iPhone SE using masses of data

Question

Level 1

4 points

iPhone SE using masses of data

Hi,

I bought an iPhone SE around 3 months ago. Previously I had an iPhone 5. On the iPhone 5 I was averaging under 500Mb of data use per month. I have not changed my browsing habits since getting the new phone (I also changed carriers) but I am now exceeding 1Gb of data usage per month. It seems as if the apps are using up vastly more data than they did previously - just checking my Twitter account for 30 seconds seems to use around 15Mb. I have turned off 4G, I have turned off WiFi assist, I have disabled mobile data usage for most apps, I have turned off background refresh. I have contacted my carrier and they have said it's nothing to do with them. Can anyone help me? Is it a fault with the phone or does the newer generation of iPhone just eat data?

Posted on Aug 31, 2016 9:23 AM

Reply

Answer 1

JayB.

Community Specialist

Sep 1, 2016 7:48 AM in response to Astarte

Hi astarte,

I understand that your fairly new iPhone SE is consuming more data than you are expected it to. Great way to try and reduce the data consumption by turning off 4G and disabling app refresh. If after this, you are still experiencing a lot of data usage, it may help if you check to see what maybe using up all the data in the Cellular settings. By viewing which app is using the most data, you can regulate that app appropriately. Have a look at this link for more details.

About cellular data settings and usage on your iPhone and iPad

If after performing a quick check for data usage you are still unable to target the data usage culprit, you may benefit from a backup and restore of your device. You can follow the steps in these links.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Use iTunes on your Mac or PC to restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings

These links will assist you with getting your iPhone SE running as expected. Thanks for using Apple Support Communities to post your question. Have a great day.

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Answer 2

Astarte Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 1, 2016 2:20 PM in response to JayB.

Hi,

As I mentioned in my original post, I have turned off 4G and background app refresh. I have also disabled mobile data use for most apps. I can see which apps are using the most data - Facebook, Safari and Twitter. However, they seem to be using much more data than they did on my previous phone. I have disabled video autoplay on both Facebook and Twitter, and I do not stream music or watch videos on my phone. I have also noticed it using mobile data even when it is connected to wifi, so I have started turning my mobile data off when I am connected to wifi (yes, I have wifi assist turned off). However, I am still exceeding 1Gb usage per month. Any ideas?

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Answer 3

AppleJoe

Community Manager

Sep 1, 2016 2:58 PM in response to Astarte

Hey Astarte,

Great job of going over the data usage for your apps and disabling the background processes etc. What does come to mind is if you may have restored your new device with data from your old iPhone. If this is the case, please proceed with performing the back up of your data and then restoring your new iPhone to factory settings. Then set it up as a new device without restoring any data.

You should redownload the apps that were using up an excessive amount of data from your purchase history then test the data usage. Here's a link that gives some steps on erasing the iPhone then setting up as new.

How to erase your iOS device and then set it up as a new device or restore it from backups

Thanks again for using Apple Support Communities. This should sort it all out. Take care.

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Answer 4

Astarte Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 8, 2016 1:45 AM in response to AppleJoe

Hi,

If I erase the phone and restore it to factory settings, how do I then get all my data back on the phone? Surely I can just erase the offending apps and redownload them?

Also, I have been running the MyDataManager app to keep track of my usage and I noticed that the iPhone is using significant amounts of mobile data even when it is connected to WiFi. I then started turning mobile data off completely when I am connected to WiFi but this morning the app shows that I have yet again used mobile data, even though my mobile data is OFF and I am connected to WiFi. My 'My EE' app is also showing a similar amount of data use to the MyDataManager app, whereas in my mobile data on the iPhone it is showing around 100Mb less.

Can anyone help?

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Answer 5

JayB.

Community Specialist

Sep 8, 2016 7:42 AM in response to Astarte

You are absolutely correct about removing the apps that seem to be consuming excessive amounts of data, instead of restoring the device to factory settings. However, restoring the device to factory settings will help to determine whether your issue is related to software. The issue with the device using data when you have turned it off completely can be related to hardware. What I would do is:

1. Uninstall the offending apps as you mentioned then test data usage. If issue persists,

2. Proceed with backing up, restoring, and setting up as new. Test data usage. If all else fails,

3. Use this link to connect with phone or chat support so you can go over repair or replacement options. Contact Support

Have a nice day.

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Answer 6

ShagCA

Level 5

6,335 points

Sep 8, 2016 8:21 AM in response to Astarte

Astarte wrote:

If I erase the phone and restore it to factory settings, how do I then get all my data back on the phone?

Back it up (iTunes or iCloud) before factory reset. Restore is the only way to get all your data back on the phone.

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