Podcast app - cellular data question

[mdelvecchio]

hello,

i have a podcast that i subscribe to. in the iOS podcast app it says for the size of a given episode is 62mb. i assume this to mean if i download the podcast it's 62mb.

question: if i stream the podcast episode (by just hitting Play, rather than tapping to download it), is the amount of data consumed to do so also 62mb?

i ask because im getting hit by AT&T's excessive usage police, and im trying to figure out why...


thanks!

 

[mdelvecchio]

and does anyone know how much data usage the NPR streaming app uses?

i ask because the past few years (while on the Unlimited plan) ive never used more than a couple gigs per month, but today (now on the Mobile Share plan) AT&T has me at 4gb this month -- 1gb of which apparently used in a day.

im trying to find tools to use to analyze usage.

 

[mdelvecchio]

per AT&T's own "Data Calculator" tool, streaming audio should only use 500k/min:

http://www.att.com/standalone/data-calculator/index.html

...yet when i view the detailed "Wireless Usage Details" page theyre reporting me like so:

Date Time To/From Type Direction Msg/KB
10/03 04:24 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 19541 KB
10/03 04:24 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 19532 KB
10/03 04:23 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 19553 KB
10/03 02:23 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 12467 KB
10/03 02:22 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 19540 KB
10/03 02:21 PM phone Internet/MEdia Net Sent 19552 KB

...which to me suggests AT&T is reporting im using 2-4mb/min. way more than streaming audio should -- no wonder im hitting limits despite ordinary use.

can anyone help in this analysis?

 

[mdelvecchio]

AT&T said they dont know why my LTE iphone uses 2-4mb/min. They transferred me to an Apple tech... and he said "Sorry if it's a data issue talk to your carrier."

no help. nobody can say -- w/ a 60mb podcast, how much data should it consume a minute? i say, and the AT&T calculator says, 500k. thus:

500k x 120 minutes = 60,000k​

...is this not how things work?

they keep saying that streaming uses "more" data. uh, what data? from where? the podcast file on the podcast server is only 60mb total, how can streaming it be inventing more data? it's a byte array, no?

they also keep saying LTE uses "more" data just by being LTE. as in, downing a webpage will use more than it would under 3G. uhhh, no....it should be consuming the *same* data, just quicker. like in driving -- driving faster gets you there quicker, but it doesnt shorten the distance; only the time it takes to traverse said distance.

same thing -- right?

 

[evandy]

I just got hit by 400MB of usage in ONE DAY, right after upgrading to iOS6. The only behavior on my end that's changed is that I'm now using apple's podcast app. I was only playing podcasts that were pre-downloaded, and download over cellular was set to "off." However, somehow the podcast app still managed to gobble 200% of my monthly allotment in 1 day. AT&T is investigating... I am not the only person to relate issues after upgrading to iOS6.

I have deleted podcast.app and am trying out downcast. I'll know in the next couple of days if it's solved the problem or not.

 

[amdmaxx]

I had the same issues. got iphone 5 and turned off download via cell on podcast app, but still saw 2GB eaten up in about an hour ( I have 100+ podcasts I am subscribed to), after I opened podcasts app in the wild (no wi-fi). Called and complained to Verizon, but after getting nowhere, manager agreed to bump my monthly plan from 4gb to 6 and provide $10 credit for the difference (I will switch back to 4GB plan next month)..
No such issues with downcast.. set to wi-fi download only.

Similar issue with imessage. I got friend in Australia, and I have set imessage not to try to use sms when imessage is unavailable - but it still sent as sms (in blue color)..

I just got hit by 400MB of usage in ONE DAY, right after upgrading to iOS6. The only behavior on my end that's changed is that I'm now using apple's podcast app. I was only playing podcasts that were pre-downloaded, and download over cellular was set to "off." However, somehow the podcast app still managed to gobble 200% of my monthly allotment in 1 day. AT&T is investigating... I am not the only person to relate issues after upgrading to iOS6.

I have deleted podcast.app and am trying out downcast. I'll know in the next couple of days if it's solved the problem or not.

 

[ajpalms]

I went through almost 8GB of data this last billing period (I have rarely gone over 2 GB in the last 3 years), after upgrading to the iPhone 5 and iOS 6.

I also started using the Podcasts app, so I am suspecting there is some correlation. I have used my phone very normally this past month and I have not done anything data intensive like streaming movies. The only new app have started using is the Podcasts App (for approx 15 mins a day).

 

[mdelvecchio]

this is most likely what caused my insane data consumption when listening to podcasts...

https://www.macrumors.com/2012/11/1...iple-downloads-of-podcasts-is-fixed-in-6-0-1/

The audio streams that are being pulled down by iOS 6 through a variety of apps including Apple’s Podcasts and others are being increased in size by a huge factor. The streams are being downloaded multiple times as connection errors cause them to fire off a new session. And, the entire time that a stream is active, it is being downloaded over and over.

...looks like theyve fixed it now. shame the Apple support 2 guys didnt believe me about how a 60mb podcast should not consume more than...60mb. they kept saying "It's LTE...LTE uses more data! durrr!"