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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

Mar 1, 2014 5:49 AM in response to bannana77

Bannan77: That worked. When I turned the cellular data signal back on, it gave me the option to turn off LTE. Our billing period started new today. We are going to give that a try and see how that goes while I monitor his data usage closely.


This past month, he used 3.75 GB of our 4GB data plan that is shared by 3 phones in 8 days (before we discovered the issue). After discovering this issue, we had him turn off cellular data while at home and connected to Wi-Fi. Low and behold for the entire month, all 3 phones only used 4.25GB.


THanks for all your help!

Mar 1, 2014 6:05 AM in response to Allan Atherton1

Allan: If you are just doing web surfing, email and occassional games/apps it generally isn't a problem. My husband and I use our phones all the time and only use very minimal data as you described. My son, however, is constantly streaming videos....CONSTANTLY.. We have had extensive talks with him about not doing this when he is away from the house and on the cellular data and taught him how to make sure he is on Wi-fi and he obeys these rules. In fact, when other kids are streaming videos he takes the time to educate them on what they are probably doing to their parents data plans.


So, we were shocked when we got the text message 8 days into our billing cylce that said we had used 75% of our 4GB plan. His phone was constantly connected to Wi-fi and said it was connected. His phone hadn't even left the house in that 8 day period (because I won't let him take it to school). So, you never even notice that it switches over. We performed tests while it said he was connected to wi-fi and watched our data usage go up on our carriers website.


So, your phone is probably doing the same thing. You just around using enough data to even notice that it is happening. We wouldn't have noticed it either if was using it as much as my husband and I do.


The other thing to consider is that even if your LTE is enabled doesn't mean that you are necessarily always getting an LTE signal from your carrier. If your get weaker signal inside your house or live in an area that the carriers signal is weaker, then your cellular signal may only be connecting at 3G at that time. Therefore, when you are connected to Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi signal is winning out the battle for speed and there is no problem. Additionally, even if you are getting an LTE signal inside your house, if you wi-fi router is newer and not being overloaded like ours is, then you also may not have an issue. Our Wi-Fi signal is bogged down with 3 laptops, a few tablets, an ipod touch, 3 smart phones, an Xbox 360 and a PS3. The bandwidth is that the single iphone 5 device is getting would never win out on an LTE signal with all that going on.

Mar 1, 2014 12:46 PM in response to DJPlayedYA

Yeah there definitely a problem with ios7 on LTE. All four iphone on my plan leak 800mb each phone per month even without using LTE. I called my friend up that has iPhone and iPad on his plan and asked them to check the data usage and he told me his iPad he use for his work hasn't even left his house for over a month has showing he used over 500mb on LTE when he doesn't even touch it. After looking at his data usage on Verizon website it reveal he has the same problem as me, every 6 hour of the day data will be leak. Seem to me ios7 is trying perform some type of task ever 6 hr of the day.

The iPhone 5 uses Cellular Data over WiFi?

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