hubbys phone used 189MB of data in 2 chunks, while we were asleep

[ahh]

I have unlimited data but I still like to reset my data usage everyday to track how much I "really" use, just in case they end the unlimited data plan, and I have to manage. Anyway, I have noticed that "push" e-mail, and pretty much everything else that requires "push notifications" take the most data usage.

Check if someone sent an e-mail that day with a lot of data... I sent three emails the other day with two pictures each (25MB limit on gmail), and that alone was around 120MB! I imagine downloading such emails would be even more.

Just a theory

Also, you can't really cancel the data plans on iPhones; they automatically charge you $15 for an iPhone plan (200MB), I know this because I pay for my little sister's and I wanted to ban the internet lol but they told me I had to suck it up. It's terrible!

Do you constantly keep track of how much you use with ATT? *DATA# ... Sometimes there are delays on messaging counts so I think it could be the same. It takes like 3-5 days to update at times.

 

[aross99]

Assuming it is not just a delayed data issue, aren't there some conditions where a sleeping iPhone will use 3G data even when it is on WiFi? I know that seems odd, but I swear I have heard that when an iPhone is plugged in and sleeping, it can use 3G data, even if it is on WiFi.

Another issue I have seen is certain web pages that continue to run even when you lock your iPhone. If you move from WiFi to 3G during this time, I would assume it would continue to consume data, but now on 3G.

I think the key is not that AT&T is charging you for data you didn't use, it more about why his phone used data while it was supposed to be on WiFi...

You might try resetting your 3G data usage statistics (Settings/GeneralUsage/Cellular Usage). This should allow you to monitor your usage from your iPhone, rather than AT&T...

 

[CBR900RR]

We are on wifi 90% of the day. It was on wifi. Something is wrong.

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Update: husband got home and I looked at the phone and talked to him. It's now at 400mb of download and 29mb upload. He says he does NO streaming while on 3G but did watch bike repairs vids on youtube while on wifi the other night. A few hrs before those two huge data dumps. Id forgotten about that. It was an hr or so of bike vids in YouTube.
A question: has anyone heard of an issue with YouTube or an issue with it losing wifi while streaming? This is so odd.

Possible that you are watching youtube at fullscreen mode, status bar are hiding and your wifi went offline during that period, so it is switch to 3g, just guessing.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

Possible that you are watching youtube at fullscreen mode, status bar are hiding and your wifi went offline during that period, so it is switch to 3g, just guessing.

Yeah... But I was on wifi next to him on my air.
But thanks. Thanks to everyone who's made helpful suggestions.

 

[jca24]

Possible that you are watching youtube at fullscreen mode, status bar are hiding and your wifi went offline during that period, so it is switch to 3g, just guessing.

good point. I would bet the wifi was offline and nobody noticed. And yes, you will need to have a data plan with iphone. The system will catch it and put it right back on.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

good point. I would bet the wifi was offline and nobody noticed. And yes, you will need to have a data plan with iphone. The system will catch it and put it right back on.

As I said I was also on wifi at that time.

 

[jca24]

just saw your last post, the iphone could have lost the wifi signal and your air did not, that is very possible.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

just saw your last post, the iphone could have lost the wifi signal and your air did not, that is very possible.

For long enough to stream a couple hundred meg? That's not good at all. I told him to use the dataless iPad for YouTube til we know for sure.

 

[PNutts]

I assume Wifi wasn't inadvertently turned off (to save battery as I sometimes do)? You mentioned the usual suspects earlier, but confirming iCloud backup is turned off? When I had my photos backing up to iCloud taking pictures resulted in wildly different nightly data useage.

 

[CBR900RR]

It happen to me too on my 4s, I was checking email, and the iphone are suppose to be on wifi, but show 3g, I use sbsetting to toggle the wifi and wifi icon came back on, I am using an old linksys wrt54g.

 

[Peace]

Sounds to me like the hubby turned off the WiFi and was using 3G.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

Sounds to me like the hubby turned off the WiFi and was using 3G.

He would never do that. He's totally paranoid about data usage. Again this is a guy who uses 50-75mb a month. He's a wifi whore.

 

[LoloBond]

On the phone with AT&T now trying to figure out why his phone would use 189MB (yes MB) of data at night while on wifi. (yes, I know there are delays, but still). I just got an overage alert on his phone and checked the bill and was stunned. AT&T credited me $30. while they try to figure out what's going on.

And yes, the usual suspects (diagnostic data etc. are off).

And, no, he typically uses between 50 and 75mb a month, so it's not normal even with reporting delays. And having it appear as ONE transfer is not normal.

What about backing up to the cloud? My phone backup every morning around 5-6am.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

What about backing up to the cloud? My phone backup every morning around 5-6am.

No iCloud nope.

 

[Tadros]

Have him kill all the open apps on the iPhone before he goes to bed and reset the usage. See if by morning it went up. Then you know there is a problem...

 

[LapsangSouchong]

Have him kill all the open apps on the iPhone before he goes to bed and reset the usage. See if by morning it went up. Then you know there is a problem...

Good start yeah.

 

[Comeagain?]

When iOS devices "sleep" for a certain amount of time, they disconnect from wifi. Even if it is doing things in the background, it might not try to reconnect to wifi.

 

[Peace]

You might also check your router.

You might have an access control list that only allows WiFi access for the iPhone between certain times. Or the DHCP Lease time didn't automatically renew causing the iPhone to default to 3G.

 

[LapsangSouchong]

You might also check your router.

You might have an access control list that only allows WiFi access for the iPhone between certain times. Or the DHCP Lease time didn't automatically renew causing the iPhone to default to 3G.

It's a new router (November), and I hadn't seen any wifi issues til 6 days ago.
I'm also on an iphone, and we work at the same place.
so: 2 iphones, same wifi at work, same wifi at home....
him: 389mb in 6 days
me: 25mb in 6 days.
We both plug in at night.
The ONLY difference I can see (other than I have a million apps and he has like 3), is that he used youtube...

 

[jca24]

It's a new router (November), and I hadn't seen any wifi issues til 6 days ago.
I'm also on an iphone, and we work at the same place.
so: 2 iphones, same wifi at work, same wifi at home....
him: 389mb in 6 days
me: 25mb in 6 days.
We both plug in at night.
The ONLY difference I can see (other than I have a million apps and he has like 3), is that he used youtube...

Most likely the wifi bombed out when he watched the youtube videos. Keep an eye on it, i'll bet things are back to normal.

 

[Mikesus]

Most likely the wifi bombed out when he watched the youtube videos. Keep an eye on it, i'll bet things are back to normal.

You said its a new router...

i wonder if its one of the ones that randomly doesn't connect automatically. I have seen this at work multiple times where my iPad or iPhone don't automatically connect. (then the next day they do?) Might want to google the router model and iPhone/ipad and see if others are having this issue...