"Parasitic cellular data drain" iPhone XS after iOS 18.x installed

[Neebee]

As an advanced user, I've exhausted all advanced and basic troubleshooting steps – network resets, factory resets, toggling various settings and none have resolved the persistent cellular data drain on my iPhone from General. I've asked AI, I've asked Apple, and all I get are these scripted responses to reset network settings, reset the phone to factory, and the usual "disable this and that." None of which have worked. Interestingly, Apple can't/won't say what is actually part of "General".

The root cause of this infuriating data consumption is in the the "General" category within System Cellular Services on iPhone XS Max I've observed since iOS 18.3 or 4.

Out of nowhere, when connected via cellular sometimes even with Wi-Fi enabled (and without Wi-Fi assist, so we can't blame that and other background processes which are disabled), this "General" category inexplicably sucks up significant data, like 112 MB, just like that in seconds. when there has not been more than 5-10 MB of data used for the date via apps. This happened today when I was out and I turned on my phone at home with Wi-Fi enabled. I reset my "statistics" to zero. There was no issue with General. I was disconnected from Wi-Fi and accessed Gasbuddy briefly and the stats show around 3 MB consumed. General only had no usage at all

Additionally, if you notice the pic I uploaded it's showing other System services working in the background despite disabling background and the phone in power save mode. There is absolutely no need to access cellular for most of these services and I don't have a corporate account.

Most people probably don't realize this issue (assuming they have it) because the option is disabled by default under Cellular > Enable Cellular Usage Statistics. For the curious, I urge you to enable that and see if you, too, experience a major drain under "General."

I've meticulously gone through every cellular option, toggling off all system services for cellular whenever possible, but this "General" usage persists.

I know some might suggest getting an "unlimited" data plan, but that's simply not a solution, especially if you're traveling and have a strict data limit with a foreign SIM or eSIM. This issue is very new, and I'm merely posting about it for archival purposes, hoping to shed light on a genuine problem. Apple won't say what "General" is, but it's clearly a massive data consumer, that much I'm certain.

It goes without say, it's incredibly frustrating to be met with the same generic, scripted responses that fail to address the core problem. These type of response is pretty much gaslighting and deflection. Anyways, I am posting for archival/reference purposes only for others to know they're not alone.

 

[Nermal]

For what it's worth, my General was sitting at 4.98 GB, but I hadn't reset the stats since March 2020 (they must have been imported from my previous phone). That's a little under 3 MB per day.

I did a reset and it's yet to use any General whatsoever. I rebooted the phone, opened a few apps, and looked at some websites, and although some of the other system services used a few kilobytes, General is still at zero (and therefore doesn't even show up).

I'm on iOS 18.5. The issue doesn't seem to affect everyone so I wish you luck with trying to track down the problem.

 

[Paddle1]

General is not the biggest data user on my iPhone 16 Pro. It's something specific about your current setup that seems to be causing this.

 

[Neebee]

General is not the biggest data user on my iPhone 16 Pro. It's something specific about your current setup that seems to be causing this.

That's a generic comment. I'm certain it's a bug affecting my phone. Whether it's a carrier bug or something with iOS. I've used the same setup since iPhone 3 and nothing has changed at all. The only constant is iOS updates.
Besides Apple refuses to be transparent on what General does.

 

[Paddle1]

That's a generic comment. I'm certain it's a bug affecting my phone. Whether it's a carrier bug or something with iOS. I've used the same setup since iPhone 3 and nothing has changed at all. The only constant is iOS updates.
Besides Apple refuses to be transparent on what General does.

I was trying to add another data point that it isn't something that everyone is seeing, but I take it you already knew.

Is the data usage reflected by the carrier usage tracking also?

I could see the possibility of it being a carrier bug making it not interact properly with the iPhone XS hardware. There's not much information to go off of so I won't bother you with further troubleshooting steps.

 

[FeliApple]

459 MB for me since March 26th, 2025.
Siri has used over 1 GB (1,08 GB) in the same period though. System Services is second in data usage with 2.79 GB.

Significant, as my most used app has 4.59 GB. My total data usage is 12.1 GB, so system services represents 23% of my data usage.

I think this is ridiculous, but I don’t use enough data of my plan to care to troubleshoot.

 

[ManuCH]

I have 7.27 GB in "General" since 20. September 2024, so that's about 28 MB/day.

The complaint seems to be common, there are some Reddit threads about it as well, but nobody knows what "General" is.

