Unexplained Data Consumption?

[americanclassic]

My sister just got an iphone 4S, and is complaining about inexplicable data usage. On my device, I can clearly see how much data was used from each app/process, and when; I have widgets and other processes that auto-sync, but I can disable that. I can't seem to find the equivalent on her iphone's settings (I only see "received/sent" data under cellular data).

She's 15 years old and not particularly tech-savvy, so I can't really get informative answers regarding her usage--and I'm unfamiliar with iOS-based phones. She's at 70MB sent, 273MB received after about a week of usage (which isn't much, but she doesn't know what's eating her data) . She doesn't stream media on 3G, and is pretty diligent about not using cellular data whenever possible. I know she hasn't actively consumed 350MB, so I was wondering: are there any hidden processes that would consume cellular data without her knowledge? She says she only receives notifications when on wifi--is that the default setting, or is there any way to change it? Are there any good 3rd party apps that could help her track detailed cellular data usage down to the apps/processes? Anything else she should be aware of? Thanks in advance.

[Mrbobb]

When u are in a weak WIFI spot, you may think u got WIFI, but then iPhone says WIFI unusable, so I am going to switch to cellular data, this happens automatically wo user intervention, so unless u watch ur WIFI strength bars diligently as u move about, and am going to guess a kid doesn't do that...

[americanclassic]

Originally Posted by Mrbobb

When u are in a weak WIFI spot, you may think u got WIFI, but then iPhone says WIFI unusable, so I am going to switch to cellular data, this happens automatically wo user intervention, so unless u watch ur WIFI strength bars diligently as u move about, and am going to guess a kid doesn't do that...

That's what CS at Verizon informed us, but our wifi at home never falters, and she always has full bars at 54MP/S. Though, she is glued to her screen all the time so I guess there is a high likelihood of that happening at some point.

Is there any way whatsoever, to uncover a more detailed explanation for usage other than "273MB received"? Are there any hidden processes that consume cellular data (e.g. app notifications), or do the default settings conserve when not on wifi?

Are there widgets/apps that could make for a one-button "3G off/on, wifi off/on"? It's pretty easy to disable wifi, but I noticed it takes like 5 extra steps to disable the cellular network (which isn't a huge deal, but I'm afraid she wouldn't bother disabling it unless it was more convenient). Thanks!

[einmusiker]

that usage cant be right. even if she was on 3g 24/7 verizons 3g is way too slow to use that much even

[Applejuiced]

300-350mb in a week is not that much data even for verizon CDMA 3G. You don't need to be on 24/7 to use that amount of data. Half hour of YouTube use or such streaming can eat that up quick.
She used it up wether she believes or wants to admit it.

[darricksailo]

Originally Posted by einmusiker

that usage cant be right. even if she was on 3g 24/7 verizons 3g is way too slow to use that much even

It is very much possible. First time smartphone user and barely got data not too long ago. When I went on a 4 day vacation, I used 250 MB on 2G/EDGE and 50 MB on 3G (I'm on T-Mobile). Actually quite surprised I used so much with such slow data speeds. I'm usually on wifi or when without wifi and around the area I live in, I can usually get 3G coverage

[americanclassic]

Thanks all for the input. Can anyone answer my specific questions? I know 350MB in a week doesn't sound like much, but like I said she doesn't stream media on 3G; since she's on winter break, the bulk of her time was spent at home on wifi, and when she was out of the house all she did was occasionally check her facebook or instagram.

I'm sure she underestimates her consumption habits, but I should have clarified that it increases at a steady rate--like every day, even when she's at home.

I think I read somewhere that when the phone is asleep, wifi is automatically disabled--again, are there any hidden processes that actively eat cellular data? Maybe like, facebook notifications or something? Any way to disable 3G when asleep, or do you have to do that manually each time?

[cutienoua]

what software revision?

[Mrbobb]

Some routers, the better ones(?) can log where in the Internet u been to and how much data.