem only with ATT users at this point?

Oct 13, 2012 8:39 AM in response to DJPlayedYA

Went to the apple store in west county St. Louis. Told the guys about my problems (DATA. Camera flash wasn't synced. Screen would wig out and glitch on me). Guy (retard) tried telling me the 9 gigs in 14 days was because of my exchange account. I told him he was an idiot and I could download my entire departments email accounts and still not add up to 9 gigs. Then he told me because it was bright in the store he couldn't see the flash issue and because he couldn't currently see my screen glut hung he couldn't do anything for me. After ******** with him for 5 min I told him I was done talking to him and to go get his manager. After waiting 10 min he brought me out a new phone. I have had it for 3 days now and only used 125 Mb. New phone fixed my data issue. I hope they fix the bug or replace the phones for you guys. I know how you feel. None of this would have happened with Steve still in charge.

Oct 13, 2012 10:33 PM in response to Seaslugofdoom

I'm getting the data bug on AT&T with a 4S upgraded to iOS 6 too. I have used next to no data on a monthly basis for the 9 months I have owned in. Now this month, after upgrading to iOS 6, I'm getting warnings from AT&T that I am now up to 90% of my 200 meg dataplan.


I'll be giving them a call tomorrow, but this article says the problem is the "Extended Parameters" length of 4 instead of 3, something that used to not be used when connecting to Wifi.


http://www.zdnet.com/a-new-apple-ios-wi-fi-problem-has-popped-up-while-others-re main-unfixed-7000005134/


Hard to know for sure if that's really the full issue, but I do know that I barely use any cellular data normally, and yet this month I'm apparently bumping up against the limit of my plan.

Oct 14, 2012 7:33 AM in response to DJPlayedYA

At this point, the only way to get AT&T and/or Apple to acknowledge this and provide a fix is a class action law suit. Normally I don't really care about minor bugs with the iOS platform but THIS is costing people money that could be in the tens of millions of dollars.


Especially with AT&T, they're the type of company that only understands law suits. Who knows a ambulance chasing law firm that would be willing to file on behalf of the users?

Oct 14, 2012 8:00 AM in response to DJPlayedYA

Could someone please tell me how my Iphone 5 uses billable data while it sits in my pocket? I noticed that I have been charged for 12 separate connections (amounting to 2.5 MB or more) in a 5 hours while I have done nothing but have it turned on while it is in my pocket. The only notifications I have running for calls and text messages. Last night, I put the phone on the counter to charge it and this morning, I noticed data had been used as well. Is this normal?

Oct 14, 2012 8:44 AM in response to bdc61

An iPhone is never off, as long as it can receive phone calls. There are several background processes that use data, plus any that you authorize in your apps. Push email accounts (MS Exchange, Yahoo, Gmail and iCloud) use data. Fetch email accounts use data, unless you turn both Push and Fetch off and only get mail when you open the Mail app. Apps like stocks and weather update every time you press any button on the phone. System services use data unless you explicitly turn them off. (Settings/Privacy/Location Services - scroll down to the bottom and tap System Services). All of these use a small amount of data.


A small amount of cellular data is used even if you are connected to WiFi with the phone plugged in; specifically, push notifications for email. This is probably under 5K per hour.

Oct 14, 2012 10:08 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Thanks for your reply. Is there any way I can shut these data users off (I am trying to see if the WiFi/Data issue is still problem on my phone or not). I was in my car yesterday and drove about 100 miles and when I checked the usage after about 5 hours of driving, sitting, meeting with people (but not using the phone itself), I noted that it had used 2.5 mb of data while in my pocket. Not much in the scheme of things, however, if that happens on a daily basis and even amounts to 5mb a day, that is 150 mb a month (give or take). Now we are talking a huge amount. This morning, more data usage while plugged in an charging overnight. I also noted that the activity usage (used time/idle time) is showing activity when it is just sitting too. As I am a new Smartphone user, I am conerned that something is wrong here. Can I somehow deactivate everythiing to get an accurate read of what I am acutally doing? Thanks again.

Oct 14, 2012 10:34 AM in response to bdc61

Follow the path I gave you (Settings/Privacy/Location Services - scroll down to the bottom and tap System Services) and you can turn off all of the system services. Traffic is one that will use data as you travel; it measures your movement, then reports it to a central site that is used to display traffic conditions on the roads you have traveled. Also turn off notifications for your apps. Some of the built-ins cannot be turned off, but they use very little data.


My phone averages 250 MB/month, and has for at least a couple of years. And I'm a heavy user of data-intensive apps.

Oct 14, 2012 12:05 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Lawrence Finch wrote:


My phone averages 250 MB/month


A lot us have a 200MB/month cap, after which we pay a serious penalty. And we've never come close to approaching that limit. But under iOS 6 I've nearly hit that limit after just a week, with no change in behavior. That's the problem.


The only solution I've found so far is to turn cell data off entirely, which makes the phone unusable for many tasks.

Oct 14, 2012 2:21 PM in response to DJPlayedYA

In Germany we have the same problems with the iphone 5 and ios 6 already. First of all with the Telekom. Customers of other carriers have less problems.

In the past I used 200 MB per month. Now in 12 days more than 300. And 70% of a day I am Wifi logged in.

So I have sent mails to the Telekom but they can't explain this phenomenon.

I suspect there are conflicts between carrier bundles and ios 6.

I have read that maybe FaceTime on cellular (and without doing FaceTime calls) could be a reason. So I deactivated now and observe the effect. And in Wifi I deactivate mobile data.

At the moment it's very annoying.

So I hope Apple will update iOS or the carrier bundles very fast so that everyone could use the phone normally.

Oct 15, 2012 11:37 AM in response to DJPlayedYA

Chris is getting info from DataWiz... has anyone else tried it?



Chris Bruya

To add even more weirdness to the iOS 6 battery drain *and* data usage discussion:


I've made many of the suggested changes (both here and on Apple Discussions) to my phone's settings to try and dial down the data usage in an effort to increase battery life. That has been only marginally successful. After a day of using my 1-week-old iPhone 4S to make a few calls, send a few texts, access a few sites, it is down near 20%. And this is with cellular data turned off, only WiFi on, since I am near my monthly limit. With my old iPhone 4 and 2.5 year old battery I could go 2 *days* with this kind of use before charging.

In an attempt to track data use and get a handle on what was happening, I installed DataWiz. I'm finding that during the night, when my phone is charging and should be doing nothing, there are huge data transfers going on. Just last night DataWiz shows that each hour my phone averaged between 9 MB and 11MB data coming in! From midnight to 8am, every hour! None of this was email, there were no new ones. This is really baffling. What could be happening? Is this why so many are going over on their data plans without trying? Is this why battery life is so bad? During the day yesterday I didn't see this kind of data use, only at night and for the last couple of nights.


from


http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/iphone_touchplatform/index.html#d15oct20 12

The iPhone 5 uses Cellular Data over WiFi?

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