Accessive data usage on iPhone 5??!

Hello Embeaman,

We know how important it is to effectively manage your data usage. After all, no one likes overages. It will be my pleasure to partner with you to get this issue resolved. May I ask what software and carrier version do you have on your iPhone 5? Also, what data plan do you have? If you can be so kind as to share what data functions that you are using on your device then we can customize a solution for you. I'm looking forward to your reply.

Thank you...

ArnettH_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

jhacker92

I upgraded my phone on the 15th to an iPhone 5 from a 4S. I noticed my data increase significantly within that day till now. On my actual phone data usage in the settings, it shows WAY less then what Verizon says I used compared to verizon's bill usage. All my software is up to date, I even have 2 other people on my plan (one is a 4s and the other is a galaxy s4) they used way less this month then I used in a matter of a week. I reset the carrier settings so I'll see how it goes for next billing cycle that ends in 10 days. Very frustrating..

KathleenDWarner

I am also having this issue: I ported in the number from AT&T (where, by the way, I never had overage issues with my Iphone 5) and purchased an iphone 5, with which I immediately had connectivity issues. Replaced the iphone about a week ago and just today, got a message this morning that I'd used 50% of my 2GB, at 11pm (after being on an airplane for 6 hours with the phone turned off), I received another notice that I'd used 75% and then at 11:30pm I was over the limit! All during a time I was in a hotel room on wi-fi. It makes absolutely no sense. Of course, I cannot find any answers on the website nor any way to email Verizon to put them on notice that this second iphone, received less than ten days ago, is potentially defective.

88glide

I have had the iphone 5 since they first came out with no data usage problems whatsoever until a little over a week ago. My wife has an Android device and we have never gone over out 1GB usage since we both are often on WIFI. Approximately 2 weeks into our June billing cycle I received the alert that we had used 50% of our data which was about right since she had been out of town some this month. Less than 24 hours later I received notice that we had used 75% of data allowance less than 12 hours after that we I received the notice that we were OVER our 1GB allowance. I called customer support that Monday and somehow let them convince me that I really had used that much data with some change I had mistakenly made to my phone. I changed the data plan and made certain to close all background apps and checked ALL settings that might be causing this. A few days later another 1 GB was gone after a call to an extremely unhelpful customer service person I told her to STOP TALKING and make a note on my account of what had happened and that I would call back EVERYDAY until this problem was resolved. The next day I spoke with a more helpful person but she was not able to resolve the issue but FINALLY transferred me to TECHNICAL SUPPORT. After speaking with an EXTREMELY Helpful man, he suggested that I DELETE and REINSTALL ALL of my email accounts. He said that he would call me back in a few days to see if this helped. He contacted me today and as of right now it appears this has SOLVED the problem. I am checking my data usage details frequently to make sure but I would suggest trying this for anyone with this problem. My iphone is currently on OS 6.1.4 an I think this update may have instigated the problem

chefryl

Same issue! Excessive usage. I will delete my email accounts right now and installed.

B33

Kathaleen Verizon dropped there Email Service and went to Chat) And you might Look and see if your iPhone has a Feature to turn off the Mobile Data when your on the Wi-Fi as it may still pull Data over the System if it's engaged.. b33

tsushi

Thanks for the heads up. I have the same issue. I will try deleting and reinstalling the email accounts. What a headache!

penelopejones

Been having the same problem. Is there not sometjing Verizon can do at their end to resolve this problem? We pay pretty good to get their service. They should be able to take care of it on their side. Seems several of us are having the same problem....I have not c hecked to see if I am being charged however, if anyone out there is needing complaint support, please be free to use my phone number and name....I have a total of 5 persons on my plan.

I will be reviewing my current bill and if I am being charged, you can rest assured that I will be back on here complaining.

>>Personal information removed<<

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

penelopejones

Same thing here! ! !

Verizonhasletmedown

I too have found this extremely excessive. All I use the smartphone for is minor internet searches, and checking facebook once a day. For the past 2 years my iPhone 4 used .55G of data on average (.75G Max). I upgraded to the iPhone 5 on 6/11/13 and no one mentioned the extreme difference of data usage. I didn't mind the small change in price and knew that I could be grandfathered with the unlimited data if I paid full price for the iphone5. But I was thinking, I could switch my family over to my plan. But I won't be doing that now.

When I changed my plan it was at the end of the pay cycle. And the severity of the data usage was not known to me until after the 14 days. Verizon's data usage is now .75G in just 5-7 days. Considering that I have disconnected the pushes, the automatic updates, only connect via wifi, never connected to iCloud etc it hasn't helped the data usage. I now don't even use the iphone5 for anything other then the phone and messaging...this discusses me.

I talked via chat with customer support and they instructed me to call and ask for "Inactive Price Plan Change". Which I did, and was denied. It has been less then 30 days (but more then the 14 days) and has been divided by 2 different bill cycles (difficult to see accumulation).

Verizon, please fix this immediately!!! You are about to lose 1 costumer and I will be taking others with me and bad mouthing Verizon if this isn't rectified. Does Verizon want to be known as being slimmy?! I would be satisfied if I could return to the previous unlimited data and 900 minutes with same messaging or to have my "normal" (averaging .55G) data usage at the original signed on price with 1G of data. But either way, there should be customer education at the counter on the varied and excessive iPhone 5 data usage.

Verizon, You have disappointed me.

bellaposa

I am a very unhappy customer. At first I was all excited about my new iphone 5 and now I'm truly disappointed and outraged. Within in an hour I hit 1.2 GB. I reached half of monthly balance in an HOUR which normally would last me til the end of the month! I just upgraded to the 4GB data plan and I'm already over the half! I still have the rest of the month to go! I've been a loyal costumer for 10 years and now I'm looking into other carriers who have unlimited data for less the price I'm paying now.

budone

Did you backdate the data plan change?? If not you are prorated for whatever days were left in your billing period after the change.

