Data - what uses Data?

@Mbretz59 You have settings on your phone that can track data use, what apps say they are using all the data?

It's not "funny", if you actually use the data at the end of the month it completely makes sense. That's the point at the month when you have used the most data.

Data reporting is not always live, they report it in 3 hour blocks, doesn't matter if you are on WiFi, you could be getting data reported from many hours ago (you may have used it all up much earlier in the day or the day before). 

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@Mbretz59 wrote:
I too am experiencing problems with my data. Funny how 3 hours before my cycle ends I get a text that I'm getting charged $15 when I've been connected to the home Wi-Fi. I also have noticed that once again my LG is starting to have its freezing spats again. Is this normal? My dad literally uses .1mb in a months time.. And my phone somehow manages to go over. Why is this?

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I use the checkbook analogy.  You write several checks during the day, but until the check is deposited by the merchant and clears your account the money is not deducted, this can be that night, while you're asleep, or days later.

knowing there is a delay, track your data more closely and aim the bar lower.  And don't look at your data on the last week and figure your on track so go wild.  

@Mbretz59Your phone should a built-in data counter, that's set-able to zero-out, on a given date each month (the start of your billing cycle).

If you use these (or a host of other great data-tracking tools available), you can set warnings, and hard-stops, for when you're getting close to your data, really-close, and pretty-much-there, it's almost infinitely flexible, particularly the third-party stuff.

These track the data from the source, your device, and are almost always dead-on, or withing a few 10s of kilobytes, which is accurate enough for this purpose.

Like @lizdance40 says, you can't count on the carriers' warnings, with domestic data reporting delays, the whole works, you really, really want to track it at the source.

You can also look under your Apps, to see what's really using the data (I bet your Dad doesn't have any social-networking apps installed;-]), that's key here too, to understand and manage what your problem apps and similar are doing...

@BigJarv You are talking about wifi assist. That is an iOS feature, ATT has nothing to do with it and it can easily be turned off.

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@BigJarv wrote:
I now have 2 instances of data usage being super high with no reason. I now know that ATT has an Assistant within Settings that they didn't tell people about. This Assistant will put you into LTE mode in areas that you think you are in Wifi. And when Apps are updated they can do so at same time causing further data usage. This is all wrong. Apple needs to stop trying to nickel and dime its customers and ATT needs to start giving customers refunds or credit due to issues outside the control of the customer. I know the Assistant can be turned off and it has been in mine. But why do I continue to have the problem of data being used up way to quick?

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@BigJarv

Reset your data with each bill cycle.

Only you control how much data is used on your phone.  Your phone is an independant meter of that data use.  If you phone says it used the data, then it did.  Certain apps will use data in the background unless you limit them to wifi only.  You can do that in settings, data usage/cellular usage.   

ATT only records and reports the use.  Unless your phone differs by a large amount from ATT totals, you have no problem.