jcenters

Q: High iOS 6 Data Usage? Turn off iCloud,

For those of you with unexplained excessive data usage, I've pinpointed the problem to a bug in iCloud. Unfortunately, turning off individual iCloud services will not solve the problem, you'll have to delete the iCloud account from the phone.

 

Here's a video demonstrating the problem.

 

I hope this helps. If it solves your data usage problem, be sure to report it to Apple and spread the word.

iPhone 5, iOS 6

Posted on Oct 3, 2012 5:57 PM

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Q: High iOS 6 Data Usage? Turn off iCloud,

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  • by amy_lou,

    amy_lou amy_lou Oct 3, 2012 7:56 PM in response to jcenters
    Level 4 (1,564 points)
    Oct 3, 2012 7:56 PM in response to jcenters

    iCloud works over Wifi... without Wifi, the services don't even push. How is it that iCloud could be using cellular data?

  • by jcenters,

    jcenters jcenters Oct 3, 2012 8:15 PM in response to amy_lou
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2012 8:15 PM in response to amy_lou

    Documents & Data uses cellular by default. And if you watch the video, you'll notice that I'm not connected to Wi-Fi, but data usage persists until I delete the iCloud account.

  • by amy_lou,

    amy_lou amy_lou Oct 3, 2012 8:17 PM in response to jcenters
    Level 4 (1,564 points)
    Oct 3, 2012 8:17 PM in response to jcenters

    You can also turn off cellular's ability to use icloud documents by going to settings > general > cellular > turn off icloud documents

     

    That's interesting... I've never heard of that before

  • by jcenters,

    jcenters jcenters Oct 3, 2012 8:18 PM in response to amy_lou
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2012 8:18 PM in response to amy_lou

    Even if you turn that off, iCloud still slowly but steadily uses cellular data.

  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Oct 3, 2012 8:21 PM in response to jcenters
    Level 9 (58,962 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 3, 2012 8:21 PM in response to jcenters

    While my iPhone 4S has Documents and Data turned on in the Settings area, if you click on Documents and Data, Use Cellular data was turned off in mine. I keep it off, as I don't use it anyway. But, you can turn off Use Celluar Data and still keep Documents and Data turned on if you need it.

  • by jcenters,

    jcenters jcenters Oct 3, 2012 8:28 PM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2012 8:28 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

    Doesn't matter what you turn off. As long as there's an iCloud account on your iPhone, it will constantly use data, even over cellular and chew up your data cap.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Oct 4, 2012 8:48 AM in response to jcenters
    Level 8 (38,093 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 4, 2012 8:48 AM in response to jcenters

    Doesn't on my phone. My average data usage is around 250 MB/month, and hasn't changed noticeably since adding iCloud almost a year ago.

  • by fulitzer,

    fulitzer fulitzer Oct 4, 2012 10:51 AM in response to jcenters
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 10:51 AM in response to jcenters

    Thank you so much. I had exactly same problem that icould was sucking up all the 3g data.

    I haven't been able to figure out what kind of app was draining my 3g data until I visit a service center.

     

    All I want to say is as you pointed out, icloud is not safe on IOS6 even though you have finished all the syncs. For me, icloud took approximately 10kb of 3g data in 1 sec. That is seriously painful.

     

    Apple must fix this bug as soon as possible because I personally double paid for my 3g data plan in Sep compared with which I have been paying for last 6 months. It is not cool.

     

    Anyway, thanks again.

  • by ChrisJ4203,

    ChrisJ4203 ChrisJ4203 Oct 4, 2012 12:56 PM in response to jcenters
    Level 9 (58,962 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 4, 2012 12:56 PM in response to jcenters

    I'm sorry, like Lawrence says, I have not witnessed the behavior you describe. I guess it has to do with what other configurations you have active in iCloud that may differ from mine, but I am not seeing a data spike.

  • by chazcron,

    chazcron chazcron Oct 4, 2012 4:23 PM in response to jcenters
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 4:23 PM in response to jcenters

    This is a great find, but it goes deeper. It also draws cell data while connected to WiFi. I'm not in a position to kill my icloud account to test it, but believe me, I want to. I also believe that Apple will get it right, but probably not til the end of the month. I already got AT&T to promise a credit when I inevitably go over my limit.

  • by jcenters,

    jcenters jcenters Oct 5, 2012 3:38 PM in response to ChrisJ4203
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 5, 2012 3:38 PM in response to ChrisJ4203

    Glad to hear I've helped some of you guys with your data usage. That's why I went to all the trouble.

     

    When I took the video, the phone had been wiped clean a couple of days before, all apps were uninstalled, iMessage was turned off, email accounts had been deleted, and every setting that could use data was turned off. I eliminated every variable except for iCloud being enabled. Overall, I spent about a week of testing before coming to the result seen in the video.

  • by jcenters,

    jcenters jcenters Oct 5, 2012 3:39 PM in response to chazcron
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 5, 2012 3:39 PM in response to chazcron

    chaz, hopefully AT&T will patch the Wi-Fi bug like Verizon did. I don't understand why they haven't yet.

  • by chazcron,

    chazcron chazcron Oct 5, 2012 4:45 PM in response to jcenters
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 5, 2012 4:45 PM in response to jcenters

    That is the hope. But Verizon's fix only addresses iPhone 5's. maybe Verizon only had a problem on iP 5’s, but I doubt it. Lets hope the delay by AT&T is so they can be thorough.

  • by Canoe73,

    Canoe73 Canoe73 Oct 9, 2012 2:27 PM in response to jcenters
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 9, 2012 2:27 PM in response to jcenters

    Thanks for posting this - I watched your video and found my phone doing exactly what you show, leaking data at 2-3 kb per second, even with all of iCloud turned off.  I deleted my iCloud and now after 5 minutes I've used 15kb of data.  So I still have a leak, but not nearly as bad of one. I hope Apple fixes this soon - I want to use the iCloud features but with three phones sharing 1GB of data I need to know its fixed before I do.

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