Apps keep turning cellular data on

I found out about this glitch with my iPhone 6 when traveling in Cuba. Turned cellular data (AT&T) on to check my airport gate and then turned it off after using only 500k. It turned itself back on and used $33 worth of data in ten minutes. After I noticed, I turned it back off and it turned itself right back on before my eyes. Ended up having to go to airplane mode. Very angry about how much this glitch cost me.

Hi! I have experienced this problem multiple times on my iPhone. I found that the only way I could fix it a thing all was to update my phone to the newest software as I don't usually. I'm not sure if someone already helped you with this or mentioned it. Sorry if they have for just repeating it!! Hope it all goes well and that this helped!! Bye!!

Just experienced this on a new iPhone 5s. Was tethered to a hotspot, but after the hotspot moved out of range it reverted to using data, despite data being explicitly turned off prior to connecting to the hotspot.

Phone is using iOS 10.3.3(14G60)

Particularly frustrating as I'm using someone else's SIM until my replacement nano SIM arrives...

I've seen similar things going on even though I explicitly turned off Cellular data. I also added restrictions to disallow changes to "Cellular Data" settings, still managed to enable itself. And just to clarify, I know for a fact that the Cellular Data setting was not explicitly re-enabled.

But, notice the per-app settings below the Cellular Data ON/OFF under General Settings / Cellular Data. My guess is that each application ALSO needs to be set to OFF to disallow Cellular Data use -- in fact that may be the very thing that's causing the setting to be magically re-enabled.

IMO it's a pretty poor design to even allow application to change the ON/OFF switch of Cellular Data, period. If the global setting is set to OFF it should stay off unless the user explicitly re-enables that feature. The fact that the user needs to set not only the global feature to OFF but also enable protections in other places per-application is a huge concern.

Just consider all of the unauthorized charges that are being racked up by the cellular vendors against users that are unknowingly "authorized" by the use of, in most cases, a fully approved downloaded application. Hmmm...

Terms and Conditions per application will need to be heavily scrutinized but even if mentioned in the T&C's somewhere on page 74, line 62 -- that doesn't guarantee indemnity. It sure sounds like a class-action lawsuit is on the horizon.

I am having this issue with my iPhone 4S. This just started yesterday, but there is no per-app setting below the global cellular data ON/OFF. Is there another way to fix this issue? I have also tried setting restrictions, resetting all settings and doing a soft reset of the phone.

Yeah, it's there -- I'm looking at one of our Apple iPhone 4S phones right now. Here's how you get to it: Go to "Settings" then click on "Cellular". There's a ON/OFF switch at the top called "Cellular Data". Just below is "Data Roaming", etc.

Keep scrolling down and you'll see "Call Time" for current period and lifetime statistics, then you'll see "Cellular Data Usage" statistcis for Current Period and Current Period Roaming.

Now, just below that you'll see a setting for "User Cellular Data For:" and there are per-app settings for each application that can use Cellular Data when WIFI isn't available. If those are somehow grayed out, there's probably a protection under Restrictions that'll prevent it from being changed. But it's all right there.

Here's a great link with photos: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4146

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the help Dew, but it still didn't fix the issue. I turned off and on different restrictions, but all the apps keep defaulting to on when I turn cellular data off then stay on when I turn cellular on. I stopped by an Apple Store yesterday and showed a rep exactly what was happening. He said he hadn't seen the issue before. I made an appointment for Wednesday. I post what comes out of the visit in case anyone else is having this problem

So I took the phone to the Apple store. They said it was a software issue and that I should restore the phone to factory settings, which I did. But the problem persists, only this time the issue is happening with preinstalled Apple apps: Mail, Weather, Passbook, etc., but for some reason not the Stocks App. Looks like you were right with there being a clause in the new contract that says those apps will stay on whether you want them to or not. But the other oddity is my wife has AT&T. I’m on Verizon. Her phone isn’t having this issue. Maybe it’s something in the settings that I haven’t come across yet. I have a separate post for this question. Lots of folks have read it, but no one has responded. So maybe this is minor glitch that is not wide spread or few have noticed since most people probably save those Apple apps to stay on all the time anyway.

I am having this same issue. Recently downloaded IOS 7.03 and as soon as I click off cellular data screen and return, the apps I turned off turn themselves on. It is racking up my data usage! grrrr. I have ATT as my carrier and a 4S phone. I only started having issues since the most recent update that Apple said was to fix "bugs", well now I have one and didn't previously! I haven't tried the factory reset using ITunes yet. My husband has the same phone but has the true unlimited data from way back when. I check his phone and it doesn't seem to have my issues. He too has ATT. He doesn't care about usage though because he has unlimited, unfortunately I do not.

I would like to think Apple would do the right thing and correct the problem with another update to fix THIS bug.

Same Problem. How do I fix this? Please someone help. I"m losing my head.😕

The only way that has worked is resetting the phone to factory settings, but once you do this you cannot set up the phone as your old iPhone. You have to set it up as an new iPhone. It's hassle because you have to back up your contacts, music etc. but it does fix the problem

I recently purchased a new iPhone 5, running iOS 7.0.4.

We are on AT&T

I have all of the data turned off on all apps and I have the main cellular data swithch also in the off position.

I am also experiencing the issue of the main data button turning itself back on.

It is driving me crazy. This phone is one that we use for our daughter that has major learning disabilities. She needs it for school - but she does not need the data. It is terrible that the main turn data off switch is not able to keep the data from sneaking back on.

APPLE please fix this.

Having this exact problem with my iPhone 4S. It literally JUST started acting up about an hour ago. I haven't done anything different with my phone that would make it do this! Super annoying when I don't have unlimited data but now I have to deal with all my apps running at the same time and using all of it up :( there has to be a way to fix this?!

You have to do a factory reset, but set up the phone as a new phone. I called Verizon, went to the apple store, and this was the only suggestion that worked. I never got a straight answer from Apple why it happens. I have a 4s on Verizon, so does my wife on AT&T, but she hasn't run into the issue. Once I set up the phone as a new phone the issue was fixed and it hasn't happened again

I don't have this exact issue however I still get texts / calls when cellular data is turned off. It's clearly broken. However, the fix for me has been to enable airplane mode which turns it all off, but then to just turn wifi on. Now I can still use my phone for data but it's all via wifi. Cellular is definitely turned off.