Why soooo much data usage??

Hi everyone...
I am curious to know (when you go into your settings and then "cellular") why is there a need for data usage for MY MUSIC?? CONTACTS?? PHOTOS?? CALENDAR?? I mean especially music - that is DOWNLOADED to my phone so why the need for data?? Same for the others.
And are they USING DATA just by being there?? Or only when I like go into my cameral roll, or open my contacts??
I've always been very confused about how cellular data works. And I am currently staying where there is NO Wi Fi - NONE whatsoever. They use ethernet for the computer. Therefore, when using my phone (here - no Wi Fi) my data has been going QUICK! So I am now all the more curious as to how it all works and if there is anything I can do.
Thanks so much.

Contacts, as an example, would use data when the contacts are synced with iCloud. Note that you can turn off cellular data usage for individual items such as Contacts, Calendar, etc on that same page (Settings > Cellular > Use Cellluar Data For) just by tapping the switch to the right of each so that it goes from green to white.

Similar Messages

Why did my data usage skyrocket with Ellipsis Jetpack?

My old wifi went down and the Verizon office sold me an Ellipsis Jetpack. My data usage immediately started going up although my Internet habits remained the same. I turn the Jetpack off when I'm not logged in and I changed the setting to only allow one user. I changed Facebook to not automatically start videos and I hit pause on every video that comes up on news feeds. I feel like I'm getting ripped off. I saw some discussion here earlier (can't find it now) that others are having the same problems but saw no answer from Verizon. Also, there are no diagnostics available online to see what is causing my usage to be so high and someone suggested that Verizon is blocking access to the information. Would I be better off finding a different wireless internet provider?

Same thing happened to me. Can't understand why. We'll see if they charge overages.

Why is my data usage so high?

Using Verizon's data calculator, 5G should me more than sufficient for the limited PC usage. In one week, the data usage information indicates we have used over half in one week. There are several entries in the breakdown for small amounts during the midnight hours, when computers are not in use and shut down.
I am very disappointed with the information provided before this plan was purchased, based on what we expected for our data needs. By increasing the data amount our bill will increase 30.00 There are many sources that indicate 2G should be ample for each of us in the household (2). So, I am not sure the calculations are correct that are being tracked with the Jetpack system. Here is the data calculator, I entered more than twice the expected usage for the two laptops combined. We download no music, videos, movies. Simply check email and browse the web. How do you explain this?
Total
3 GB/mo
(3157 MB/mo)
Mobile
Broadband
4G
3 GB/mo
5/21/2014 Data Calculator - Verizon Wireless

The VZW Data Calculator is a tool designed to help estimate and visualize data usage. Most folks have no idea what data is or how it is consumed on their devices. The data calculator tool is not accurate on any front other than to give you a general idea how much data a particular function consumes under normal circumstances.
VZW provides its users with a limited data usage report that does not break down individual application or device usage into meaningful results. What you get instead is a power bill like summary of your usage in terms of how much was used at certain times of the day. After all VZW is not in the computer support business, they provide you with the pipe and users determine how best to consume the data. A leaky hose or application is not the responsibility of VZW to discover and correct.
When it comes to the actual usage of your VZW device there isn't a whole lot out there that can show you how you are consuming your data plan. Some monitor applications and devices can be setup ahead of time, but all they are good for is reviewing the data that flows through them. Special care must be taken when designing and setting up monitors to make sure you capture everything. Monitors are generally not user friendly to setup or understand and often require detailed readings of numerous logs to determine where problems are, if the monitor can even capture them at all.
The current best practices for data usage are as follows:
1. Power down your VZW device when it is not being used
2. Secure your VZW device with a custom SSID, WiFi and Admin password
- This should be in compliance with security best practices for strong passwords
- A good site to reference is https://howsecureismypassword.net/
3. Take care to disable and shutdown any automatic updates on your devices
4. Be cautious to view and download audio/video content on low resolution
In most cases high data usage is not an intentional doing on the users behalf. It is the background applications and services installed on the connected devices that run rampant and chew up your data plan without your knowledge or consent.

I have seen numerous discussions as to jetpack data consumption. My new jetpack is adding up way too much data usage. What can be done about this?

Why is my jetpack recording an incredible amount of data usage? I'm getting alerts on a daily basis. All I do is read email and shop online. What is Verizon doing about this? I've used a data calculator and I shouldn't be using a third of what is being billed. A lot of nasty stuff on these posts.

