Dates of DATA use versus Dates of Phone Use?
Roamingdoc83
Enthusiast - Level 2

Recently upgraded to S9. Have had not issues with Verizon but noting that "after" this upgrade I am being told of DATA use approaching our limits (we have 2 Samsungs on the plan, it is the new one only).

The DATES of the mos use do not coincide with the date/time stamps on any of the phone use. HOW is the DATA ascribed to "a" date/time? For instance, I am told the S9 used 0.27GBs of data on 8/22 at 8:14AM. THERE is not use of the phone at that time (and I checked for system updates, no listed, very few apps on the phone really - typical is messaging (stock Samsung), three email accounts (two POP and one IMAP) so I am trying to figure out how this is assigned a date/time?

We turn phone off at night. Almost all of the other data use is very small (0.00XX, not much) but in a span of a few days I used over 2GBs... or so that date, those dates, are being assigned?

Thanks for the help.

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6 Replies
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

The data usage on your MyVerizon account online is when it was reported by the towers not necessarily when the data was actually used. 

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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tikibar1
Community Leader
Community Leader

If you haven't already, ensure that updates like the Play Store are set to update only over wi-fi.  That setting usually has to be toggled when setting up a new phone and with new phones doing a lot of updating when first set up, can blow through some data.  Open the Play Store app, tap the hamburger menu in the upper left-hand corner, tap Settings, tap Auto Update Apps, tap Over Wi-Fi Only, then tap Done.

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Roamingdoc83
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thank you (all) for the responses. I usually 'turn off' all autoupdates and wait to be advised of any.

I also had my settings selected for Wi-Fi only... Regarding "towers" logging date/time... I am afraid I don't grasp that 'concept' as a tower is only a transfer type location for signal/data, etc... how actually would this delay work within that role? That is interesting. thank you.

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Weth
Legend

The tower is not just a transfer point. It has computers/servers on site that keeps logs. 

Periodically Verizon servers poll the towers to upload the information of data use of users on that tower. Another way to look at it is a data session. All data used in a period of time is reported as a single data point with a single date and time, even if the data was used over an extended period of time but is usually 6 hours or less. My experience shows the time stamp is the start of a data session

For example, yesterday, I streamed the Penn State game from approximately 9:30 am until past noon. 

On my log file I show no data use during that time, but I have a time stamp of 7:48 AM that reports 1.6 GB of data used. The next time stamp is 1:48 PM, 6 hours later and shows a few megabytes. Therefore, the data I used from 9:30 to 12:30 was reported at 7:48 AM, the start of a data session. 

Data sessions often last 6 hours if you are attached to one tower. However, if you are on the move, you will get multipe short time stamps as each tower reports out separately data used while you were on that tower. 

It has been this way for years and years. 

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Roamingdoc83
Enthusiast - Level 2

Okay, thanks... so let me see if I got this... you streamed the game from approx 9 to noon but it post dated it to 7:30AM, very weird. Thanks for the information.

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vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

I would be equally be confused if I seen data used at different times too Roamingdoc83. Weth and Tikibar1 had some valid points on how data is reported. We certainly don't want you to have overages. I would love to help and review your account to see what options you have. I have sent you a private note. AmberF_VZW

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