For the mom who gives us everything - Mother's Day gifts that connects us.
Need help understanding your bill?
jody-b's profile

Teacher

 • 

14 Messages

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 3:41 PM

Data usage unknown

Data usage problem:  Like others I have a problem with data usage several times normal on my ATT wireless Apple iPhone 4S.  I reviewed AT&T’s “Wireless Details” report for my phone number and discovered my phone was sending about 10000 KB of data at the exact same time each evening for a month.  Example daily transaction details from the AT&T report are “06/01  09:00 PM  phone  Internet/MEdia Net  Sent  10000 KB”

 

I believe the program initiating that activity contributes to uncontrolled data usage since I did not knowingly initiate it.

 

I asked AT&T for help in identifying the offending program but they were unable to help.

 

This issue was raised in another post to this forum “Mysterious midnight data usage” but not answered.

 

How can I identify the program on my phone that is triggering the offending transaction?

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

Expert

 • 

12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@jody-b wrote:

Thanks for the reply but, I asked a specific question not a general one, i.e. How can I determine the specific program on my iPhone that is causing the same incident each night at the same time?

 

I accept your comments but they don't answer my question.

 

Since I am not the only AT&T customer with that problem, surely AT&T experts can quickly solve that problem, can't they?


The specific answer is to see what app's are running in the background on your phone. I suggested a app written by Onavo Mobile LTD which is free, the caveat being to read the terms of use for the app so that you understand how it works. The app allowed me to figure out what services where still utilizing cellular data on a Iphone 5 that had absolutely no additonal apps installed other the the monitoring and the standard apple supplied apps.

 

Again ATT has no knowledge of what is running on your phone that is consuming data, they have no way of figuring it out. The data that is sent overnight is a housekeeping send for billing data

 

 

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Expert

 • 

14.2K Messages

6 years ago


@Abd9810 wrote:

August 24 2018 and this is STILL UNRESOLVED !  Even when connected to Wi-Fi network Data is still used at night . Google this and you will find THOUSANDS  of current post relating to this ..


And all of those THOUSANDS of posts have the same answer: Data is not reported in real-time. There's no way AT&T knows when data is used. 

 

If you are concerned with data discrepancies, check your phone's data meter against AT&T's reporting. I'd wager you'll find they are almost exactly identical. 

Expert

 • 

12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@jody-b wrote:

Data usage problem:  Like others I have a problem with data usage several times normal on my ATT wireless Apple iPhone 4S.  I reviewed AT&T’s “Wireless Details” report for my phone number and discovered my phone was sending about 10000 KB of data at the exact same time each evening for a month.  Example daily transaction details from the AT&T report are “06/01  09:00 PM  phone  Internet/MEdia Net  Sent  10000 KB”

 

I believe the program initiating that activity contributes to uncontrolled data usage since I did not knowingly initiate it.

 

I asked AT&T for help in identifying the offending program but they were unable to help.

 

This issue was raised in another post to this forum “Mysterious midnight data usage” but not answered.

 

How can I identify the program on my phone that is triggering the offending transaction?


search itunes for a data manager app, there are a couple of free ones that will help you indentify what is taking data.

 

If you are basing your comments on the online data manager remember those are merged amounts and not individual usage, there is a disclaimer that reporting can be delayed a few days and up to a couple of weeks if it is roaming

 

Look at the one by Onavo Mobile LTD, it lists each individual service and the data that is being used. Would suggest that you read the tersm of the app though, it uses a vpn to tally your usage os it does not take more space up on the phone then it needs

Teacher

 • 

14 Messages

11 years ago

Thanks. Only one phone on the account and used exclusively in one city and one home.

 

Since many people have this same problem of unknown data usage at the same time each day, it seems reasonable that AT&T would help customers identify the cause.

 

I see no reason for many AT&T customers to set off on a blind grope trying to find the offending program when technology is causing it and technology can easily troubleshoot and identify the cause.

Expert

 • 

12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@jody-b wrote:

Thanks. Only one phone on the account and used exclusively in one city and one home.

