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Greg M

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
341
35
I went to an AT&T corporate store today to complain about my phantom data charges. Their response was that it's probably updates to my iPhones. Now these phantom data sizes can range from 25mb to 100mb.

If this were true that I'm paying them $15 per month for them to update my iPhones? I told them that I shouldn't have to pay for the data that they send to my phone.

Get this, I was told that they tell customers that the 200mb data plan is basically set aside for updates. This is the last time AT&T suckers me into coming back to them.
 

scaredpoet

macrumors 604
Apr 6, 2007
6,627
342
AT&T isn't responsible for "updates." Apple is.

That said, I AM seeing phantom data sessions at about 12:15 every morning, when I'm at home where there's WiFi. And they total up to more than 200MB.

AT&T however, does use the cellular data network for Visual VoiceMail and MMS. those are just required to make those aspects work. Without cellular data, you don't get MMS or VVM.
 

MattMJB0188

macrumors 68020
Dec 28, 2009
2,032
583
Why not simply turn off cellular data when not on wifi? The iPhone always gives you the option to install updates, never has it forced the user to install them. You have the choice to do it over the 3G network or Wifi.
 

Mac.World

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2011
1,819
1
In front of uranus
I went ahead and bumped up to the 3gb data plan with them. Just made more sense to pay a few bucks more a month and get 2.8gb more data.

I think I can stomach the extra 15 bucks a month. I'll sacrifice a couple of subway sandwiches. :D
 

Applejuiced

macrumors Westmere
Apr 16, 2008
40,672
6,533
At the iPhone hacks section.
Why not simply turn off cellular data when not on wifi? The iPhone always gives you the option to install updates, never has it forced the user to install them. You have the choice to do it over the 3G network or Wifi.

Exactly.
Some AT&T reps are clueless and just made up some BS to get you off their back.
Your usage its not for updates unless you update your apps using the appstore icon on your phone.
 

theman510

macrumors 6502a
May 13, 2009
640
140
New Jersey
I'm having the same issue and was on the phone w/ AT&T today only to be told again it's apps updating. Some nights it's 400-500MB and yesterday morning it was over 250MB as I was in the car driving to work not using the phone.

My long rant can be found here: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/14228110/

Something needs to be done because AT&T keeps ignoring this. I've had an iPhone for 4 years and NEVER had any apps update like this.
 

Applejuiced

macrumors Westmere
Apr 16, 2008
40,672
6,533
At the iPhone hacks section.
There's something that keeps pulling data somehow.
Its not just data that AT&T is making up for people IMO.
And also the time is reported on AT&T's page doesnt mean its the exact same time that it was used on your phone. Just to keep in mind, iphones are data hogs in general.
Only way to avoid that like mentioned above is to disable carrier data in settings when you dont need it and you're on a low monthly data plan.
 

PittsDriver

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2010
511
1
I'm having the same issue and was on the phone w/ AT&T today only to be told again it's apps updating. Some nights it's 400-500MB and yesterday morning it was over 250MB as I was in the car driving to work not using the phone.

My long rant can be found here: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/14228110/

Something needs to be done because AT&T keeps ignoring this. I've had an iPhone for 4 years and NEVER had any apps update like this.

Stupid question but how are you monitoring your usage at night?
 

theman510

macrumors 6502a
May 13, 2009
640
140
New Jersey
Stupid question but how are you monitoring your usage at night?

Log on to the AT&T site and you can view your usage. It gives the times and amount of data that was used. I realize the time shown isn't the exact time the data was used. But on a day where I make a few texts and 2-3 calls with light browsing, I shouldn't be getting 274 MB of data at 7:50 in the morning.
 

PittsDriver

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2010
511
1
Log on to the AT&T site and you can view your usage. It gives the times and amount of data that was used.

Thanks, I wasn't sure if there was an app that was time logging it, or if you were just logging in, notating the usage before you go to bed then after you wake up.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors 604
Apr 10, 2008
7,806
6,616
I've been dealing with these bogus data usages with my girlfriend's iphone as well. They usually happen at 12 to 3am and when we are home sleeping. Our phone's are always on wifi at home and my girlfriend makes sure no app is running in the background when she goes to bed...... The funny thing is that this never happens to my line... she has the 2gb plan and I am grandfathered in to an unlimited plan.... I find it fishy that this never happens to me with an unlimited plan but it happens to her... Every month she gets that email warning her that she is close to her data limit..... AT&T gave me some BS runaround when I called them as well.
 

PNutts

macrumors 601
Jul 24, 2008
4,874
357
Pacific Northwest, US
Turning off sending Diagnostic & Usage Data made a tremendous difference in the amount of data sent from the wifey's iPad. However, I did not do the analysis to see if that data was sent at night.
 

theman510

macrumors 6502a
May 13, 2009
640
140
New Jersey
Turning off sending Diagnostic & Usage Data made a tremendous difference in the amount of data sent from the wifey's iPad. However, I did not do the analysis to see if that data was sent at night.

I've had send diagnostic & usage data off the whole time so I know it's not that. Even if it was I doubt it would send 400MB of data back to apple as "diagnostic"
 

Greg M

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
341
35
I have this problem on 3 iphones. Two of them check email and one has facebook. They all are almost always on wifi. One problem is that if the iphone is in standby it uses 3g before wifi. Look at your iphone and when you take it out of standby it flashes 3g for a split second before switching to wifi.

This doesn't explain all of the data usage but it does explain some of it. I think this is purposely setup like this to try and get people to pay for more data. We're already paying some of the highest rates in the world.

I hope that the next iphone has 4g and that it works on T-Mobile. Even if it doesn't I might drop the iphone again to get away from AT&T and Verizon.
 

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,362
546
Why not simply turn off cellular data when not on wifi? The iPhone always gives you the option to install updates, never has it forced the user to install them. You have the choice to do it over the 3G network or Wifi.

If u turn cellular data off than u will not get mms messages. That may not be a good option.
 
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