For example. If you had a 2 GB plan and changed to the 4GB plan (without backdating) 15 days into your billing cycle, You can only use 1GB of your 2GB plan without overages and only 2GB of your 4GB plan without overages.

benniegirl

How did it get fixed?

benniegirl

Add me to the list. In May and June both my daughters upgraded to the majestic IPhone 5. I just got off the phone with Verizon after seeing our usage quadruple in the past month. I'm told to check open emails that may have not been sent, ongoing IChat conversations, Twitter, etc. She also told me to have them turn off their mobile networks when they come home, even though the phone shows them on WiFi when then are at home. I'm glad to see these other comments to let me know I'm not crazy. Something is expensively wrong with the IPhone 5.

dkstuver

Did deleting and reinstalling your email accounts solve the unsupported data charges issue?

KathleenDWarner

it did not: but reinstalling systems software did.

*Kathleen

>>Personal information removed<<

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

We do not want to lose you bellaposa! Let’s see what we can do to avoid data overage. 1.2 GB is certainly excessive in an hour unless you were downloading applications or streaming music. I personally have the 2GB plan and with the help of WiFi, I barely exceed 1GB. When you have a WiFi connection, be sure to turn off the Cellular data. Here is how: Settings > General > Cellular Data > Off. Additionally, you may manage data by dialing #DATA Send to avoid overage. Your loyalty is very much appreciated and we hope to continue to service your wireless needs.

Thank you,

Lena_VZW

Please follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

The new devices should not cost you more data than any other smartphone benniegirl! I would like to make sure that there are no overages from now on. When they're connected to WiFi, be sure that Cellular data is turned off. Go to Settings > General > Cellular > off. I also recommend to close down any unused applications. Double click the menu button, hold down the app and touch the (-) in the corner. They may also manage data by dialing #DATA Send.

Thank you,

Lena_VZW

Please follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

crwireless

Not an Apple or iPhone expert wants to know the details of "...reinstalling systems software...". I think I can probably manage to figure out "...deleting and reinstalling your email accounts...", but if anyone wants to include in reply that part as well, I'd be grateful. Please reply with either pointer to location of instructions for "...reinstalling systems software...", and "...deleting and reinstalling your email accounts..." or with step by step instructions for such actions.

Did those actions really fix the ridiculous data usage profile of iPhone5? And did the problem stay fixed?

crwireless

Are the things mention in VZW community was back in Sept/Oct 2012 relevant and do they fix anything. It doesn't sound like it if we have these issues still in July 9. Son has owned iPhone 5 couple months. Of course data usage overage. Like others, for example, 400KB while in WiFi. Can I get a credited back for such?http://www.eweek.com/networking/iphone-5-wifi-issue-for-verizon-customers-is-now-fixed/, h ttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT5526 Re: iphone 5 data usage.sawwas66 Oct 2, 2012 3:42 PM (in response to eldejohnson)There was a problem and it should be fixed by now from what i saw on the news Verizon is aware of the issue. You should be able to call Verizon and have your account adjusted. http://www.eweek.com/networking/iphone-5-wifi-issue-for-verizon-customers-is-now-fixed/ Report Abuse
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Re: iphone 5 data usage.

cinnamon013 Sep 30, 2012 6:46 PM (in response to ggmm1212)Read and follow ASAP http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5526 Then, if this has been happening to you, call Verizon and ask for a data credit.

ajleemax800

Another customer gets end of jun Surprise of Huge DATA spikes

Seeing Data usage go through the Roof. using phone the same way

Tec support unable to offer any tools to see what is using data or why...

CaseyWV

I am in the same boat as everyone in this discussion string and I searching online to figure out an answer. I am posting so Verizon can see its a big problem. Same scenario. I increased my data when I upgraded iphone5 even though I didn't even come close to the max with my iphone4 ever. After 2 weeks with my new iphone5 phone and a larger data package (to mention again!) I am maxed out. I don't know how this happened. I am doing the same stuff I did on my previous phone so there are no new habits to change. I am feeling extremely frustrated. Its so expensive to have these phones as it is.

SS_CH

I reset my phone per verizon tech and the phone is still using data even when at home on wifi and the celluar data is off. I am new to the iphone and I am so glad I am in my 14day window to return this data eating machine. switching to the S4 which does not have this issue

Plowman

Well now I feel some comfort knowing I am not alone and I am not crazy about this issue. Wifi connected > Cell Data on > it uses DATA !! Wifi connected > Data off > it uses Wifi. I've been working for a week with both Verizon and Apple but no resolution. I've shut down CELL DATA on all my account phones and increased from 4 GB to 6 GB package to avoid overages. Today, apparently, I was given a solution by Verizon: TURN OFF DATA WHEN IN WIFI AREA. Really? Kinda takes the smart outta smartphone. What a pain! Plus, one of my iPhone 5 users is a teen. Do you think they'll be mindful of turning it off and on?

What's funny is, when I realized the problem I turned ALL phone data off on all my phones. That was a week ago. When on the phone with a tech rep they insist I'm not using a lot of data so there must not be a problem. Well......huh? I just finished telling them that data was off. Again, they insist I have very low data usage the last week. Geez, I'm glad I called in.

Okay, enough complaining... here's the technical stuff. I've done a complete restore back to a new phone...no change. I now don't even have mail on my phone so Outbox is not a problem. Verizon insists there's no issue since I can physically turn off data when in wifi area. Also, they say that data signal is much stronger signal than wifi and overrides wifi. It'd be nice if there was a switch that says "use wifi even when cell data is more powerful" in the settings menu.