 

Since many people have this same problem of unknown data usage at the same time each day, it seems reasonable that AT&T would help customers identify the cause.

 

I see no reason for many AT&T customers to set off on a blind grope trying to find the offending program when technology is causing it and technology can easily troubleshoot and identify the cause.


you can roam within a city, carriers have roaming agreements so they don;t have to put up towers to cover the entire area.

 

Look at it in a diagnostic mode - the carrier has no idea what application is sending and recieving the data, the protocol for the packets being sent and recieve have the MAC address of the device, no where in the packet is the actual name of the application that is sending and revieving the data.

 

 

This app I told you about captures it at the device level and accumlates the usage. In the most current drop of IOS installed on a Iphone 5, with the only application being the data capture app. the 2 services are showing data usage, even with all the settings turned off for those apps

 

 

ITunes - IPhone service and Apple services are communicting via the cellular network, the next changes that was notices is even if the iphone 5 is plugged into a wall charger, when the phone goes into hiberation the wi0fi radio is turned off, have verified this by using a wireless sniffer on a sand box network.

 

 

You are 100 percent correct with the proper tools and the apps running it is easy to diagnose, the problem is the data packet is not reported individually, it is a conglomeration of multipe usage reports. It would have to be donre to each and every packet that your device sends for each and every app that is installed.

 

I notice a upswing in data usage recently on a sandboxed iphone 5 which is what led me to look at the service and app level on the device,

 

Teacher

 • 

14 Messages

11 years ago

Thanks for the reply but, I asked a specific question not a general one, i.e. How can I determine the specific program on my iPhone that is causing the same incident each night at the same time?

 

I accept your comments but they don't answer my question.

 

Since I am not the only AT&T customer with that problem, surely AT&T experts can quickly solve that problem, can't they?

Professor

 • 

1.8K Messages

11 years ago


@jody-b wrote:

Thanks for the reply but, I asked a specific question not a general one, i.e. How can I determine the specific program on my iPhone that is causing the same incident each night at the same time?

 

I accept your comments but they don't answer my question.

 

Since I am not the only AT&T customer with that problem, surely AT&T experts can quickly solve that problem, can't they?


 

I doubt if  AT&T or Apple would consider data transfers of 10MB per day as a problem, it's only 300M or 0.3GB per month.

Data consumption by Apps is not a problem unless an App transfers data unnecessarily, and that would be extremely hard to identify if one is not involved in App testing.

 

So until someone can identify a problem App, the problem has not been defined yet.

Teacher

 • 

14 Messages

11 years ago

“I doubt if  AT&T or Apple would consider data transfers of 10MB per day as a problem, it's only 300M or 0.3GB per month.”

 

True however 300 MB is the exact cutoff where AT&T charges go from $20/month to $40 month with an added 300MB.

 

I suspect there are many AT&T customers like me who previously found 50 to 150MB per month adequate but the problem I identified kicks me over the 300MB limit.

 

“So until someone can identify a problem App, the problem has not been defined yet.”

 

I disagree; the problem has been defined quite clearly by myself and others on this forum and many more on other forums.  I cited one other post in my original.

 

What has not been discovered for AT&T customers is a cause and solution to the problem although apparently Verizon has solved a similar problem for its customers.

 

Thanks for your comments and still looking for a solution to the problem I have defined.

Professor

 • 

1.8K Messages

11 years ago

"True however 300 MB is the exact cutoff where AT&T charges go from $20/month to $40 month with an added 300MB."

 

Now I can see that it is indeed a problem. It's like the impossible 300MB data plan that leads you to the more expensive ones for profit's sake.Smiley Wink

Contributor

 • 

1 Message

6 years ago

August 24 2018 and this is STILL UNRESOLVED !  Even when connected to Wi-Fi network Data is still used at night . Google this and you will find THOUSANDS  of current post relating to this ..ATT does this on purpose.

Not finding what you're looking for?
New to AT&T Community?
New to the AT&T Community? Start by visiting the Community How-To.
New to the AT&T Community?
Visit the Community How-To.