Data use - IOS vs Android

[keepingeyesopen]

While on a recent road trip my wife and I used her iPad2 and iPhone 4S plus my Droid Razr Maxx for basic internet access and for maps/directions. All used Verizon data plans, 3G for the iPhone and iPad, 4G for the Razr Maxx.

My data usage for the Razr Maxx was very low - about .03 GB of my data plan's allotted 4 GB for the month. My wife's iPad used more than half of the allotted 2 GB for its data plan. Most of the iPad data use was probably for the maps app, obtaining routes and directions. We did not have the app running continuously - just checked and re-did the route directions every hour or so.

Is there a fundamental difference in the way IOS and Android download and use data? For the few days during the trip that we were actually driving, I thought that the data use for the iPad was excessive. I tended to use the Razr Maxx phone a little more since it is a 4G device, but its data usage was much less.

Any thoughts or suggestions on using your data allowance more efficiently, or thoughts on differences in data use by Android vs. IOS devices?

 

[cynics]

It's going to be too hard to tell. Different devices being used differently. I've never noticed much difference between devices when I feel like they were used about the same.

It won't be until iOS has a real data usage counter built in before you can really compare.

 

[3bs]

It's going to be too hard to tell. Different devices being used differently. I've never noticed much difference between devices when I feel like they were used about the same.

It won't be until iOS has a real data usage counter built in before you can really compare.

Image

You can check your data usage. I don't have my 4S on me right now but it's somewhere in the settings. You could reset it and then track it for a few days.

 

[cynics]

You can check your data usage. I don't have my 4S on me right now but it's somewhere in the settings. You could reset it and then track it for a few days.

Yep, but it doesn't show you what the data was used for so it's impossible to compare. You can get more detail from you'll carrier then iOS provides.

His android device will show him which app used how much data. It's surprisely useful and in my experience incredibly accurate. I've had it show me within 1-2 meg of 2.5gb of carrier reported usage.

Btw it's settings > general > usage > cellular usage

 

[roxxette]

i think theres a couple of apps on the appstore and cydia that can give you a more detailed view of data usage but not sure if deep like android.