The iPhone 5 uses Cellular Data over WiFi?

I have noticed this as well, and had pointed this out weeks ago to the AT&T CSR who insisted that turning off cellular data would halt overnight "normal" background cellular data draws. I said "how would that help, because as soon as I turn in on in the morning, everything that was set to draw overnight would simply start as soon as cellular data was reactivated. She stuck to the corporate line that when the phone is asleep, it puts wifi to sleep and goes to cell data. I tried (and failed) to explain that when the phone is plugged in and charging, the wifi stays active.

I will be extremely upset if this issue doesn't get fixed or acknowledged by the end of the month. I still get data drain with all my apps force quit when I leave wifi (of course all the mentioned syncing data options disabled) and drive to work and then again back home. It goes without saying that I still have cell data draining while on wifi at home and at work.

I feel it is my duty to report that I checked on my last week's data usage, Datawiz data versus AT&Ts log.

There is quite a descrepancy.

Datawiz reports for 10/11/12 thru 10/18/12 32MBs used

AT&T reports for 10/11/12 thru 10/18/12 14MBs used.

AT&T must draw some large data chunks that they don't count towards your total.

I have to add that I turned off most of the syncing with data stuff, and have painstakinly tried NOT to use ANY cell data in that week. I can account for maybe 4MBs of that, so 10MBs have still drained from my account without my active use. Four weeks of that add up to 40MBs in billing cycle, which is one fifth of my 200MB plan.

That is still unacceptible.

I suggest every user posting here with AT&T and are checking usage with Datawiz manually add up one weeks worth of data from each source and post it here.

Now slightly less disgruntled.

AT&T's reports are delayed, usually no more than 1 day, unless the usage was in a partner area. Then it can be longer. So you should only compare through the day before the current day.

You are right, Lawrence. But I'm not going to go thru the trouble to subtract today's data. it is negligible and likely to be proportional to the other six days.

That said, anyone else doing this test should follow Lawrence's advice.

And you should do this and post it here.

I have the SAME problem!

Carrier: AT&T

Device: iPhone 4

iOS: 6.x

I checked my detailed usage from the myatt website, and it says that at 9pm on Saturday, October 6th, I uploaded (sent) 7.9GB worth of data in one transaction while I was at home connected to wi-fi. I have not downloaded or uploaded anything closely resembling even 1GB of data on my phone in months. The only thing that could have been that size was an automatic backup, which should only be happening if I am plugged in (charging) and connected to wi-fi. I have all other automatic downloads and backups turned off, and I have not downloaded any music or movies.

I have a 2GB/month plan and have not went over that limit in the 13 months I've had my iphone on AT&T. I was thinking of calling AT&T after I found out I was 6 Gigs over my limit, and while complaining to some co-workers, was told of the iPhone 5/Verizon debacle. I researched and immediately called AT&T customer service, but did not mention the Verizon/iPhone 5 bug. After almost an hour of explaining that I have everything set to not use cell data service for automatic downloads and backups and that I was on wifi the whole time, I mentioned that I had heard of the Verizon issue. She confirmed that her company had sent an internal memo that AT&T was not affected by the issue, but that they would call me back when my billing cycle closes out, and that they would "take care" of the charges. I'm assuming that means erase it, especially since she said to not worry about continuing to use my phone as I normally do, even though I'm already over my limits.

I am a network engineer and I work with computers and technology for a living. I know this was some technical issue causing the use of cellular data when specifically set not to. And because of the size of the data transaction and it being an upload, I know that it was during an automatic device backup.

Apple needs to come forth and admit it is a problem with iOS 6 not just iPhone 5, and that it is an issue with other carriers beside Verizon.

DataWiz says I have used 1.96 GB. According to AT&T, I have honly used 1.65 GB. I think that DataWiz is greatly overestimated my data usage.

SomeGuyInOz,

No, I am not an Apple rep, just an iPhone user trying to help other iPhone Users avoid catastrophic Cellular Data bills from their TelCos while Apple gets their AintoG and gets this fixed...

It is a serious issue.

TelCos are aware of it, in OZ Telstra and Optus are [apparently] working with Apple to develop a fix.

So, in the interim, grin and bear it, work around it, until it gets resolved.

Robert

iPhone 4S here with iOS 6. Same issue. My wife and I barely break 500MB in a month combined, normally. This month we're not even halfway through the billing cycle and we're over 750MB. I had also noticed that HD YouTube videos were constantly buffering, was driving us insane. Now it all makes sense. Turned cellular data off, YouTube streams completely fine. Add us to the users now manually turning cellular data on and off each time we leave the house.

As more and more users get warnings or their bills this month this is gonna get ugly...

Yeah, now we have an odd situation with the reporting too. I've just checked all three sources (what the phone reports under usage, Datawiz, and ATT web page. They all differ by over 10 mb (out of less than 100 total, so a pretty big difference over a week). Datawiz is the highest. Web page is the lowest. Phone is in the middle. Who do we believe? I guess I'm billed by the ATT site. Shouldn't this be easier to track?

Two iPhones both at iOS 6. One is chewing through data to the order of 900MB every 4 days and the other is at 15 MB per day. Prior to iOS 6 upgrade both phones were at the 15 MB a day average. Have called AT&T twice and Apple twice and neither have helped.

The great feelings I have for my iPhone are rapidly waning.

Here was a little test: closed all apps except settings, connected to wifi via Apple time machine, cellular data off, reset cell data usage, forced all apps to use wifi, no iCloud. Turned on cell data and watched. Within 10 minutes, 7 KB were sent 5 KB recd. after an hour, 28 KB sent and 37 KB recd.

Please fix this Apple.

darelldd wrote:

Yeah, now we have an odd situation with the reporting too. I've just checked all three sources (what the phone reports under usage, Datawiz, and ATT web page. They all differ by over 10 mb (out of less than 100 total, so a pretty big difference over a week). Datawiz is the highest. Web page is the lowest. Phone is in the middle. Who do we believe? I guess I'm billed by the ATT site. Shouldn't this be easier to track?

Datawiz and the phone should agree exactly. Dataman and the phone always have. So if Datawiz does not match the phone's Usage display there is something wrong with Datawiz. Not the first time in this thread Datawiz's accuracy has been questioned.

AT&T's web usage, as already mentioned several times, lags actual usage by up to 24 hours. So it should be expected to be lower than the usage reported on the phone all the time. The problem is that some people report that AT&T's is higher than their phone. This should never happen.

Yeesh......I reset my phone data at 6:30 a.m. NOTHING, nothing was running. I have not received a call, text, message, nothing and my data usage 1 hour later was: Sent: 21.KB, Received: 110 KB.

I called Apple, I'm going in tomorrow for a new phone.

Now it is 36 KB and 150 KB........the phone still hasn't been used.

Errrrrrr........

Ginger

....and wouldn't it be REALLY nice if Apple provided a way to see which app is using the most data?

All I am asking for is: Fix this problem OR give us - the customer - a way to discover which app is using this data. Even just a way to see the top offender....something...

>>AT&T's web usage, as already mentioned several times, lags actual usage by up to 24 hours.

I can happily throw another wrench in the works. ATT reports our usage almost instantly. I can do something that I KNOW uses data, quickly log onto the site and see the relevant increment.

Based on posted experience, the top offenders are:

Photo Stream

Facebook

Instagram (and similar apps that send images)

Music and video streaming apps