Extreme data usage and overages on iPhone 5
bryantwebster
Enthusiast - Level 2

I realize that this isn't exactly a unique issue and I didn't want to be this guy, but I've finally run out of options for an issue I've already dedicated far too much of my life to fixing. I'm hoping that posting the facts here will somehow bring about a resolution to what has become a weeks-long issue. The issue at hand is not unlike ones that I've seen mentioned on these boards before, so here are the relevant points:

  1. We have a family share plan; this one happens to be shared between 3 people.
  2. Over the past several months, we have upgraded our data plan. Significantly. We started at 10 GB and have now progressed to 30 GB. At first, this was due to a variety of reasons - reliance on mobile due to WiFi outages, traveling, work, etc. - but we could always pinpoint where the data overages/usage came from. Plus, we upgraded and backdated our plan so that we never accrued any actual financial overages or ramifications.
  3. We recently locked ourselves into a now-grandfathered $130, 30 GB plan that is no longer offered.
  4. Within a month or so of doing so, we somehow managed to exceed our 30 GB package today - with no change in usage or major software changes - while still having 13 days remaining in our current cycle.

With these facts on the table, I want to also point out that we went into a Verizon store a week ago to address the possibility that an unexplained rise in data usage had us with our backs against the wall. Reviewing the data logs, we found there were five recorded instances where data exceeded 1.5 GB in a single evening - all around the same time - in a six day period. Crickets.

We were given the standard solutions: told to turn off mobile data, to monitor further issues, and to see them if issues persisted. These points were all addressed and mobile data was turned off during the evenings, apps that could be trouble were uninstalled, and usage was kept to an absolute minimum. Issues persisted. This not only did not solve the issue, but it's clear that a software/firmware issue is causing these overages and mobile data is still being used despite having it turned off. We've been told this is impossible, but we cleared cached data and watched it happen. What I want to know is how an iPhone that has not undergone any major changes to its software settings or had any large, data-hungry apps installed of late, could just recently see a single line eat 21 GB in less than a two week period.

We went into the Verizon store today, and the solutions provided were insulting:

  1. Buy a new phone.
  2. Upgrade to a new plan.
  3. Deal with the $15 per 1 GB overages for the remainder of our cycle (that's 13 days, mind you).
  4. Spend $5 to be able to cut off one line from mobile service entirely.

These are not solutions, at least not from a technical standpoint. They all include us throwing hundreds of dollars more at them while the possible issue that we came to them to solve remains potentially unresolved. Keep in mind that the new iPhone that they suggested paying for is $699, upgrading to 40 GB takes our rates from $130/month to $300/month, and we have already somehow burned through nearly 20% of our 1 GB overage in the past 6 hours, despite having all three phones with their mobile data already turned off. THIS ALL COMES WITH NO GUARANTEES THAT THE PROBLEM WON'T PERSIST.

We have run this up the flagpole at Verizon only to be shrugged aside: first by saying we can upgrade our plan (no, we can't afford to more than double our current rate and won't out of principle), told to contact the Verizon tech services (who told us to go in-store), and last to the Apple store (who told us to also buy a new phone). I get that one line is using an insane amount of data, but this is clearly due to some software, hardware, or mobile data glitch that customer service representatives at Verizon have been unable or unwilling to solve outside of having us throw more money at them. We cannot troubleshoot a data issue when we are out of data; it's that simple.

Verizon has left us with very little options as they have backed us into a corner with the way they have addressed this, and the money they are asking us to spend in order to "resolve" this. Frankly, I don't believe we should be held financially responsible for any software or hardware issue that has cause data to spike at nearly two times the previous maximum usage - especially if they don't care to find the issue or address the problem head on. I've found that we are not the only people experiencing these issues, and yet nobody from Verizon (or Apple) cares to address them. All blame is placed on the user, despite extreme discrepancies existing between actual user and background usage.

While I don't expect a response other than to offer the same empty promises I've seen listed in other threads, I do want Verizon and others to know that this constant strong-arming and lack of communication has us in the market for a new carrier.

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Re: Extreme data usage and overages on iPhone 5
Weth
Legend

Have you narrowed this to one phone of your three? If this was me, this is what I would do ( reassessing after each step):

1) on the phone go to settings/cellular and see which apps or system services are using the data. If one is found, delete guilty app

2) do a hard reset on the phone

3) do a settings/general/reset all network settings

4) do a settings/general/reset reset all settings

5) do a settings/general/reset erase all contents and settings and get a new SIM card from Verizon store

if I didn't have time I would keep cellular data off.  If cellular data is off and data is still being used, Verizon needs to explain. 