> it was recorded that my jetpack used 13gigs in one day; this cannot be correct.
There is a common concern that many wireless users share on this subject. Unfortunately VZW holds all the cards when it comes to the actual details on what happened resulting with your final billing statement.
The only thing we as consumers can do is try to setup monitors on our own and funnel our internet traffic through those devices/applications. With a monitor in place there is a better chance that you can identify leaks and stop them before it makes it to your bill.
Keep in mind that data usage has nothing to do with what you are intentionally doing on the internet. Data usage relates to what is actually happening behind the scenes. If you, your neighbor, your dog or your toaster is online and consuming internet through your VZW device then VZW will hold you accountable for it. Its similar to a hose that you turn on in your yard, a utility company doesn't care who did it, they only care that they sent XYZ gallons of water to your residence. What worked well on your previous provider may not work well on VZW resulting in retries and increased usage for the same actions.
Don't get too hung up on the timestamps that VZW offers you in their alerts or reports. There are all sorts of examples where billing is delayed for various reasons. Use the timestamps as a clue, not as actual evidence that can be relied on during your investigation.

Why is my data usage increasing multiple times a day when I'm on wi-fi?

For both myself on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and my girlfriend on an iPhone 5c, both of which we got just a week ago, we see our data usage total increasing several times a day, typically in very small amounts, occasionally larger. Her increases are about 10x larger than mine overall. All of this happens when we're each on wi-fi so I wouldn't expect to see these increases then. Any idea why this is happening and what I can do to prevent it? I'm guessing it may be some sort of auto update processing happening in the background, but I don't know that for sure and don't know what else could be causing this.

After talking to 4 different Verizon reps today, nobody could pinpoint the
cause of this. I was mostly just told not to worry about it. My wifi has
seemingly been very solid both here and at work; I don't notice dropouts
when I'm doing other things on it. But I did disable mobile data on the S4
and observed that the data usage did not increase any further after I did
that. So I guess I'll either use that as my primary mode of operation, and
just manually reenable it when I know I'll be away from a wifi signal, or
turn mobile data back on and live with the ongoing hits until it becomes a
storage issue. At the rate we're using data thus far, that shouldn't
happen.
On Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 12:37 PM, Verizon Wireless Customer Support <

Why the large data usage

my son's iphone usage says his phone used 10mb today alone. He's connected to our home wireless network when at home and doesn't surf or use his phone while away from home. What could be causing the large cellular data usage numbers?

Make sure it's backdated. If you don't do that then it won't go into effect until next billing cycle. Most common mistake people do.
Things to consider:
Updates set on automatic on laptops and computer will randomly use your data. The biggest day is usually the first Thursday(IIRC) of every month on window devices(or whatever day after that you decide to turn them on). Also apps will auto update themselves(chrome for example. Plugins as well). To help reduce data usage it's best to make sure to turn auto updates off and manually check them.

Unbelievable Data Usage MiFi4620L Jetpack 5839 How Could It Be?

First off, I am a retiree with limited high tech knowledge. We purchased the JetPack about 18 months ago to use while traveling. I also have an iPhone and she has an iPad (wifi only). She has a basic phone as does my 90 yr old Mom. About two weeks ago, I was checking my data usage for the month and was shocked to see that the JetPac had used 5G's of date in one day. In all of the time we have had the JetPac we have never used that much in one month. We do not download music, movies or use "streaming". I immediately called Verizon and was referred to one of the tech guys who was helpful in one sense but couldn't tell me why that much data was used in a 7 hr. window. He did suggest that maybe someone hacked into my wifi even though it is password protected, I live in a retirement community (homes not condo's) and most all of my neighbors can barely use their email much less figure out how to hack my wifi. Anyway, I am now turning off my jetpack after every use (which I never did in the previous 18 months). This is a real pain turning off and on and then having to worry about data use. We only check emails and check into about five or six websites. I like the Jetpack but since we can no longer travel, I guess I will go back to Brighthouse (TV, Internet,Phone) provider and not use the JetPack. Because of this unusually data usage, I have had to increase my data plan to 12g's as I am only halfway through the billing period and am up to almost 9G usage. Any suggestion or ideas would be appreciated.
Things I have now done:
Turn of JetPack when not using in daytime and totally at night.
Called Verizon for help but no real help there.
Reset my JetPack password
Here is my data log from Verizon on the day in question followed by chart 2 with typical three day data usage.
05/26/2014
5:44 PM
0.00235
05/26/2014
1:05 PM
0.09408
05/26/2014
7:05 AM
5.73543
05/26/2014
1:05 AM
0.00123
05/25/2014
7:05 PM
0.12117
05/29/2014
2:20 AM
0.00042
05/29/2014
2:20 AM
0.00002
05/29/2014
12:19 AM
0.05747
05/29/2014
12:17 AM
0.00028
05/29/2014
12:15 AM
0.00024
05/29/2014
12:14 AM
0.00012
05/29/2014
12:12 AM
0.00054
05/29/2014
12:03 AM
0.00009
05/28/2014
11:14 PM
0.11618
05/28/2014
5:14 PM
0.07579
05/28/2014
11:14 AM
0.14465
05/28/2014
5:14 AM
0.01108
05/27/2014
11:14 PM
0.00062
05/27/2014
11:14 PM
0.00001
05/27/2014
6:51 PM
0.03675
05/27/2014
4:50 PM
0.00001
05/27/2014
12:51 PM
0.01073
05/27/2014
6:51 AM
0.07409
05/27/2014
12:51 AM
0.00068
05/26/2014
6:51 PM
0.07414
Thanks

