Data usage and family member

Out of curiosity, how did someone who isn't the owner or authorized user of an account call and find details of the account/plan?

Perhaps it would be best to use some sort of controls that AT&T might provide to restrict the amount of data on that line so that there wouldn't be any questions about that.

 

That's typical. My brother (who's 14) uses up all our data on our plan and goes over constantly. He uses Snapchat, Instagram, and pretty much all that photo and chat stuff. The file sizes being sent out are huge, and these kiddos all have their pretty big circle of friends who are also sending them huge photos.

 

Dude, what exactly did you expect? Why did you offer this in the first place? Without any stipulations? What exactly did you expect? 4Gb is pretty easy to go through.

 

First of all, I would change the password to your account, and add/change the security passcode (my at&t/profile/security passcode). Choose extra security on, that prevents anyone even at an at&t store from accessing your information without your unique code. Maybe the mother knows someone who works for at&t (or a salesman who works for an authorized retailer) and had him/her access your account.

As for the data use:
Under myat&t overview, you can select the phone number you want and turn off all data to/from that device while on a cellular connection.

Of course, I would talk to your brother first, and let him know that is your plan if she goes over the specified amount (4 gigs a month, who cares if that amount is reasonable, you are paying 100% for the cell phone.) Make sure to tell your brother text/calls will still work, so she can still make emergency calls to her dad and others on the phone even with the data disconnected. (My guess is that is why people give their children phones, so they can get a call in an emergency.) My daughter just turned 6 months old, so it will be a long while before I have to think about this stuff.....

Finally, deal with your brother, not the daughter, or the daughter's mother (you didn't say if they were married, divorced, etc.) It's up to her father to explain to her that you are helping him while he is in tough financial shape, and if she wants to use your plan, she must follow your rules.

 

4gb is a decent amount. I use about that much per month with mostly email, text, GPS, and web browsing. I do very little streaming video or audio over the cellular network.

Impose a limit if possible. Tell her to use wifi when possible and limit streaming services. You are doing her a favor, it's not ridiculous to impose limits to your generosity.

Lastly, if your niece is not aware of her excessive usage and your EXPECTATIONS surrounding her data usage, she cannot reasonably comply.

If she doesn't comply with your imposed limits or is unhappy with them, then that's more than enough justification to suspend your generosity. I'm by no means assuming she is ungrateful.

I'd say ignore the mother, as this arrangement has nothing to do with her. Just be honest and say that you can only allocate X gb per month

 

6 or 7 gb is more realistic for a teen. It's generous of you all the same to pay for it in the first place, though.

 

Did you have a convo with your brother? Something like can you make sure she don't burn data?

If not then you should have.

As for the cap.. Without the above convo then any cap would be seen as unreasonable.

 

Then the cap is warranted. I would direct them to the below website and leave it with them. As for contacting your provider I would contact them and kick off.

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2015/10/tips-to-reduce-high-data-usage-on-iphone-ios-9.html

 

you can see how much data you have used right from the phone can't hide that.

 

You should definitely set a limit for your niece.

 

My son uses 15gb plus per month... It's all the social crap (snap chat, Instagram, Facebook)

Oh and they "listen" to music on YouTube which is the worst data. Hog of all...

 

https://www.androidpit.com/reduce-mobile-data-usage-android

 

I wouldn't say that. Just have to say that the cap on the plan is X amount, spread over y number of devices means each person can use z amount of data. Once that limit is reached, data is turned off for the device. This shouldn't have to have been explained, it should be expected that each person is considerate of the others on the plan and manages usage.

Android has built-in controls for managing data usage, it also has warning and a limiter, though the niece would be able to defeat all that unless parental controls are used on the device.

 

For a family going through a tough time, a smart phone for a 16 year old is as un-essential as it gets. I suggest she gets a part time job to pay for this entitlement.

 

Get her a pay as you go plan. Not one with a monthly fee but one where your minutes, data and texts last a year. 1,500 minutes/texts and 4GB data should be ample for one year for essential usage. If she can't manage it then she can figure out how to pay to refill it herself.

Let her know she can extend her data by connecting to hotspots wherever she is at. I'm sure a large part of her problem is she doesn't care or think to look for available Wi-Fi. After paying for data refill herself she'll certainly learn that lesson.

Personally I'd only give a teenager a bog standard $20 bar phone and a 1,500 minute/text prepaid plan to last them a year. Which is more than enough for necessary usage. Anything else is a luxury which they can get a job to pay for.