I personally never paid attention to it as I basically have unlimited data everywhere. But I see how it can be an issue for some. Did you try to enable "Low data mode" in cellular settings? As some say it helped, even if not 100%.

 

[Neebee]

This is from a post deleted in the Reddit iOS group. The one thing that stands out is the OP said MDM shows in detail what's consuming data on an hourly or daily cycle. That's only true for the Android version. It could be a shill promoting the app, but I am trying the proxy app now with the recommendations:

High mobile data usage on iOS 18 and how to solve it​

Hey guys and gals. If you're experiencing a problem with bloody high mobile data usage on iOS 18, please read this topic carefully as it seems that I've managed to work around (not solve) the problem.

BACKGROUND and SYMPTOMS. The anomaly began with iOS 18. I happened to notice that my mobile data usage was suddenly 600 MB/hour. The main consumer was the ‘General’ system service. I then started disabling everything that I thought would help. Application access to mobile data, background update, system and application update, iCloud, photos, geolocation, changing the phone region... Everything that could be disabled was disabled. No luck. Next, I did a Wi-Fi traffic audit using logs from my router just to make sure the anomaly was only in the Cellular Data domain. The anomaly turned out to be systemic as the Wi-Fi traffic increased significantly. With new iOS 18, it went from 0.2-0.3 GB/day to 3-4 GB/day. That's it, %username%, up to 13 times (sic!) higher. Even when the phone was just lying idle on the table in Low Power Mode with all updates turned off. Furthermore, the anomaly manifested itself in the phone suddenly heating up, battery level suddenly dropping by 5-7% and temporarily losing my home internet (I work at home) as my phone clogged up the data channel.

THE INVESTIGATION. First of all, I installed My Data Manager (MDM), which has a built-in quasi-VPN/interceptor that logs how much data goes to which addresses. And guess what, folks, where all those gigabytes went? Give it a round of applause: updates.cdn-apple.com. Have I ordered any updates? Nope. Have I turned on any updates? Nope. Have I updated any installed app via App Store?

Nope. Have I received any updates? Nope. But it is what it is. Using MDM, I found that data is being downloaded or uploaded (the direction is unknown) in two main patterns: 80-120 MB/minute for 15 minutes in a row followed by a break of 105 minutes, or three batches of 450-550 MB with a 20 minute interval followed by a 1 hour break. The anomaly session via Wi-Fi always gobbled up at least 1.5 GB, and never exceeded 1.65 GB. Two sessions per day. As for mobile data, the anomaly always gobbled up 0.6 or 1.2 GB of data (batches of 600 MB twice a day). It was questionably consistent. And there were two other data consumers: imap.google.com, which consumed 40 to 340 MB/min (WTF?) at every mail request using a default mail application, and *.content-storage-upload.googleapis.com, which consumed about 20 MB/minute per hour at random.

THE SOLUTION. An IT guy told me to install a data sniffer called Proxyman, which is a network debugging tool/VPN with blocking capabilities. So I did. The free version of Proxyman allows you to block two addresses, so I blocked updates.cdn-apple.com and *.content-storage-upload.googleapis.com. Lo and behold, I gazed upon a miraculous wonder. The data devouring hath fadeth away. I was so excited that I nearly wet my pants. The only thing left to deal with was imap.google.com. Blocking it was a bad idea, but shuffling the default mail app settings had no effect. So I ended up disabling the google mailbox in the Apple Mail App and switching to the Gmail app. The latter uses its own API and shows no signs of such glitchy behaviour. Now I have only 40-50 KB per request instead of 40 to 340 MB.

I spent two full days using only mobile data to see if the anomaly would return. I shopped, banked, paid my taxes, sent messages, took photos, navigated, and browsed the web without any limitations. The mobile data usage was 240 MB for 48 hours. Proxyman blocked 150+ requests to updates.cdn-apple.com. I also put my phone on charge, turned off the Low Power Mode, and updated a few apps to see if that would trigger the anomaly. Nothing unusual happened. Everything worked and updated fine with blockings: all apps, application updates, App Store, Google apps, synchronisation, iCloud backup, etc. The method works. Crossed my fingers for luck.

AFTERWORD and DISCLAIMER. I don't pretend that my method will work for everyone. But you should follow this sequence: install My Data Manager to find out where your traffic is going, then block the corresponding addresses with Proxyman. Hard resetting your phone does not work. I have tried it. Without success. Setting your phone as a new device (without restoring from iCloud) after reset doesn't help either. Disabling all update settings has no effect, etc. Don't waste your time. And pay attention to Google Mail, since other email providers showed no such problems. But I have a Google-based Apple ID, may be that is the reason. I haven't the faintest idea.