Apple doesn't help either cause they want to use your problem as a guinea pig. They just want you to try this and send in screen captures.

Very frustrated right now.

GAborn

>>Duplicate post removed for cross-posting violation of the

See for original message<<

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

darlingtonpeach

Sorry everyone here is having the same problem as us....new iPhone 5 was fine for first three months then started sucking data. Called 'tech' support...advised them of problem with their system , record keeping or something because iPhone 4 on same plan is not having any issues. Was not told when buying the iPhone 5 that there would be major issues with data consumption. Answer from 'tech' support; no one else is having this problem, try a factory reset, turn of the cellular every time you are in a wifi zone. None of these options are satisfactory. Advised Verizon's folks to note acct. we would not be paying any overage stemming from problem not ours in the making. Never had a problem with Sprint , we had them for 6 years and just went to Verizon in February....3 months later...major data consumption problems, no problem resolution after one store visit and 2 hour long conversations with 'tech' support. Frustrated is not the exact word ..but it will do.

sm217

Last weekend I switched to Verizon after being many years with another carrier with NO problems.

Within less then 24 hours we were receiving text that we have used 95% of our data plan.... how the hell..... we have Fios at home, we have all phones set on to WiFi. With our old carrier I had the iPhone 4S and only 200 mb of data and NEVER used all of my data, I am not a phone internet junkie.

When I looked at my data usage online I noticed that data was used on my phone at hours that I was sleeping this just pointed out to me that the problem was not at my end (I know I do not sleep walk). I do not have notification turned on I do not have an applications on the phone that uses the phone without my knowledge. My husband was SO paranoid of using his phone that he had it on airplane mode and data is still being shown on his line...... My son has the iPhone 4 and he has no problems with his data, no excessive use at ALL. My husband and I have the 5 and we are having major issues. I have had iPhone's since their first appearance, I know how to use the phone properly.

I called Verizon technical support, pointed this out to them, their responce was that it did look suspicious and that they would look into the situation, find out what was happening when the data was being used and call me back within 24 hours. Days later, no phone call, no email, no explanation nothing at Verizon's end to help resolve this solution and keep a new costumer.

I have 1 week left to decide if I want to go back to my old carrier and I do want to unless Verizon gives me back some of the data that I KNOW I did not use. I do not use my phone while I am sleeping, and other locations where the phone is not aloud to be used. I feel as if Verizon is taking advantage of this situation, draining our pockets instead of coming up with a solution and keeping customers happy.

I can go on and on with my dissatisfaction, but what is the point if nobody is listening and making an effort.

We don't want to start off on the wrong foot, sm217. Going as far as putting a phone into airplane mode should shut off it's ability to access any mobile data at all, so I'm definitely concerned with your usage. I sent you a request to follow you here on the forum. If you accept and follow me back, you can send me a private message with your name, mobile number, and a way we can reach you so that we can make sure you get that callback you've been waiting for and we can find out where this mystery usage came from.

JenniferH_VZW

Please follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

darlingtonpeach

Hi again, here's what I know from the third phone call to tech support. -Probably need to do a factory reset (which I've decided is ok, need to make sure it's done with all the backups ) ,The 3/4G iPhone 5 data consumption issue within a wifi zone is not new, and even an email stuck in a send loop can cause the iPhone 5 Cellular to do a continual search to send when in a known wifi zone....beware of wayward emails!!

And even all things considered it should not take so long to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some people have lives not revolving around data sucking phones. Stick with it ... Third call maybe the charm. 10 GB of data consumption within 3 weeks... Something is wrong!!

I have the exact same problem and have found no help online.

Can you please help me before I decide to go to another carrier.

View the *611 On-Screen App for Android Video

I have the same problem and no one will return my requests for help.

Verizon Customer Support, please contact me!

rcschnoor

You would need to contact them, not the other way around.

Customer Service

Dial *611 from your cell phone

(800) 922-0204

Monday-Sunday 6am-11pm

We don't want you to go anywhere mbf18! Please share some more details about your specific data usage concerns. We definitely have options!

JonathanK_VZW

VZW Support

Follow Us on Twitter@VZWSupport

klentz

Has anyone come to a real solution? I don't feel that I use my iphone 5 data that often. I even went as far as deleting my email account off the device to avoid data use. I don't understand why I my bill has nearly doubled since buying the iphone5. At this point I am more than happy switching to a new service provider. This is absolutely ridiculous.

raceme63

Glad to hear I'm not the only one having excessive data usage with the 5. I have gone to the Gresham verizon store only to be told they can't help me and there is nothing they can do - nice way to treat your customers! This only happened when I switched to the 5 a few months ago. I'm contacting the FCC regarding Verizon's fraudulent business practices!

anyone try updating to iOS7 to solve the problem?

raceme63

Thanks for the suggestion, but before I do any updates to iOS7, were you having excessive data usage problems? Last thing I want to do is update and create more problems? Thanks.

I regret to learn of the issues with your data usage, raceme63! We certainly appreciate you and hope to restore your confidence in Verizon Wireless. Did you run into overage at anytime? Did we investigate the issue? Did you have the opportunity to view the usage via My Verizon? Additionally, when connecting to WiFi, do you turn off cellular data?

I am looking forward to your reply so that we can resolve this issue.

