Why is IOS 8.2 on Iphone 5c is burning up my cellular data?

So hopefully Apple will see this and want to acknowledge that there is a problem and fix it. Short version is since getting Iphone 5c and downloading/installing iOS 8 and 8.2 updates I am somehow using tons of cellular data when not using my phone and while on wifi. I have had iphones for years and through the different versions then and now my average for cellular data usage per billing cycle is not even 1 GB and now its telling me i'm using or exceeding my limit of 2 GB. I don't do anything different with my phone, I still use it the same way I always have. I know and have gone over all of the usual suspects for this and couldn't find an explanation. So I started researching online and inadvertently found something that I think is the culprit but would like some feedback about it.



So when I installed iOS 8 (and 8.2 didn't fix this) it like reset some stuff and one of the things it asked me was if I wanted to automatically send diagnostic and cellular data usage reports to Apple to help my phone work better and help them make a better product and that they recommended that I do this so I said yes. Well I hadn't thought about it since but when doing research came across it in my settings and noticed I could go in and see what was being sent to Apple and maybe figure out what was using all the cellular data. No joke, Apple says this program will send a daily report to apple of diagnostics and usage data...

I am not going to list the whole thing cause it is way too much but just from Sept 21 thru today Apple sent 210 reports (44 of them in one day alone) about 1 app on my phone, the All Trails app. Now this is bad enough because why would you ever need to send 44 reports about anything in one day much less one app but the app in question I haven't used in over 8 months at least. I keep this app on my phone because I like to hike and when I am somewhere new I can use it to look up trails. I contacted All Trails and they confirmed what I was already thinking that their app would only be using cellular data if you were using it outside of a wifi network and never in the background when not in use. When I contacted Apple about this the representative I talked to didn't even acknowledge what I told him and immediately blamed the app which doesn't make sense and never actually tried in any way to explain why their program would send a ridiculous amount of reports a day for an app that was not being used. I have since deleted the app (temporarily until this is resolved) and turned off the program that sends reports to Apple. So has anyone else experienced this issue or have any clue as to what was going on?

iPhone 5c, iOS 8, iOS 8.2

Posted on Sep 30, 2014 3:57 PM

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4 replies

Nov 20, 2014 12:01 PM in response to Ruffian12

My wife and I are in the exact same boat. Her iPhone 5c 8GB uses way over 880% more data usage that my Droid MAXX. I have done all of the available adjusting of settings, closed and disable apps, and so forth. But for all my effort it has been just a tiny band-aide over a wound. And if you go to the Verizon Community Support Forum, you will find a huge boat load of other people with the exact same issue. But all in all, I have not found anyone with a real solution to this issue.

Nov 20, 2014 12:30 PM in response to wegras

Yes Yes, I have followed the Apple guidance on troubleshooting. But based upon the results afterwards, it is just a tiny band-aide at best. However, I have not taken it to an Apple store Genius bar for evaluation. The reason being that there are not any Apple stores anywhere close to us. Plus I have read postings from other iPhone 5c users, whom have done so, without getting any results from doing so. If I could find anyone whom has done so, and got the issue resolved, then I would explore this option more.

Dec 5, 2014 9:08 AM in response to Ruffian12

1. I do not know if this will help you or not. In researching this issue with my wife's iPhone 5c 8GB, the most common answer you will get is to adjust this or that setting, and disable this or that App. These at best are only a band-aide solution at all. The best reply I got was from a Verizon Rep that stated "By design, iPhones do turn off WiFi when they go dormant. So if a download is in progress, or information is being back-up wirelessly and the phone goes dormant, it will switch to use cellular data if it is left on". Afterwards, I discovered the exact same information here on the Apple Support Forum to support this statement.

2. Later onward, I read that if you keep your iPhone connected to a power source, it will prevent it from going dormant. In which case, this will prevent the iPhone from turning off the WiFi, and keep it connected to the WiFi. So far, this has help the most in controlling the amount of data usage being used, by my wife's iPhone.

3. Here is a web site that may help you at http://www.iphonehacks.com/2014/09/fix-ios-8-wifi-problems.html .....

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Why is IOS 8.2 on Iphone 5c is burning up my cellular data?

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