I hope you all solve this very frustrating problem. Good luck!

P.S. Be sure to post back here with your results and share this topic with all the unlucky ones who have suddenly run into this frakkin’ problem with iOS 18.

P.P.S. Updated to iOS 18.3.2. The problem persists.

 

[Neebee]

I have 7.27 GB in "General" since 20. September 2024, so that's about 28 MB/day.

The complaint seems to be common, there are some Reddit threads about it as well, but nobody knows what "General" is.

I personally never paid attention to it as I basically have unlimited data everywhere. But I see how it can be an issue for some. Did you try to enable "Low data mode" in cellular settings? As some say it helped, even if not 100%.

No nothing worked! Trying the proxyman app to see if it makes a difference. Basically, it's a VPN that's filtering traffic that you can manually block.

 

[ManuCH]

No nothing worked! Trying the proxyman app to see if it makes a difference. Basically, it's a VPN that's filtering traffic that you can manually block.

Unfortunately, a VPN installed as an app doesn't really tunnel all traffic. Things like push notifications, iMessage and FaceTime never go through VPN, unless it's an always-on VPN installed via MDM. So you will always be missing some stuff. But you can give it a try, maybe you're lucky!

 

[Neebee]

Unfortunately, a VPN installed as an app doesn't really tunnel all traffic. Things like push notifications, iMessage and FaceTime never go through VPN, unless it's an always-on VPN installed via MDM. So you will always be missing some stuff. But you can give it a try, maybe you're lucky!

Thanks, I understand what you're saying. However, for me iMessage and FaceTime does not apply as I have both services disabled. My focus is on other unexpected system-level traffic that seems to bypass user settings.

My working theory is that on iOS, any application that needs to filter traffic from the entire system must install a local VPN profile. This appears to be the only method Apple allows for an app to inspect data from all other apps. A good example is a tool like AdGuard. It is an ad blocker, not a traditional VPN, yet it requires installing a VPN profile to function system-wide. This is why the "VPN" icon appears in the status bar when it is active. The icon simply signals that a VPN configuration is running, which AdGuard uses to route all the phone's traffic through its own local filter before the data is sent to the internet.

To see this in practice, I started using the Proxyman app to monitor all network connections. While the test is still in its infancy, the results already show data usage from services that are explicitly turned off in Settings. Here are a few examples:

• Time & Location: Over 1 MB of data was used within 10 minutes of enabling Data, even though automatic time zone settings are disabled.
• Push Notifications: 127 KB of data was consumed without any corresponding alerts being received.
• Mapping Services: 324 KB of data was used, despite the Find My service being turned off.

While these are not large amounts of data, there is no clear reason for this activity to be occurring. Proxyman also reveals significant background traffic from Google services and Apple News. The Apple News traffic is particularly notable since its access to cellular data is disabled.

Ironically, the monitoring process itself has an overhead. The Proxyman app has used nearly 40 MB of my cellular data after I enabled it with Cellular enabled. I have turned off Cellular for Proxyman and I'll see how it behaves (whether it actually needs cellular access to identify and block services.

I will report back with any further findings if relevant.

 

[ManuCH]

Thanks, I understand what you're saying. However, for me iMessage and FaceTime does not apply as I have both services disabled. My focus is on other unexpected system-level traffic that seems to bypass user settings.

My working theory is that on iOS, any application that needs to filter traffic from the entire system must install a local VPN profile. This appears to be the only method Apple allows for an app to inspect data from all other apps. A good example is a tool like AdGuard. It is an ad blocker, not a traditional VPN, yet it requires installing a VPN profile to function system-wide. This is why the "VPN" icon appears in the status bar when it is active. The icon simply signals that a VPN configuration is running, which AdGuard uses to route all the phone's traffic through its own local filter before the data is sent to the internet.

To see this in practice, I started using the Proxyman app to monitor all network connections. While the test is still in its infancy, the results already show data usage from services that are explicitly turned off in Settings. Here are a few examples:

• Time & Location: Over 1 MB of data was used within 10 minutes of enabling Data, even though automatic time zone settings are disabled.
• Push Notifications: 127 KB of data was consumed without any corresponding alerts being received.
• Mapping Services: 324 KB of data was used, despite the Find My service being turned off.

While these are not large amounts of data, there is no clear reason for this activity to be occurring. Proxyman also reveals significant background traffic from Google services and Apple News. The Apple News traffic is particularly notable since its access to cellular data is disabled.