One of your devices, most likely the laptop, must have pulled an update overnight and completed at 7:05 AM on 5/26. This is not a confirmation but a "what most likely happened" solution to your problem. VZW does not grant us the tools and data necessary to confirm exactly what happened during your data usage sessions. Unless you had a monitor setup in place to begin with there is no way to know with certainty what exactly happened.
Chances are that whatever download your laptop/ipad required has already gone and done its business. Your usage should not spike again until the next one and no one can tell you when that will be. If you continue to see spikes then have a friend stop by to bring the laptop to a public hotspot so it can complete its updates without chewing your data plan to pieces.
Phones typically do not behave the same way in a data usage situation since they are designed to be on a metered data plan from the start. Ipads and laptops are not in the same boat. Automatic updates as well as viruses or malicious users can take over your personal device and consume data without your knowledge or consent. I'd focus on these two devices for the time being.
Should you have the patience to continue with VZW the next step would be to use isolation and figure out which device has been compromised or behaving badly. You will need to leave your Jetpack online with only one device connected to it at a time. Review the data logs religiously, Id wait for a fresh billing period, and check to see when your data spikes accordingly. Once you know the device then you can review the next options on how to plug the leak.

Data Usage went up 3GB in one day!!! Never went over in 6 years!!

To start with, I have a broadband card for my computer. Today I turn my computer on and I have three emails sent yesterday from Verizon. First was 12/11/14 @ 3:53 p.m. 75% warning. 12/11/14 @ 4:27 p.m. 90% warning and 12/11/14 @ 4:49 p.m.was a data usage overage alert!! I went on the site to look at "my verizon" and I'm almost over another GB!!! I looked at the breakdown and it states that I used 2.1GB at 1:15 p.m. on 12/11/14 (which I didn't even have my computer on!!) then on 12/10/14 at 3.27 p.m. I used 1.1 GB on what????????????? Is there a way to know exactly what took that much data usage?? I never go over because I watch what I'm loading etc. If I would want to load a game or something, I would check first how much data I have left. Now I have to pay for this extra data when normally I don't even use all my data. That should accumulate like prepaid minutes on a cell phone. Can anyone help me figure out what happened?? Thank you!

Rautie wrote:
Upon further investigation, It could possibly be that windows 8.1 loaded on my computer without my knowledge?? It takes about 3.6GB to do this which is about what my data was over. AAARRRRGGGHHHH. I don't even see a difference from windows 8!!
One of the reasons why I have always chosen to have updates notified that they are available so I can choose when to install them even though I have a landline internet connection without a data cap.

Unusual Large Data Usage???

How come my iphone 4 running iOS6 is consuming soooo much data?? I called apples technical support and they said they have not heard of this issue before. How is that possible when it is posted all over this support community???? Any ideas on how to reduce usage without actually disabling my data capabilities??? This is on the ATT network.

I initially had this problem also when I first upgraded to IOS6 with AT&T. I changed some settings that didn't matter and the problem went away.
Unfortunately, I do not remember what they were
You might try to adjust some of them and monitor your cellular usage.
Good luck.

Why do I have mysterious cellular data usage (Verizon) every 6 hours on all 3 of my iphone 5's?

I have recently uncovered mysterious cellular usage on three different iPhones. I am a Verizon customer and discovered this by examining the cellular data use logs. What I found are a long series of mysterious data usage logs. I have visited the Genius Bar at my local Apple Store 3 times now to log notes and discuss the issue. It is being escalated.
The characterstics are as follows:
All my family phones have the appropriate IOS and hardware updates (verified by the GeniusBar at my local Apple Store).
This is occuring across three phones, which happen to all be iphone 5. Two are 5 and the other a new 5s. We do have one iphone 4 in the family but the issue (so far as I can tell), is not happening on it.
One iphone 5 has IOS 7, the other IOS 6. The new 5s has of course IOS 7.
Mysterious data use happens even while connected to wifi.
Each mysterious data use log entry is exactly 6 hours apart. For example: 2:18 AM, 8:18 AM, 2:18 PM, 8:18 PM, 2:18 AM ... etc. It cycles AM and PM, same times, for a day to many days until some condition causes it to change (evolve).
The times evolve. One day it could be cycling through at one time series, then it changes to another time sequence and continues until the next condition.
The data usage is anywhere from a few K to many MB. The largest I've seen is over 100 MB.
The logs clearly show these usages are not due to human interaction. It is a program.
If cellular connection is used frequently (by the owner), the pattern is hard to pick out. Luckily, my family member is very good about only using wifi whenever possible, so these mysterious use patterns are easy to pick out.
Verizon allows access to 90 days worth of data logs, so I downloaded and analyzed them. This has been happening for at least 90 days. I have found 298 instances of mysterious use out of 500 total connections to cellular. A total of 3.5 GB of mysterious cellular data has been recorded as used in that 90 days by this phone alone. Only .6 GB of the total cellular data use is legitimate, meaning by the person.
This issue is occuring across three different phones. Two are iPhone 5, and the third is a recently purchased iPhone 5s. The 5s I have not touched beyone the basic startup. I have left it alone on a desk for 3 days, and looking at the logs, the mysterious data use in the same pattern is occuring.
So ... I am speaking to both sides, Verizon and Apple to get answers. Verizon puts their wall up at data usage. It doesn't matter how it is being used, you simply need to pay for it. Yes, the evidence I have gathered is getting closer to someting on Verizon's end.
Before pressing in that direction, I am hoping someone reading this may recognize this issue as a possible iPhone 5 issue ... OR ... you, right now, go look at your data usage logs available through your carrier's web account, and see if you can pick out a pattern of mysterious use. Look especially at the early morning instances when you are most likely sleeping.
I am hoping this is a simple issue that has a quick resolution. I'm looking for the "ooohhh, I see that now ..." But I am starting to think this might be much bigger, but the fact is, most customers rarely or never look at their data usage details, much less discover mysterious use patterns.
The final interesting (maybe frightening part) thing about all this is that I discovered while talking to Verizon ... they do not divulge which direction the data is going. This goes for any use, mysterious or legitimate. Is cellular data coming to your phone, or leaving it? Is something pulling data from your phone? We know that it is possible to build malware apps, but the catch with my issue is that it is also happening on a brand new iphone 5s with nothing downloaded to it.
Thanks for your time

Thanks for the replies. It took a while not hearing anything so thought I was alone. I have done many of the suggestions already. The key here is that it occurs on both phones with apps, and phones still packaged in a box.
A Genius Bar supervisor also checked his Verizon data usage log and found the same 6 hour incremental use. Suprisingly, he did not express much intrigue over that. Maybe he did, but did not show it.
I think the 6 hour incremental usage is the main issue here. I spoke with Verizon (again) and they confirmed that all they do is log exactly when the phone connected to the tower and used data. The time it records is when the usage started. I also found out that the time recorded is GMT.
What is using data, unsolicited, every 6 hours?
Why does it change?
Why does it only happen on the iPhone 5 series and not the 4?
Since no one from Apple seems to be chiming in on this, and I have not received the promised calls from Apple tech support that the Genius Bar staff said I was suppose to receive, it is starting to feel like something is being swept under the rug.
I woke up the other day with another thought ... What application would use such large amounts of data? Well ... music, video, sound and pictures of course. Well ... what would someone set automatically that is of any use to them? hmmm ... video, pictures, sound. Is the iPhone 5 succeptible to snooping? Can an app be buried in the IOS that automatically turns on video and sound recording, and send it somewhere ... every 6 hours? Chilling. I noted that the smallest data usage is during the night when nothing is going on, then it peaks during the day. The Genius Bar tech and I looked at each other when I drew this sine wave graph on the log print outs during an appointment ...

Why do I have to guess how much data I might use in a month when I select a plan?

