How did I hit 75% of my data usage in a couple of days since updating my phone? Why dont you tell us what to do/not do or are we suppose to go over our time limit.........Why do I need a new phone if I scared to use it- I can text and make phone calls on my old flip phone for less money.
YES... All 3 iPhone 5 models will quickly use up cellular data on Verizon. I noticed the same thing on my 5c. Luckily for me I checked the running data usage feature in "My Verizon" on-line... before my billing cycle ends.
I have owned a 5c for a week+ now, and have it activated along side my wifes 4s under our 2G shared data plan. In that first ~week of time the 5c has used at least 3~4x the amount of cellular data, despite my wife using her 4s FAR more frequently (for games & apps) than I do on my 5c.
I have managed to throttle my data usage with now a better understanding of the following:
-Apps will use cellular data, even while connected to a wifi network. So merging onto a wifi DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY PRIORITIZE it over the Verizon cellular data network.
-Closing out the app when finished does not stop it from using cellular data. Many apps will still siphon cellular data, even though they are closed.... WITHOUT THE USER KNOWING IT. Pay close attention to, and turn off cellular usage for those apps that don't really need it. Note you may have to manually re-activate cellular usage for the app when you use it outside wifi coverage. This is a royal pain in the you know what.
-Deactivate notification center... or deactivate those parts of it you don't really need. Personally I don't need any of it so I have it completely turned off.
-Turn off the "Background app Refresh" function.
-Turn off "Location Services". Another royal pain, because some apps need this feature. GPS for one.
-In the "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" section turn off the Push function under "Fetch new data". I have mine set to manual.
-Turn off LTE function. The LTE part of the network is not even available to me where I live. I found my phone was RAMPANTLY gobbling up cell data 24/7 and all hours of the night. That data siphon stopped immediately when I turned off LTE, in addition to the steps taken above. Yes you are in essence using a slower cell network, but for me that doesn't matter since I am under a wifi network 99% of the time. If I ever do need a fast cellular network outside my wifi I will have to manually turn on LTE.
As a final note, this is a SIGNIFICANT difference between the 4s and 5/5c/5s... and should be taken as a warning to anyone wanting to upgrade from the 4s to any of the "5" models. My wifes 4s (on the latest iOS) does not require any of the actions above. Even with REGULAR use of her DOZENS of apps, her monthly data usage on the 4s has never exceeded ~1G over the past 2 years. She never even turns them off, they are always open and minimized on her screen-top.
I am not exactly certain which of the steps above have had the greatest impact in reducing my data use. I have no way of knowing, since the running data usage report in "My Verizon" does not specify what apps + functions have been using what chunks of cellular data. In essence you are turning your iPhone into a pseudo "dumb-phone", or limiting its "smarts" to whenever I allow it.
If you have iOS 7, you can EASILY tell which apps are using cellular data and how much. Just check under Settings > Cellular.
Theres also a Cellular data usage feature that adds up everything used for the period, so long as you remember to reset it at the beginning of every billing cycle.
If you upgraded the phone in the middle of your billing cycle, the rest of the month is prorated, along with your data allowance. If you have 2 GB of data, bill cycle date is the 2nd, and you upgraded on the 15th, you'll have about 1 GB of data to use until you reach the new billing cycle - because you are only paying for half the month (half the data). You'll get 2 GB again the following month.
When you upgrade your smartphone and recover your apps and settings initially, you could potentially use a ton of data depending upon what carries over from your old phone. If you have a lot of apps to download, its best to do it on WiFi.
Turn off cellular data for the stuff you don't need to use while away from Wi-Fi. I keep Wi-Fi on all the time; it does not affect my battery in the least.
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