Ironically, the monitoring process itself has an overhead. The Proxyman app has used nearly 40 MB of my cellular data after I enabled it with Cellular enabled. I have turned off Cellular for Proxyman and I'll see how it behaves (whether it actually needs cellular access to identify and block services.

I will report back with any further findings if relevant.

Got it, makes sense!

• Time & Location: this may be "assisted GPS", where the iPhone contacts some servers to pinpoint its position more precisely by looking at wifi access points nearby and checking their known locations in a database. Not sure exactly if/how you can disable that exactly
• Push notifications: even if no notifications are received, the iPhone keeps an always-on connection to the Apple Push Notification Server (APNS) which must be regularly refreshed to be able to see if there actually are any notifications to be received
• Mapping services: this could be the "Improve maps" or "Routing & traffic" setting in location services, or some other similar thing like that

If you really want to track down every last kb being transferred, this will likely be impossible. At this point you need to take a whitelist approach, and see if that tool you're using could be set up so that only what you explicitly allow can flow, and the rest is blocked, but I think this would impair the experience considerably.

Any chance you can just eliminate the issue (and avoid spending so much time on it) by getting a better data plan?

 

[Neebee]

Got it, makes sense!

• Time & Location: this may be "assisted GPS", where the iPhone contacts some servers to pinpoint its position more precisely by looking at wifi access points nearby and checking their known locations in a database. Not sure exactly if/how you can disable that exactly
• Push notifications: even if no notifications are received, the iPhone keeps an always-on connection to the Apple Push Notification Server (APNS) which must be regularly refreshed to be able to see if there actually are any notifications to be received
• Mapping services: this could be the "Improve maps" or "Routing & traffic" setting in location services, or some other similar thing like that

If you really want to track down every last kb being transferred, this will likely be impossible. At this point you need to take a whitelist approach, and see if that tool you're using could be set up so that only what you explicitly allow can flow, and the rest is blocked, but I think this would impair the experience considerably.

Any chance you can just eliminate the issue (and avoid spending so much time on it) by getting a better data plan?

Another update (mostly for archival purposes for others).

It looks like the app routes all traffic through its filtering system (iOS traffic can be disabled though but I have to manually do so), which results in significantly higher data consumption. Essentially, it doubles the usual data usage because the VPN is active and everything gets processed through it. For example, as soon as I enable data, the traffic in the app will consumer 39 MB of data and the phone already consumed regular data of 39 MB so is it really helping?

Unfortunately, the blocking feature won't work if I disable Cellular for the app. The free version only blocks two domains, which should be sufficient.

I’m honestly not sure if this is worth my time or effort as you hinted. A significant chunk of the parasitic data drain is coming from "General Services," which in my case consumes about 120 MB every 4-5 days (since I started paying attention). But the math doesn't add up. Other users report even higher usage and more frequently. I attribute to "less" because I don't use mobile data much (less than 1 GB a month normally). Since this issue started, it has been around 3 GB a month (3x my normal). Just with General, I have consumed at least 900 MB a month. So there's more data consumption I haven't account for (so far).

What is truly baffling to me is why Apple feels the need for the iPhone to repeatedly "call home" for services I don’t use, especially when it seems unnecessary over cellular. This should be happening over Wi-Fi instead. I always enable Wi-Fi mode first, then turn on cellular, yet services like General, Corporate Accounts, iTunes Media, Messaging Services, and others (as shown in the pic from my first post) still contact Apple shortly after I connect to mobile data, even though it just did moments earlier (on average) especially for the ones I don't use or have disabled. You’d think these "re-connects" would be less frequent and iOS will learn from my behavior that I don't have these services or that I am connected to Wi-Fi 99.99% of the time.

As for my current data plan, it’s a special retention plan that’s no longer available for new customers, and I can’t transfer it. It fits my needs perfectly, up until upgrading to iOS 18.3.1 or 18.4 (I skipped an update or two) but I had my iPhone replaced at Apple and it was updated to the latest OS and that's when I noticed the parasitic drain.

I'm no longer a heavy data user since retiring but when this plan expires in about 3 years, I’ll definitely switch to a provider with more data options. However, that won’t address the excessive data consumption when traveling with an eSIM. And that's the bigger concern for me because I would have to pay more for eSIM travel data.

I have no doubt Apple is well aware of this issue, but to them, it could be seen as a "feature", pushing users to buy more data from their mobile carriers. Maybe one day there will be a class action lawsuit, but I’m not holding my breath.

 

[191Asny]

Another update (mostly for archival purposes for others).

It looks like the app routes all traffic through its filtering system (iOS traffic can be disabled though but I have to manually do so), which results in significantly higher data consumption. Essentially, it doubles the usual data usage because the VPN is active and everything gets processed through it. For example, as soon as I enable data, the traffic in the app will consumer 39 MB of data and the phone already consumed regular data of 39 MB so is it really helping?

Unfortunately, the blocking feature won't work if I disable Cellular for the app. The free version only blocks two domains, which should be sufficient.

I’m honestly not sure if this is worth my time or effort as you hinted. A significant chunk of the parasitic data drain is coming from "General Services," which in my case consumes about 120 MB every 4-5 days (since I started paying attention). But the math doesn't add up. Other users report even higher usage and more frequently. I attribute to "less" because I don't use mobile data much (less than 1 GB a month normally). Since this issue started, it has been around 3 GB a month (3x my normal). Just with General, I have consumed at least 900 MB a month. So there's more data consumption I haven't account for (so far).

What is truly baffling to me is why Apple feels the need for the iPhone to repeatedly "call home" for services I don’t use, especially when it seems unnecessary over cellular. This should be happening over Wi-Fi instead. I always enable Wi-Fi mode first, then turn on cellular, yet services like General, Corporate Accounts, iTunes Media, Messaging Services, and others (as shown in the pic from my first post) still contact Apple shortly after I connect to mobile data, even though it just did moments earlier (on average) especially for the ones I don't use or have disabled. You’d think these "re-connects" would be less frequent and iOS will learn from my behavior that I don't have these services or that I am connected to Wi-Fi 99.99% of the time.

As for my current data plan, it’s a special retention plan that’s no longer available for new customers, and I can’t transfer it. It fits my needs perfectly, up until upgrading to iOS 18.3.1 or 18.4 (I skipped an update or two) but I had my iPhone replaced at Apple and it was updated to the latest OS and that's when I noticed the parasitic drain.

I'm no longer a heavy data user since retiring but when this plan expires in about 3 years, I’ll definitely switch to a provider with more data options. However, that won’t address the excessive data consumption when traveling with an eSIM. And that's the bigger concern for me because I would have to pay more for eSIM travel data.

I have no doubt Apple is well aware of this issue, but to them, it could be seen as a "feature", pushing users to buy more data from their mobile carriers. Maybe one day there will be a class action lawsuit, but I’m not holding my breath.

Thank you for your meticulous research and sharing this!!

I have experienced the same issue for one and a half years on my iPhone XS, starting in earlier iOS versions than 18.x
Usually draining a couple GB every month, sometimes less (1-2GB), sometimes more. Lately, 6.4GB since May, 6th which was around 60% of my entire mobile data consumption in that period.
Since December 2023, I followed all recommendations and had disabled automatic updates, iCloud via mobile, WiFi-assist, and was using the phone in low power mode for 99% of the time.
I just installed Proxyman and blocked updates.cdn-apple.com, hoping to see a positive effect.
Will keep you updated on my results.

 

[ManuCH]

By the way, if you guys want to block specific hostnames without installing local proxy-like apps, you can use a DNS service like Control D or NextDNS.

 

[Artemiz]

Mine only used 33MB since May 6 and I have WiFi assist and iCloud Drive enabled as well.
I do have NextDNS profile installed with native blocking enabled for Apple though.

 

[Neebee]

By the way, if you guys want to block specific hostnames without installing local proxy-like apps, you can use a DNS service like Control D or NextDNS.

I can't speak about NextDNS but the free version of ControlD has no user option to block specific host names

Mine only used 33MB since May 6 and I have WiFi assist and iCloud Drive enabled as well.
I do have NextDNS profile installed with native blocking enabled for Apple though.

Your System services shows 932 MB but you're low in General.

@191Asny Maybe this is specific to the iPhone 10 series. After system refresh with my spouse's iPhone 13 there doesn't seem to be any issue. As a dp, I stopped using Proxyman. Since everything is filtered through it I'm consuming almost as much data with it as I did before except General is low. I verified the results with the app "My Manager" iPhone stats, and my actual mobile usage as per mobile provider. For me, this issue wasn't present in January and February 2025. However. I also held off on updating to iOS 18 for my Max until March of this year. As a workaround, I'll need to enable data only when I need it.