Thank you,

LenaA_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Evolutioni

Brand new customer here. Three days into my billing cycle and today I got an alert that I had used 75% of my data for the month just today. I have been home all day and connected to my LAN's WIFI. Please advise Verizon! Michael

GowenGirl

FYI: I was an iPhone 4s user and upgraded to the new iPhone 5s on Sept 20th. I bought my phone at a Verizon store and had the Verizon rep set up my phone on the spot, at 9:02 a.m. I then walked around the corner at 9:12 a.m. and went to my office, sat down and went to work, didn't do anything with the phone until I got home around 2:30 p.m. I connected the phone to my Mac and updated it on iTunes -- keep in mind that I do have WiFi at home.

Around 5:30 that evening, I got an alert from Verizon that I had used 75% of my data storage. This was 16 days prior to our monthly billing cycle. We never use more than 50% of our data -- between 5 people on our account. The next day, I got an alert that I had used 90% of the data!!!!! I hadn't done anything with the phone -- no new apps, nothing other than check email, text and maybe look at Facebook. That's when we logged on to MyVerizon and saw that it was the iPhone that was sucking up all the data. We noticed that a huge spike (1.8 gb) was used the MOMENT my new phone was turned on by the Verizon rep and again when I was home and had the phone connected to iTunes and was updating the phone. There was also a HUGE spike while I was ASLEEP on the 21st (at 7:30 a.m. -- weird, right? ALL APPS WERE OFF -- I am a total Apple user and know whether I'm on my phone or on my iPad or Mac that it's always best to shut down apps you're not using to preserve battery life and the performance of the operating system on the Mac.).

We immediately called Verizon and here's the short version of what they said (between two reps):

"This data usage issue you're having has nothing to do with the problem iPhone 5 users had in late 2012. That was a whole other problem."

"It doesn't matter that you use your iPhone 5s the same way you used your iPhone 4s when you barely used 1gb of data during a billing cycle; you're running a different operating system (than the iPhone 4s) so it's using more data." ???
"You had your new phone set up at a Verizon store and we've noticed other iPhone 5s users have also used a lot of data when they have their phones set up at a store." ??!!

"This problem will probably resolve itself by your next billing cycle." (HA HA HA)

"You should increase your data plan so you don't go over." (At the rate the data is being consumed, though -- the fact that I used 3gb of data in 24 hours -- that's more than 50% of our data, how could I possibly get enough data to take care of this problem?)

"Verizon did not create this phone -- Apple did, so we're not responsible for this problem you're having." !!!!

For now, I've been told to "watch" my data usage and follow up with Verizon. I'm so concerned about this issue that I've been turning off my cellular usage which defeats the entire point of having a smart phone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm VERY CONCERNED that Verizon isn't communicating with the manufacturer (Apple) to quickly resolve this issue. Verizon customers are buying products from Verizon expecting a quality product and ease of use -- it should not be the responsibility of the Verizon customer to figure out what the problem is. I should not be penalized financially for a problem that I'm not responsible for! I've been a loyal Verizon client since 1997 or 1998. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.

mjecollazo

Brand new customer-We have had our phones 9 days now and have no data (because I set data limits in my verizon so we wouldnt go over). I'm starting to wonder why we switched AT ALL.I REFUSE to pay for more than 6GB of data per month when I had 4 with another carrier and NEVER went over!!! Not even close!!!

Good afternoon GowenGirl,

Thanks for sharing details of your data usage concerns. I am a consumer too and I can truly relate to this data usage issue. Coming from a 3G device to a 4G device will most likely spike data usage within a reasonable rate. The amount of data usage outlined in your post can only be justified by the phone updating/syncing information in the background. I had a similar issue with my son's new phone and we were able to resolve it (and minimize his data usage) by doing this: Settings > General > Background App Refresh > switch it to OFF. Please give it a try and keep us posted.

AntonioC_VZW

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VZWSupport

mickeyboy10

i hear you! i convinced my wife to switch to Verizon from ATT where she had unlimited data. I told her that she only uses about 800MB to 1Gb of data monthly on ATT so she shouldnt worry about it. in our first month she almost went over 2GB so she had to turn off data two days before new cycle.

We are 8 days past new cycle and she has already used up 800MB.

Misspuddin2001

I am having this same issue. My daughter's 4S died on August 18 which was 4 days after the start of a new billing cycle. I get the 5 for her on August 21 and a few days later an alert says she used 75% of data. How the hell has she done that in 6 days. This has never happened with the 4s. Shortly thereafter another alert comes and says 90%, then later that night "YOU HAVE EXCEEDED" We couldn't figure out what was going on. She had no data for almost 3 weeks. That was last month.

Now she has exceeded her data again starting last night after 10 days after the start of this month's billing cycle. I am not happy and neither is she. We don't know what to do. She will have to go until Oct 14 without data. This has never happened before with the 4s. I WILL NOT increase the data plan. Doesn't make sense. Something is terribly wrong with the 5 and data usage.

@mjecollazo

You made the right decision switching to Verizon Wireless! I don't want you to even consider leaving!

How many lines of service do you have with us currently? Are you on the new Share Everything plan? If so, did you know you could increase your Data Share allowance by 2 GB's for only $10.00 more per month? http://vz.to/14p8cZN Take a moment to run an Account Analysis http://bit.ly/17qD2sj to ensure you're on the right plan. Thanks!

AnthonyTa_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

GowenGirl

In response to my original (and rather lengthy post), I can't help but notice how many other people have responded with reports of the same problem: excessive data usage with iPhone 5/5s. I am disappointed to see some of the responses by Verizon reps, asking me and other posters if we have signed up for enough data. !!!! ("Maybe you should add more data to your account...")