When I sign up for water service, I don't guess that I might use 1,000 gallons a month, and then pay three times the going rate for water if I take a few extra showers. I get charged for how much water I use that month.
When I sign up for electricity service, I don't guess that I might use some set number of kilowatt hours, and then pay three times the going rate if we have a heat wave and I run my air conditioner for a few extra hours.
Why do I have to guess how much data I might use, and then spend three times the going rate if I stay up watching youtube videos for a few extra nights?
It is stressful to have to constantly monitor usage, and figure out ratios of how much I've used compared to how much time is left in the billing cycle to see if I need to curb my usage. It is not a good customer experience. I would prefer that data be charged a flat rate based on actual usage, perhaps with an option to throttle speeds at certain levels to prevent cases where a minor lapse in judgment could ruin my monthly budget, like forgetting to check data usage religiously on a device meant to simplify my life.
Thank you for your consideration.

Simple answer is Verizon is offering a block of data for usage.
Where I live the water bill states my wife and I are being charged for 30,000 gallons per quarter/half and the price is say $60 however we never use any where near that amount. I send the meter reading in and it shows the amount we use. But the hamlet we are in has a set amount of gallons. Not fair but we live with it.
For your data outside of the unlimited which is not available any more to new customers you may be a light user and never go over the 2GB for $30 dollars a month. If you do you will pay through the nose for data. If you pay for more data say 4GB and I don't have the price for it so lets say its $70 then you don't have to watch as much for overage fees. But you are paying for the data in advance so as not go over and get hit with whopping fees.
It is just the way it is.

Why am i using so much data since downloading IOS8

why am i using so much data since downloading IOS8

Don't know -- but you can do a little detective work by going to Settings > Cellular and look at the apps in the section titled "Use Cellular Data For." Each app that has used data will show the amount used since the statistics were last reset. If you tap on "System Services" at the bottom of that list it will show the details of system usage. You can reset the statistics at the bottom of the screen. Checking those numbers for a while should help identify what is going on.

Unlimited Data Usage - Why is this now gone?

So I have been a long time Verizon wireless subscriber, and have had unlimited data usage for a long time as well. Now that I upgrade my phone, I am no longer allowed to have that? What a joke. The data usage does not take up that much data to run for subscribers and to take away that ability seems like yet another scheme to shake more money out of us.
Why not do something good for your customers instead of forcing us to pay more for less? Thoughts?
Also, just a note....I upgrade my phone and my wife's caller id gets all screwed up? What is that all about? Several phone calls with tech support and I have to wait again to see if it gets resolved.

The unlimited data plan was gone for new customers starting in July 2011. For existing customers it ended when they added the Share Everything Plans. If you purchase a new phone at the subsidized two year contract price, you are agreeing to the new contract terms and conditions. That includes only the tiered data plans either the individual tiered or the Share Everything Plans.
If you truly want to keep your unlimited data plan, you need to purchase the phone at full retail price or use the Device Payment Plan to split the cost of the phone across 12 months of payments.

Why is my iPhone 5c taking so much data??

Hi, I have a 32gb iPhone 5c on a Verizon share everything plan. There are also two iPhone 4's on it. I was checking my data usage on the verizon wireless app, and out of our 4gb of data, we had used 1.212 gb and 1.2 was me!! I don't know why because 98% of the time I'm on wifi, and I never stream or download anything on LTE. The iPhone 4's that we have never have taken that much! Is it because my iPhone is LTE and the 4's are 3G?
Is there any other reason why this is happening?
Thanks for your help.

If you go to Settings > Cellular > "Use Cellular Data For" that will show you the amount of cellular data each app has used (small numbers below the app name). Also, if you tap System Services in that same section, it will give you the details of how much cellular data each System Service has used. Both numbers will be the amount used since you last Reset Statistics at the bottom of that same section. Looking at those numbers should help you identify what is using the data.

Can I get some advice on why data usage is so high since joining Meteor broadband?

I have been a Meteor 4G broadband customer for 3 months and i have two plans that allows me 80GB per month. Before joining Meteor i was with Three and had a 60GB monthly allowance and I never went over the allowance. Since joining Meteor we are constantly having to switch off the router most of the day because our usage is really high. On average we turn off wifi each day until 6pm in the evening and we still use 1.8GB when only using laptop for one hour!! We have updated all settings on phones for manual updates, my son has PS4 but he does not play online any more. We only use the laptop for reading news etc.... We never watch movies online, occasionally we use YouTube. Can you offer any reasons why this is happening? We are not getting any enjoyment from this service as we are constantly obsessing about how much data we use! We are seriously thinking about cancelling the service.

Hi there NulaF
Have you checked your usage on MyMeteor to see if this matches? Not to forget that MyMeteor can take up to 24 hours to update.
Have a look at your usage and if there is anything that you want to query, call Care. They will then get in touch with Tech and raise a ticket if they have to
-Kyle

**Why soooo much data usage??**

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Why soooo much data usage??