 

[robbinia]

I’ve been suffering the same data drain issue for a couple of months on my 16 pro and was glad to find these posts and their suggestions. I’ve used ‘my data manager’ for a few days and was stunned by the constant checking that Apple services were doing in the background. I found that switching off location services completely caused the cell data traffic to drop considerably. There are still pings every minute but more acceptable data consumption (6 mb in half a day) with no apps running and background refresh’s on WiFi only. I bought a smartphone and want it be connected & useable. Am trying the 18.6 dev beta 2 in a deludedly optimistic hope that it will fix the issue

 

[Artemiz]

Your System services shows 932 MB but you're low in General.

The biggest were due to Messages, Safari, Maps and Music apps. I use them a lot and even then it’s over almost 2 months.

 

[Neebee]

I’ve been suffering the same data drain issue for a couple of months on my 16 pro and was glad to find these posts and their suggestions. I’ve used ‘my data manager’ for a few days and was stunned by the constant checking that Apple services were doing in the background. I found that switching off location services completely caused the cell data traffic to drop considerably. There are still pings every minute but more acceptable data consumption (6 mb in half a day) with no apps running and background refresh’s on WiFi only. I bought a smartphone and want it be connected & useable. Am trying the 18.6 dev beta 2 in a deludedly optimistic hope that it will fix the issue

Disable AI, it should make a difference.

 

[Neebee]

The biggest were due to Messages, Safari, Maps and Music apps. I use them a lot and even then it’s over almost 2 months.

There's some background telemetry occurring. Music, messages, and Safari are now in the "App" section. Any cellular data consumption shouldn't be allocated in System Services but within the app themselves.

One good thing the Proxyman app does it shows all sorts of communication in cellular mode. Why the iPhone needs to ping date and time so frequently is absurd. Fortunately it doesn't consume much cellular data, still...

 

[robbinia]

Disable AI, it should make a difference.

I already have AI switched off, background refresh on wifi only, close all running apps, low data mode, disabled iOS automatics updates & downloads, disabled Apple Watch automatic app updates, closed all apps running on my apple watch (maps was staying open if I used in CarPlay) - all had little impact until I switched off location services completely. it was like someone had turned off the tap (faucet). Now, I'm trying switching it back on selectively for a few system services (maps, find my iPhone, networking, apple pay) & monitoring. It seems OK still, now a slightly less-dumb smartphone. The 'my data manager' app is a god-send. Would just like the ability to reset the stats as I like rather than automatically each day.

After having had to do similar activities last year with my new iPhone draining its battery with early iOS 18, I'm now micro-managing it again to prevent overconsumption of data. I'm seriously considering swapping my 16 Pro for a
17 Pro in September, not because I need to or expect it have any hardware fix, just that I have come to hate it for being so unreliable. Maybe I'm falling for their evil masterplan ! (joke).

 

[Artemiz]

There's some background telemetry occurring. Music, messages, and Safari are now in the "App" section. Any cellular data consumption shouldn't be allocated in System Services but within the app themselves.

One good thing the Proxyman app does it shows all sorts of communication in cellular mode. Why the iPhone needs to ping date and time so frequently is absurd. Fortunately it doesn't consume much cellular data, still...

The actual data usage is shown in the app but iCloud related Safari sync etc will show up as a system service.

Date & Time are pinged when you’re traveling and have the automatic update enabled.

 

[Neebee]

Date & Time are pinged when you’re traveling and have the automatic update enabled.

Here's the thing. I'm not travelling. I turn on my phone which is in airplane mode, enable wifi, wait a few minutes for everything to catch up. I clear the filter log. Enable cellular while in wifi more. Date and time and a few others get pinged

 

[Neebee]

After having had to do similar activities last year with my new iPhone draining its battery with early iOS 18, I'm now micro-managing it again to prevent overconsumption of data. I'm seriously considering swapping my 16 Pro for a
17 Pro in September, not because I need to or expect it have any hardware fix, just that I have come to hate it for being so unreliable. Maybe I'm falling for their evil masterplan ! (joke).

This issue has made me reconsider buying a new iPhone. Not all users appear to be affected. I sent an email to an Apple tech supervisor over a month ago, and they haven't responded. Either they can't resolve the issue or it's intentional. It ends up pushing the user into buying more data.

If enough users are affected, a class action lawsuit could follow. That said, it's unlikely since cellular data monitoring is turned off by default and some might just shrug their head and wonder why but take no action. Proxyman app doesn't help, unfortunately while it blocks the culprit, it consumes more data as I already mentioned because all data is being funneled through the app.