iPhone Check your cellular usage with iOS9 - You may be blowing through data

[TheNormsk]

My family has a shared 6GB data plan. Typically we use 2-3GB per month. In fact I had recently been thinking of downgrading the plan.

On Saturday I was surprised to discover that for this period my phone had consumed 16GB of data. I am the only one in the family on iOS9. All this data usage has been since I installed iOS9. It has totally been blowing through my cellular data without me knowing it.

Investigating I believe the cause is the WiFi Assist option which Apple has turned on by default. This little cherry is buried in the Cellular settings (at the very bottom). When switched on (as per default) if iOS9 thinks your Wifi connection is not very good it will use your cellular data. So you may be thinking you are on Wifi watching that latest cat vid on YouTube when intact you are consuming your data plan.

I now have to call Verizon and dispute this data overage. I'm a little mad.

You should check your data consumption. You may be surprised on what you have consumed in a week.

 

[C DM]

I have a widget from Verizon that tells me my data usage all the time when I bring down my Notification Center--so far the usage seems in line to what it's always been.

 

[iBreatheApple]

I've experienced this since iOS 7.

 

[jhfenton]

I manually turn off cellular services for apps and services I never want cellular to be used for. That way, wifi assist can't get you in trouble.

With that safeguard in place, I haven't seen any change in data usage between iOS 8 and iOS 9.

 

[prezasti]

My family has a shared 6GB data plan. Typically we use 2-3GB per month. In fact I had recently been thinking of downgrading the plan.

On Saturday I was surprised to discover that for this period my phone had consumed 16GB of data. I am the only one in the family on iOS9. All this data usage has been since I installed iOS9. It has totally been blowing through my cellular data without me knowing it.

Investigating I believe the cause is the WiFi Assist option which Apple has turned on by default. This little cherry is buried in the Cellular settings (at the very bottom). When switched on (as per default) if iOS9 thinks your Wifi connection is not very good it will use your cellular data. So you may be thinking you are on Wifi watching that latest cat vid on YouTube when intact you are consuming your data plan.

I now have to call Verizon and dispute this data overage. I'm a little mad.

You should check your data consumption. You may be surprised on what you have consumed in a week.

It is most likely as you said, "Wifi Assist." I think this feature is pointless and needs to be either turned off by default or removed from iOS. Luckily for me I still have my unlimited AT&T data plans, which I will hold on to forever. AT&T can (Use your imagination!!!)

 

[TheNormsk]

A follow up....

My issue was not as bad as I thought. After looking into the data usage on Verizon's site I found it was higher than normal but still acceptable. The issue was the phone was reporting data usage for the "current period" but that current period was not aligning to that of Verizon.

I switched WiFi assist back on but I have reconfigured certain apps to not use cellular (for example YouTube). My phone used to have he issue where it would "hold onto" my wifi as I drove away from home but it would not work. Now with WifI assist it does not do this so it has some benefit to me.