Are these stock responses from Verizon? Because a grade school kid could figure out that upgrading from a 4s to a 5/5s without changing your phone habits (downloads, streaming video, etc.) should not burn through 3-5 GB of data within 24 hours of usage. C'MON VERIZON!!! We are not idiots!! FIX THE PROBLEM! I've currently used 3.28 of our 4.0 data amount, all in a matter of a couple of days.Verizon doubled our data usage to 8.0 without charging us and is supposed to be monitoring our account to see if the problem persists.

I went to Apple, had them run a diagnostics test on the phone I got at the Verizon store. Turns out that my new phone had 5 problems with the software -- one of them being the VERIZON BACKUP ASSISTANT.

If you haven't read my earlier post, in summary, the Verizon phone tech told me that she saw one thing in common with some of her customers calling to complain about excessive usage with their new iPhone 5/5s: Their phones had been set up in the Verizon stores.

My initial zing of usage was when the Verizon store rep was uploading the Backup Assistant to retrieve my contact list, which had not transferred entirely when the phone was upgraded. 1.8GB of usage at that time. I've seen some reports of issues with this app by other users, so I'm wondering if this Backup Assistant (which was, BTW, the first app to be downloaded to my new phone) is the main problem going on here.

Apple tech essentially wiped out my phone, had me start from scratch, and told me not to synch to iTunes when I got home in case the problem was linked to to my previous backup. I've been turning off my cellular usage while I'm at home, running the phone on WiFi when I'm here, turning on the cellular usage when I'm away from the house.

Of course, I have my settings set to not update any apps automatically, and the apps I have reloaded have been done while my WiFi was on. I think the fix Apple did for my phone may have done the trick, but I have to wait a few more days to watch my usage amount.

The Apple rep told me that just because I'm using a new iPhone and running a new OS, it should NOT be sucking up this much data. Of course, Apple rep rolled his eyes when I told him what Verizon said to me.

Anyone experiencing a similar problem should visit a local Apple store and have a diagnostics test run, see if they find any issues. The problem is not user error -- this is definitely a problem with the phone and the carrier (Verizon).

Do not pay for overage! Contact Verizon if you're noticing an obnoxious increase in usage and have it flagged on your account before it becomes a bigger problem. The more people who report the problem, the faster Verizon and Apple with work to find a solution.

dwill614

I just upgraded to an iPhone 5s from an iPhone 4s and was very excited to do so. I have a 2 GB a month plan and rarely use more that 1 GB for the month. Within a week of upgrading to the iPhone 5s, I've used over a GB of data. I don't use my phone much until I'm home where I have wifi. I checked my Verizon data details and it says I used almost half a GB at 3:50 AM...with wifi! How does this make sense? I contacted Verizon to see if other people are having similar problems and the agent told me no. I have been very happy with Verizon over the last few years but unless this is fixed, I'll definitely consider changing services.

POSSIBLE FIX

To whom it may concern,

I updated to iOS7 in an attempt to fix the problem of unexplained data

usage. So far, this seems to have worked. My phone is reporting only

200MB of usage over the last 2 weeks (which is reasonable).

No clue if this will last (or what Verizon will actually charge me), but so

far, so good

best

mobileheadache

I am also a new Verizon customer. Moved from another provider where we shared 4G of data a month and never exceeded that allotment. Like other users here I got the standard answers from Verizon customer service when raising a concern about using 1G of data in 12 minutes...or using 300M of data in the middle of the night while connected to wifi at home. And this is on a new iPhone 5 that was set up at the Verizon store and is running IOS 7. Comparing that iPhone usage to another phone in the same household that is doing essentially the same thing, email, facebook updates, google maps, the iPhone usage is 3 TIMES what it is on the Android phone. The difference is so great that we're considering taking the bath on the iPhone and trading it in. Good thing I gave up my month to month service to sign a contract where Verizon has me locked in for two years! So far I'm unimpressed with their service (get a much weaker sign in my suburban home than previous carrier and their coverage maps are 'optimistic' on their website) and their customer service in trying to address this apparent issue. I think Verizon is using some 'new math' to calculate cellular data usage. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it's eventually discovered that the iPhone is counting the wifi AND cellular data as just cellular data.

I would love for someone from Verizon that is knowledgeable and has useful input to reach out to try to solve what the original call to customer service (and tech support) did not.

And by the way, using Vz's own online data calculator says we should be using well under the 4G we're signed up for and eventually had to upgrade to 12G! No longer a cost-effective service even given the assumed expanded coverage compared to my old carrier.

i m so frustrated. According to Verizon I have used 18G in a week?! Im in technology and know darn well thats IMPOSSIBLE. I work from home and in an office; use WIFI. Im on with VZB customer services all the time as of late; they tell me to turn the cell data off, ever better buy more data etc.

I just downloaded I o7 to try to see if that helps. I have averaged 4 G per month or less for years on the 4s but since I went to the 5, my bills have sky rocketed and Im averaged 18G?!

Im so beyond annoyed, oh and I got call from them telling me I owe them money to boot! Verizon and Apple need to huddle up and FIX THIS ISSUE ASAP! I m going to call the PWC. Thats a promise.

I am having a similar issue. Once I upgraded from an iPhone 4 to am iPhone 5c, I got the 90% warning (on a 4GB data plan) after only 4 days of usage. Something is definitely not right - to include 800GB being used in the middle of the night when I was sleeping. This is a huge spike. I didn't download any apps or have background refresh turned on or anything like that.

I chatted with a Verizon representative online this evening. Although he was unable to solve my issue now (engineers will look into it at the end of the billing cycle), he did give me 2 more GB this month, credited my account, and found another discount I qualified for. That's good - for now. But I look forward to Verizon getting to the bottom of this. The big amounts of data usage started the exact same day I did my device upgrade. No other explanation worth examining.

