Could someone please help me?

[tylerkeefe]

Hi everyone.

I really hope you all could be of some assistance. Okay, so i have an iPhone 4s, on a family plan with 2G's worth of data. Last month i went over, and today i've just gone over again. Yesterday i received a text from Verizon that said, "As of 03/16 (my number) has used approximately 50% of data allowance for the bill cycle ending the 7th, Check verizonwireless.com for details" 3 hours later, another text that says i'm at 75% of data allowance, this morning 90% and now i'm maxed out. I was connected to Wifi, a majority of the day yesterday and today. I don't watch Netflix or stream movies, or have Pandora on my phone. I've gone into the Verizon store twice, both times only to be redirected to Verizons TechSupport 800 number, which was just an automated message, leading me no where. I honestly don't know how my phone could have used up 2 gigs worth of data in only a few days. Especially since i'm not constantly on it. If anyone has any idea what could be going on i hope we can talk soon. Thank you all. Take care.

[Ann154]

Have you considered actually turning off the cellular data while you are connecting to wifi for extended periods of time.

When you leave both on and screen turns off, the wifi radio will sleep (turn off) causing the cellular data to become active again.

[#3]

I know Iphones had some issues a few months back. They( Apple) were supposed to have fixed those.

Also the data on the website can be delayed for as much as a couple of days that's why it can seem the usage has gone up quickly. For some I think the meters don't work right. They do for me. I have an Android so my phone also keep track of my data usage and they are pretty close. I'm not sure if Iphones have something similar. Wi-fi would not use ANY data.

You mention Pandora. Now Pandora streams at a minimum of 128 kbps, 192 kbps if you have premium. So if you were using mobile data at 128 kbps you could use 2 GB in just 36 hours of constant use. Also you may have had apps running in the background ad not knowing it. As I said I have no experience with Iphones so I'm not sure how they handle all that stuff.

[tylerkeefe]

I only mentioned Pandora, because i wasn't using it. I checked Facebook a few times a day, and answered a few emails. All while i was connected to Wifi. Once i got the Verizon message that said i had used 50% of my data allowance. I handed my phone over to a more tech savvy friend of mine who shut off a bunch of apps that were open. So those were all shut off when the data usage spiked from 50% to 100 in under 24 hours. I've since shut my cellular data off. I wouldn't say i use my phone excessively, so i'm just surprised at how i was able to burn through 2G's worth of data in a few days.

[#5]

tylerkeefe wrote:

I only mentioned Pandora, because i wasn't using it. I checked Facebook a few times a day, and answered a few emails. All while i was connected to Wifi. Once i got the Verizon message that said i had used 50% of my data allowance. I handed my phone over to a more tech savvy friend of mine who shut off a bunch of apps that were open. So those were all shut off when the data usage spiked from 50% to 100 in under 24 hours. 

Once again the data on the website is not up to the minute. So yes you could have shut it off then 24 hours later seen an increase in your usage because it took 24 hours for the website to report that data. But you did admit have apps running that you didn't know about. I would guess many people that have mysterious spike in data also have this happen to them. As I said my phone has an apps that monitors data and it's up tot the minute and I have it set to shut off mobile data when it reaches the limit. One would think the Iphone has a similar function.

[tylerkeefe]

Thanks. I've been into the Verizon store twice, and been on their customer service line for hours today. You've been more helpful then any of them. Guess i learned the hard way.

[vzw_customer_support]

Dear Tylerkeefe,

Good morning. Getting notifications that you are close to exceeding your allowance can certainly be alarming. It would be my pleasure to help put your mind at ease.

I understand you are not streaming movies, music, etc. Which these features will use a lot of data. Are you using the Mobile Hotspot on your phone. This may also cause you to exceed your data allowance quickly if you do not power if off after you are done using the feature. To turn off mobile hostpot tap settings>general>personal hotspot>off. Do you have any third party applications that you have installed that may be running a lot of data?

To ensure applications are not consistently running in the background do the following press the menu button at the bottom of your phone twice. All the open apps will then appear. Select and hold the bottom of the screen. A minus sign will then appear in the top left of each app. Select each minus sign to close out the application.

I hope the information given will help clarify what is using a lot of data on your phone. Should you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.


Thank You,
MichelleS_VZW
VZW Support
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSUPPORT