The iPhone 5 uses Cellular Data over WiFi?

I'm experiencing the same problem since I upgraded my iPhone 5 to iOS 6.1. And I'm using AT&T as the cell phone carrier.

I noticed that the battery drains exetremely fast when there's no wifi network, it took around 2 hours to drain from 100% to 0%. Also, I believe the data leaks too. I barely use any cell data since I have wifi at pretty much all the places where I use my iphone. My typical data usage is about 100M a month before I upgraded to iOS 6.1. Now I found that I have used more than 100M data in less than a week!

The above problems go away when I disabled the cell data. So it's definitely something wrong with iOS 6.1 when there's no wifi. Please fix it!!!

Unfortunately, Barometer, the only way we were able to get my wife's cell data usage under control was disabling the email and the icloud.. It's still a little high on the cellular data usage over what it was on iOS 5, but at least she's not exploding over her plan limits any more like she was.

Hi All

My condolences to the newcomers 😐

As you would see I have been given a new handset by Apple but my problem persists. On this new handset I deleted iCloud (not disabled - deleted my account) and have noticed an improvement. The issue is still there - but instead of leaking in MBs I am only leaking KBs. (I had tried this on my old handset and for some reason the fix was not as successful).

I have taken to keeping cellular data off at all times unless I actually want to do something with the phone and have no access to wifi. I still find the phone is heavier on data than it was for the same tasks but at least I am only having my actual usage charged to me now.

I am lucky to have a large wi-fi plan at home so I save my heavy browsing and emails downloads for home where I can, as well.

This is not ideal I know but until there is a fix brought out by Apple we will end up wearing the responsiblity for this.(mutiple 50 page threads on their own website and they have no plan to deal with it????? Are they in cohoots with the service providers to profit from enormous data charges?)

Just a side line - I tried to use maps yesterday and it insisted I turn on cellular data (then sucked 28MB) - I thought this used GPS? My portable GPS I use for my car does not require internet access, nor does my GPS running watch - why does my phone?

Good luck everyone.

Apple maps, and Google Maps, rely on their Servers to provide map overlays, to calculate, and to present route information, etc.

The TomTom iPhone App does not need Cellular Data access, since all maps are resident in the App.

This is essential if you travel outback Australia, where cellular data [3G, or 4G, LTE] is not available, and you are trying to develop a travel schedule...

GPS is a satelite based positioning system, not a communications network.

So your portable GPS already includes all the local maps you need [probably by annual subscription].

Hope that helps...

I've been looking at the timing of my mystery uploads, and the phone appears to send a large chunk of cellular data (20MB-90MB) whenever a connection to my WiFi is re-established. The uploads coincide with the time I drove in my driveway, what time I woke up and checked my email, etc. This morning I moved back and forth to a remote location in the house where the WiFi drops out, and I can see moderate uploads (4MB-10MB) matching the number of times I moved, just a few minutes apart. What is going on???

I installed the Onavo Count app yesterday and it is showing the majority of cellular data is used by Safari. Not sure what the relationship is there.

@barometer,

Yes! Though this will likely get glossed over by the folks who still claim nothing is wrong... or that there are simple fixes that involve disabling most things that we want smart phones for.... of that we just need to turn off data....

You have found what I have reported earlier in this huge thread: If I don't want to use cellular data (even when the phone should be doing this for me) I can shut off cellular manually and use WiFi. Simple right? And that works just fine... at first. While I'm on WiFi everything but visual voicemail works exactly as it should. I'm not hindered in any way, and I use no cellular data. Great, right? What's not to love? Well, when I switch cellular back on - even while I'm in WiFi range, the phone burmps up a big load of cellular data. Like it has been storing it all up while I had the switch off. And once on, it all just rushes out to catch up. 30-100 mb worth. This data burp benefits me in no way that I'm aware of (witness the fact that everything works as it should while on WiFi with Cellular off). So just what the heck is going on??

Yikes. I hate to think that the solution here is to: (A) remember to shut off cellular service whenever I get near my WiFi, then (B) remember to turn it on again after I leave and I'm down the street...