For the record, I am running iOS 7.0.2 and have carrier info of Verizon 15.0

kirby77

My teen son had a new iPhone 5s (his first after using an old Droid the past couple of years) for less than 24 hours and data usage skyrocketed - over 3 GB in one day! A call to Verizon did absolutely no good. She kept trying to tell us it was his fault for playing music or streaming videos. He was in school - he wasn't doing any of that. The phone was put away. Three of us have happily shared a 4 GB plan for a year and rarely go over 50% usage of that each month.

Took the phone to the Apple store, where they were very helpful, and after checking and not really finding anything, they had us reset the phone and the software, and start over. This time, after we downloaded the Verizon Backup Assistant app to get the contacts, we deleted it, after I read here that someone suspects that could be one of the problems. I wouldn't have even used it again if I'd seen that earlier. It makes sense to me now that if lots of Verizon customers are having issues, it could be that app that is sucking data somehow. So that is definitely one thing for people here to try - delete that app!

We also turned off the background syncing, as one of the reps here suggested. I went to the Verizon store and told them what had happened today, and they increased my data for the month, and said they credited my account the dollar amount it would cost to do that. I'll be watching that closely to see if it's true.

I just checked the data log for the phone and for the past few hours, things are looking much better. Hopefully it will continue, otherwise the phone is going back and we'll go back to an Android.

All of the replies telling people to turn off cellular data when wifi is available and all of that is ridiculous. That's not a solution, it's a very, very bad workaround!

Verizon needs to do something and soon. They raised my limit to 6GB and apparently that is not going to be enough to get me to the end of my billing cycle. They claim I am using about 1GB per day. Is there any Verizon customer that uses that much? Especially one with my usage history of around 2GB a month? They have to realize that this is a technical problem with the network or phone and not something that I am doing. Help!

damon317

I've been a Verizon customer for almost 48 hours now and that's just about 48 hours too long.

Bought 3 phones (2 android and 1 iPhone 5c) and signed up for a 2 year contract. Less then 24 hours after having the account, I received a "courtesy" text that we've already blown through half of our data plan. The 2 android phones totaled 2.8% of the total and the rest was all on the iPhone 5c. This, of course, was mostly at home on our WiFi.

After reading hundreds of posts relating to the same issue dating back more than a year. It is obvious that Verizon could not care less about this issue or their "customers". For the hundreds that complain, there are tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) who just pay the overage or "upgrade" their data plan. If they're making money, they're less likely to change (fix) it.

To be clear though... This seems to be an Apple issue (AT&T has the same complaints). It began popping up in September, 2012 with the iOS6 release. Apple released a "fix" (admission of a problem?) for Verizon customers that was suppose to allow WiFi 1st, cellular data 2nd. Apparently the issue is back in iOS7... Or there is more to the problem than the WiFi...

Verizon's statement: “Under certain circumstances, iPhone 5 may use Verizon cellular data while the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Apple has a fix that is being delivered to Verizon customers right on their iPhone 5. Verizon Wireless customers will not be charged for any unwarranted cellular data usage.” Unfortunately that was October, 2012 and Apple and Verizon seem to be ignoring that today and instead Verizon is offering ridiculous "Band-Aides" that don't address the true problem

I'll be returning all 3 phones and cancelling the plan because it appears that Verizon is not willing to do anything about it.

CNN: http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/01/technology/iphone-5-data-overage/index.html

What are the next steps I have been all over VZB and refuse to pay the overage, not one cent. This blog pasted is VERY informative- I cant believe its been going on since 2012 ?! what is being done on Verizon end to fix it? I think they need to put those with this issue on an unlimited data plan until they get their acts together. This is been NOTHING BUT AGGRAVATION for me

damon317

If CNN and Forbes exposure can't get the carriers and/or Apple to do it, I doubt we can... (Also, some forums are stating that iCloud is also a possible data leakage candidate.)

Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenrosenbaum/2013/05/28/att-and-apple-battle-over-data-leakage/

I found the problem with my data usage. It was the YouTube app all along. It will not allow you to change video quality settings when on cellular and if 4G/LTE is there - IT WILL USE IT AND PROVIDE HD VIDEO. I didn't think it would, but apparently that's the case. Before, my son would watch you tube for an hour and it would be 100MB or so. After upgrading my phone to a 4G/LTE phone, it was about 900MB an hour. The difference was in the video quality. You can not trust your historical data usage when transitioning from a 3G phone to a 4G phone. Hard lesson learned.

My solution, BTW:

Before handing my son the phone for streaming any content, I will go into cellular settings and turn LTE off.

my73dollys

I too have been charged excessive data charges for the last 2 months. Last month I added 2 more GB & now this month I have gone over that total of 8GB. Should I keep the WIFI turned on on my IPHONE5 ? Could that be the cause of the overage? I am using the JETPACK for my internet. This is all new to me & I certainly can not afford a bill of this size. Also I am now using the Jet Pack in Florida & not in Ohio. I changed my location on my account a few days ago. Hopefully you can help me figure out what is causing such a large amount of data being used on my account. Thanks

@my73dollys

I can understand your concerns with your data allowance and usage. Let's work together to see where the usage is coming from.

What plan are you currently on? Have you viewed the data usage details on My Verizon (www.vzw.com)? Is your Jetpack device on the same plan as your iPhone 5? Do you have other WiFi service at your residence you could use to free up some of your Verizon Wireless data allowance? Let me know so I can further assist.