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Re: Extreme data usage and overages on iPhone 5
bryantwebster
Enthusiast - Level 2

Weth,

Sorry if it wasn't clear before, but this is definitely only coming from one line - an Apple iPhone 5. As far as your suggestions:

  1. This was done after we hit 90% data usage about a week ago. There was no single offending app that looked to be tipping the scales, but all unnecessary apps with any usage at all were deleted.
  2. A hard reset was done on the phone.
  3. All network settings were reset.
  4. This was not done.
  5. This was not done.

Also, upon going to the Verizon store for the first time, it was suggested that we turn off mobile data at night to prevent any data usage at night. This was done - along with completely stripping the phone of apps, files, etc. - and data usage did go down. But wholesale change on the phone to the point of rendering it almost unusable didn't solve the problem entirely. As you suggested, we turned cellular data off and data was still being used. Not nearly at the same rate as before, but it was trickling through and we noted this to a Verizon rep yesterday. They told us this was "impossible" (their words) and that we must not have shut it off properly. Clearly, this wasn't the case. 

While I have an issue with shrugging that off entirely despite evidence to the contrary, I was more interested in knowing what changes to the Apple iOS, settings, apps, or files could have prompted an extreme uptick in data usage at the beginning of our billing cycle. For example, on 10/31 and 11/01 we saw data usage of >1.5 GB at 8:01 PM. Then, on 11/02, 11/04, and 11/05, we saw the same thing occur at 7:01 PM (which would be 8:01 PM after the time change). Could this be a coincidence? Perhaps. But I asked Verizon to investigate those for me and they have failed to do so.


I'm interested in knowing what could cause a phone to use >2.9 GB during a six-hour period on 11/01 and how that could be prevented in the future, outside of shutting off the mobile data on the line entirely and stripping it of all its apps and files. Is there a way for the user to check a more detailed data log for those time periods, to see exactly what was done during those high usage periods? Or is that something a Verizon representative must do? An outside party?


Because not knowing what happened and having no answers leaves me with no guarantee this won't happen without the promise of extreme investment in more data/device, or entirely cutting off data to one line.

Re: Extreme data usage and overages on iPhone 5
Weth
Legend

I have not heard of a better way to get details on the data use for the logs from Verizon. Do keep in mind that the Times Shown on the bill are beginning Periods And not an ending Periods. The data session can stay open for an extended period and you can only see when that started. Put another way if you see a time in the middle of the night and a large amount of data that does not necessarily mean that date it was used at that early morning. But anytime between that Time And the next time shown on the log.

I would consider doing option five above, at least that is as close as possible to get a new phone without costing you anything other than time. I suspect this may be a bad process on the phone not registering in the log in a full reset erase will put it back to factory.

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Re: Extreme data usage and overages on iPhone 5
bryantwebster
Enthusiast - Level 2

Right. The times given for the log show that the data sessions of >1.5 GB started at 7:01 PM and went for approximately 3-4 hours. Like clockwork, for almost a week. The time periods given are when the user is oftentimes in their house, and connected to WiFi. So, the either the WiFi is dropping off unexpectedly and reverting to solely mobile data - an issue that had never presented itself before this week-long period - or a data-hungry task that had also never presented itself before this period of time. Or, more likely, both. There was no unusual usage during that time to immediately explain it, at least none that the user was actively engaging in.

There was also a period of time a several months ago when the user was relying entirely on mobile data at home due to a lack of Internet service. During a month-long period, they never exceeded 11 GB. Since then, there was never any data overage concerns until this month, and this is nearly double that. So the data statistics stick out like a sore thumb, considering that nearly 15 GB of data usage was recorded during the first week of this new billing cycle.

Really, the question is what happened at the beginning of this particular billing cycle that would trigger something like that? There has been no iOS update to this device, no changes in Verizon service that I'm aware of, and the user didn't update the settings or download any new apps or large files during that time. We'll go into the store and proceed with option #5, but I have to say that I'm surprised not a single Verizon representative has suggested getting a new SIM card.

Frankly, you've provided more troubleshooting advice than they have on our previous visits.

Re: Extreme data usage and overages on iPhone 5
goninion
Enthusiast - Level 1

New carrier may be our only option, as well...same exact problem with outrageous date on daughter's iPhone only-10 years we have never gone over 6G and now 5 overages in 15 days

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