Actually, I'm not sure that will even work. Last week I drove up to Canada and when I crossed the border I shut off my cellular service. My data usage showed a giant transfer the moment I crossed back over to the US and turned on my service.

@Barameter -

That was my point. Turning it off just keeps the phone from using it while it is off. When turned back on, it can burp up so much that it wasn't worth turning it off! For some of us, turning it off is only a VERY short term solution with no billing benefit.

I am right there with both of you. Have one iphone 5 that's just find and the other that is eating thru data! Like a couple gb in 3 days. Verizon says there is no problem. And I just don't know what to do anymore...

I think this is a problem for Apple to solve since it doesn't seem to matter with whom you have your contract. I have an AT&T and a poor cell signal at home I get less than 1 Mb download speed until I kill the cell. Then it jumps to a sitll rather weak 5 Mb because it is able to use wifi. Meanwhile my computers are enjoying over 11 Mb on the same wifi system.

The same problem here I have a new iPhone 5 since 3 days ago. The first thing I did was update to 6.1.

Yesterday I noticed that 3G was being used instead of my home WiFi while I was watching some videos so it consumed all my 3G data plan!! Now I have mobile data and 3G turned off 😟

Please Apple fix this!

This has been going on since the iPhone 5 was released, and neither Apple nor the providers seem to be willing to admit anything. I can only guess that there has been a conversation - because AT&T is more than willing write off the 'overages' for the past 3 months (leading me to believe that Apple is re-embursing them). The question is - if both companies know there is a problem in billing overage of data, and any customer who doesn't complain and pays their bill is being hit with huge costs (that go to AT&T's bottom line) despite the companies knowledge of an unresolved bug. Seems like a huge class action suite is going to come of this. If you look at any reasonable usage pattern, the crazy JUMP post iPhone 5 (and at the same time the Unlimited Plan was removed) seems clealry to point to a problem that no one is in a hurry to resolve:

Check out this graphic of my usage:

http://i.imgur.com/JXDqSoN.jpg

I can't explain december, other than maybe AT&T credited a bunch of data, and wiped out the usage? But this is a real problem that isn't going away.

Well this is my first and last post on apple communities.....i've been a loyalist for 20+ yrs...but i'm no longer an apple fanboy and have realised growing up means accepting some uneasy facts.

With Jobs gone so has the apple customer experience....for the last few months all i've been doing is trying to find fixes for the buggy iOS software,,,first the 5 now the 6.1.1...now this extreme data usage (my data monitor app showed spiked 225 MB while i was asleep)

there are fixes but i'm done spending and wasting my time and watch my younger cousins laugh at me with their android machines

goodbye apple and all the best

First time I have ever been annoyed enough to make a comment BUT I have had my new iPhone 5 since Dec12. I have a 1GB data plan and NEVER go over (had an iPhone 3 before) have WiFi at home and at work and rarely use my phone.

Due to a scam email I was checking out my phone account online and noticed that I had gone over my limit after only 10 days. When I checked the detailed usage there was one chunk of 3.7GB When I checked the dates of the usage, the start of it was during a 6hr drive through areas were there was intermittant service and I had made 1 phone call and then not used the phone for at least 6 hrs, no calls did not check emails - nothing. How can this happen.

I called my carrier - Telstra, they upgraded my data package (basically charged me for it and then gave me a credit - Dont know how that is goingto work. I have to phone back and cancel it next month) So what happens now. Will it just keep chewing up data. How do I find out where it is going, what is using it and can I turn it off?

I have read some of the posts here and most seem to be about problems between the phone and WiFi connection, I am not convinced that is the whole problem

Jenny,

Work your way thruough your settings, see below...

This approach seems to sort out most iPhone User's issues with LTE hunger for Cellular Data usage.

It does not work for every one, but 😕

With the advent of iOS 6.x, iPhone provided a depth to the settings on the iPhone never seen before.

Many of the defaults [or setup carried over from earlier iOS] are not appropriate for all users.