AnthonyTa_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

STOP TRYING TO SELL MORE AND THINK WE ARE IDIOTS. THIS IS A I PHONE 5/ VZB billing issue that must be addressed as a whole. NO ONE should pay for the overage charges.

mim3

Received new 5S and ported number from ATT. Upped the family plan to 6GB (had 3GB available for 2 days). New 5S was set up and restored from icloud as it was replacing a 4. Within 2 days received notice the phone had used 3GB of data (at home connected to wifi). Contacted Verizion to uderstand usage, could not prove the "data usage" was unusual, but was assured they would monitor the line for "abnormalities". Phone was wipped and restored via cloud. Usage seems to be in check for now. Important to note: the ATT coverage on previous 4 was 200mb which was never exceeded in 24 months. In review of my usage detail log, I found a 600mb spike one Saturday morning at 554am (the family was sleeping). At 927am the phone consumed 1.5GB data in less than 30 minutes (still at home). Given the previous ATT usage statistics and fact that the new 5S is a complete image of the 4, I am convinced their were no apps running that would have consumed this amount of data. Perhaps there is/was a bug with the original OS? Have several iphones and ipads connected at home that have not experienced this type of data usage, only the 5S. Verizon did credit back $30 to offset some of the overage charges. Strongly believe the problem resides with Apple or Verizon and not the end users. I guess we will need to wait for the class action lawsuit at which time we will all be offered $1 in restitution.

fourspoons

that is strange, mim3 this saturday oct 26 my husbands iphone5 showed a data spike of 506.5 mb at 6:38 a.m. he was sitting in his deer stand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! not on the phone. 10 minutes before he was hit with the spike, he was in our living room where we have wifi! verizon gave me the same can answer its gave others wait til end of billing cycle. i plan on contacting my attorney general . verizon never devulged to me when i spoke with them that this was a recurring problem!

im from the state of ARKANSAS where ALLTEL used to be before verizon bought it

Hi Mim3,

Congrats on your new iPhone 5S! Its important to make sure that your data charges are accurate. Let's get this mystery resolved. 4G LTE is 10x as fast as the 3G data that was on your iPhone 4. Better speed performance will increase data consumption per you are able to download more items to the device. For example on 3G it may have taken an hour to download a page full pictures, since 4G LTE is 10x as fast, that same page downloads in minutes. If you have the device set to automatic updates to applications, that could explain your spikes at various times. Applications can consume a lot of data, especially free ad based applications. Those ads that run in the applications background consume data as well. Most applications offer a paid ad-free version which in most cases would be cheaper, per the application is not consuming so much data.

Thanks,

PamelaF_VZW

Tweet us @vzwsupport

mim3

Hello,

This is not my first iphone/idevice. The data spikes make no sense when the device is at home utilizing wifi (as our the other 7 devices). How do you explain data usage overnight/early morning when the device is idle? There are no new apps etc that have been installed. The data spikes are inconsistent with any other service provider data history. I understand the boiler plate response, but what information can you provide me on how Verizon gathers and collects data usage?

Regards,

Mike

Sent from my iPad

Well said! They need to stop the PREPARED boiler reply and get to the bottom of this ASAP.

starsnheaven

Gee isn't this a coincidence. I was told it must be my phone yet here's a whole post about everyone having the same issues. I to was told to turn off my cellular data when connected to wifi, which worked great until I found out that I can't get regular picture messages from my family and friends while that's turned off! When I went to leave for work this morning I turned cellular data back on and got 14 pictures pushed through from last night because I had it turned off! Had to upgrade my phone from 2GB to 5GB because I went over last month. When I bought this POS I was told I only averaged a half a gig of data a month. Last month I used 3GBs.

I never had this problem with the iPhone 4 and it would have been great if someone would have told me this was a problem before I bought the phone. Because of course now it's too late to return it for something different.

I'm not happy with Verizon at all right now cause I've done everything from resets and turning the data off. Those options aren't cutting it anymore.

Get with it Verizon and give us a solution that actually works. Like give us our unlimited data back so we don't have to worry about this anymore.

Im on with them now.They charged me a LATE fee and still haven’t applied the credits - I refuse to pay for overage. They put me on a 30G plan for the month so avoid this (how REDIK) they were to credit me the difference, of course they have not~ They told me I used 18G in a week ?! When I had the 4 I averaged 4G per month! I told them I want a credit for ALL OVER AGE back to when I switched to the 5 no exceptions. They think we are all idiots and rather than fix it just stone walling. Im so pissed!~

mim3,

There's no doubt that such a dramatic data spike would cause shock for me as well. And we want to get to the bottom of it. Ultimately, we gather data usage by what your SIM relay back to our billing system. Regarding usage at certain idle hours, some apps and functions may still be accruing usage at those times. When you go to settings > general > usage, what shows up as using the most data? And from settings > general > background app refresh, is that turned on? If so, please turn off and verify usage over this time via My Verizon to see if anything changes http://bit.ly/xB4iTc .

EvanO_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

We want to make sure to get a better understanding of where the usage is coming from on your account, uwswoman. I have sent you a follow request here in the forum. Please access https://community.verizonwireless.com/actions to accept my request and follow me back so you can send me a private message with your name and mobile number so I can see what the outcome of your call was the other day and determine the next best step.

Thank you

JenniferH_VZW

Please follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

starsnheaven

They are sending me a replacement phone, but I'm not holding my breath this one will work any better.

I'm trying to figure out how in the hell I used 4x that amount of data at 4:05am while I was sleeping then I did while I was at the gym for an hour streaming music and using Twitter, getting emails everything. I only used 574.5kbs of data while at the gym for an hour not connected to wifi and I used over 39,000kbs of data at 4:05am while I was sleeping and the phone was plugged in connected to wifi.

Hey Verizon, care to explain that one??

starsnheaven

Maybe you guys can explain this one to me...