I suggest you select, copy, and paste this User Guide into an App on your Mac or PC, and print it out for reference.

iOS 6: Setup to Optimise Cellular Data Usage…

Many of the iPhone 5 iOS default network Settings are intended to create best user experience and performance, by utilising available WiFi and high speed LTE and/or 4G Cellular Data networks.

If your cellular data plan is limited, less than a One GB per month, it would be wise to work through the defaults, and turn off those services that are not important to you.

Here is a guide, courtesy David and Olli, contributors to the Apple Support Community...

Network Reset: reset the network connection…

Make sure you know [or have saved] your various wifi passwords so you can quickly set them up again.

Settings, General, Reset, Reset Network Settings.

Cellular Data: turn it Off when you don't need it…

This may sound messy, but it is really no more so than turning off WiFi, or Bluetooth, when you know you will not be using it. Maybe Apple will move this setting to the front page of Settings, as they have done with Bluetooth in iOS 6

Settings, General, Cellular, Cellular Data, Off.

iCloud Backup: Turn it Off except when you need to do a Backup to iCloud…

Otherwise iPhone will automatically do a Backup over WiFi and/or Cellular Network, while it is on Power, and sleeping.

Settings, iCloud, Storage and Backup, iCloud Backup, Off.

iCloud Documents & Data: turn off the use of the Cellular Data connection, until you need it…

Settings, iCloud, Documents & Data, Use Cellular Data, Off.

Location Services: make sure only the apps you consider critical are switched on…

These are new Settings in iOS 6.

Settings, Privacy, Location Services, and turn Off each Application that is not important to you.

Obviously you would tend to leave On Maps, Photo, Find Friends, Find My iPhone, Weather and Siri.

System Services: apparently, some of these can be demanding on Cellular Network usage...

Settings, Privacy, Location Services, and scroll down past the notes at the bottom of the list of Applications, and select System Services, and turn them all Off except Cell Network Search.

If the Maps Traffic service is important to you, turn it On, but be warned it may be a bit of a hog.

Notification Centre: work through each Application carefully, to determine what you really do need real time?

Settings, Notifications, select each Application, and turn Notification Centre, Off, if you do not need Notification in real time…

Siri: every iPhone User now understand how to use Siri…

However you should be aware that Siri support has been expanded significantly in iOS 6, to include operation of your iPhone, to send text, make appointments, find restaurants, make bookings, and handle your dictation. The catch is that Siri services contacts the Apple Server via the network to translate your voice, do the searches, and return your results. You can leave Siri On but be aware of using Siri, when you are only connected via Cellular Data, and low on Data Usage remaining…

Settings, General, Siri, Siri, On. by default,...

There is also a new setting included in several Applications which allow you to turn off the Cellular Data Connection while they are active...

Music: Settings, Music, Use Cellular Data, Off.

iTunes and App Store: Settings, iTunes and App Store, Use Cellular Data, Off.

Podcasts: Settings, Podcasts, Auto-Downloads, Use Cellular Data, Off.

Mail: you can set up mail to better manage Cellular Data Usage, if it suits your operation…

Settings, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Fetch New Data, Push, Off, and set Fetch to Manually.

And select, Advanced, and for each Mail Account, Select Schedule, Manually.

And finally, here are a few more services you can probably do without, to further reduce Cellular Data usage…

Advertising: Settings, General, About, scroll down to Advertising, Limit Ad Tracking, On.

Diagnostics and Usage: Settings, General, About, scroll down to Diagnostics & Usage, Don't Send, On.

Some more tips…

For heavy data transmissions sessions on WiFi, switch to Airplane Mode, then switch WiFi back on again while your session is in progress. This mode will prevent iOS 6 from switching the Cellular Data midway through the session, should WiFi stumble….

One user reported: Turn turn off all aspects of iCloud: Safari, Contacts, Documents and Data, etc.

Do not remove the iCloud account, just turn off each service, then turn them all back on again…

Another user found that the Google Account was failing to connect, using up 4 to 5 MB every time the connection failed. Remove the Google account from iPhone, monitor for a while, then add it back again, an see if the problem is resolved.

Also check your other applications; for example, BBC News has a a share statistics switch set to On.

Revision: 121009 00