Also why are all my push notifications using cellular data when I'm connected to wifi??

my73dollys

I am currently on the Share Everything Plan that I have upgraded to 8 GB where before I was only using just under 4 GB.. Both my IPhone5 & my Jet Pack are on that plan. Still wondering why I am using so much more Data in Sept/Oct than I did for the previous 4 months. I have WiFi turned on my Phone. If my setting were wrong, I need to know so that I can eliminate all the data usage. Thanks

paulvina

I ported over from AT&T after being stationed in an area with no AT&T coverage. I had a 4S and 5S on AT&T with no issues. I've been with Verizon for 7 days and am now over my 2GB plan. In the 15 months I was with AT&T after moving back from Germany I NEVER went over 2GB. EVER. This is my 4th iPhone. I know how to set it up. Nothing about my usage has changed in 4 years. I don't even have the Verizon Backup Assistant app on my phone but yet it's still burning through data. I don't need more data on my plan. I shouldn't have to turn off cellular data when connected to wifi (I never did with my 4S whether it was on iOS 6 or iOS 7 nor my iPhone5S on AT&T). I had 4G LTE with AT&T on my 4S AND 5S (both were on iOS 7) (which was absolutely faster than Verizon, BTW) so I don't want to hear anything about stuff downloading faster and needing to adjust my usage or settings. I use GMail, which has no out box and there are no draft emails either so that's not it. I'm also not going to turn my smartphone into a dumb phone because this issue, the one that "doesn't exist" but has threads on VZW's own forum going back over a year, can't be sorted out. I'll give it a couple of more days but as much as I hate them, I'll probably have to move to an Android phone to resolve this. Maybe I'll be able to talk and use the internet again too... This is absolutely an issue with the Verizon iPhone 5/5C/5S.

I'm glad a replacement is on it's way to you, starsnheaven. I do have a few thoughts as to why the data would possibly be higher, which could end up continuing on your replacement if any of these were the case.

By design, the WiFi antenna will go to sleep when the screen goess off in order to conserve battery life. Unless you turn off cellular data (Settings>General>Cellular), applications will continue to push data to your phone when it's sitting on your nightstand dormant. If your phone is in the process of downloading when WiFi turns off (This can be any queued item such as app updates, iCloud downloads/syncing, iTunes Match or Podcast download) the phone will continue the download in progress resulting in higher data usage.

Another thing I've come across is an email stuck in the outbox. If you have an Exchange email account, check your outbox to make sure there is not a stuck email pending. This email will continue to try and resend which will take from the data allowance.

In addition to the ability to turn cellular data on and off for the entire device, iOS devices also have additional cellular data settings for specific services:

Settings>General>Cellular>iTunes: This setting impacts the downloading of iTunes Store content. If you do not wish to download iTunes content over cellular, switch this setting to off.

Settings>iTunes and App Stores>Use Cellular Data: This setting impacts app downloads and app/content updates. If you don't wish to download apps or updates over cellular, switch this setting to off too.

Thank you

JenniferH_VZW

Please follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

paulvina

If it was iCloud it would affect all carriers the same. I was told that the cellular data will override the BT in certain circumstances and that the only way to "fix" the issue was to turn off cellular data. I tried it last night and that definitely "fixed" the problem. The only issue is, I shouldn't have to. My iPhone 5S will be going back for an android device. This is terrible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47CM06N5gIo

This issue is so beyond insane ! Verizon needs to get their act together ASAP ! It's clearly an issue with how their service supports the 5. Why should we constantly be checking cellular data. Wi if etc? All they want to try to do is mask this problem with band aids. When I look at all these posts i can't see straight bc it's clearly unfair and a complete hassle !

Sent from my iPhone

my73dollys

I hope this problem gets fixed soon regarding excessive data use. I have to turn off Cellular & WIFi on my IPhone 5 when I am using my laptop with my Jet Pack. I wasn't told this when I purchased my IPHONE & Jet Pack at the same time. Then when I'm done on my laptop I turn my Cellular & WiFi back on. This is crazy. I don't have to turn off my TV or Landline Phone when I've used it a lot. Jet Pack is convenient for use away from home but it uses all your data from your IPHONE & Laptop if you have Cellular & WiFi turned on your phone. At least this is my observation. Please VERIZON, get it fixed. This isn't Obamacare I hope.

muvotx

Just activated (11/8) a new 5c together with my wifes 4s on anew 2G plan.

FWIW this problem still persists. If you don't MANUALLY TURN OFF CELLULAR DATA, apps will continue to gobble up data in the background EVEN IF you prioritize your WiFi, and completely shut down the App.

This is really stupid, it should be automatic... turn off all cellular data when merged onto WiFi.

This is my first smart phone, after YEARS of ribbing from my friends and family. My old "dumb phone" suddenly looks a WHOLE LOT SMARTER than this.

Maxwell975

I have seen the same issue. We upgraded my wife's iPhone 4 to a 5c. When they told me that I could no longer have an unlimited data plan I was suspicious. They told me that my wife had never really used more than 1GB in a month, so we signed up for the 1GB data plan. Within one week, the following Friday, she had used 75% of her plan. By the next day, it said she had used 90%.

We called Verizon and they suggested we upgrade to a 2BG plan and that my wife remember to shut down app she isn't using. She never had to do this before. Now, two weeks in with the new phone and she is again at 75% of the 2GB plan already.

I think the new phones are doing something different than the old ones and Verizon knows it, that's why they are switching people off unlimited plans and onto fixed data plans. That way the new iPhone 5 will generate more money with the same usage.

Has anyone figured out how to stop their iPhone 5 from using 4-5 times the data as an iPhone 4?

muvotx

My solution here in my video.