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High usage of software update over cellular?
- Thread starter snyp1193
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For what it's worth, my biling cycle just ended, and "Software Usage" usage hasn't moved at all (still at 1.5GB) since I enabled low data mode two weeks ago.
If you're worried about usage like I am, you should probably also have that option enabled anyway, regardless of that specific issue?
If you're worried about usage like I am, you should probably also have that option enabled anyway, regardless of that specific issue?
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Mine was that way for almost 3 weeks until a few days ago. But I guess keep monitoring it.
Made an account to chime in too. Canadian, iPhone SE 2 with Public Mobile, no Apple watch, all data settings off mentioned previously. Same problem it would seem since iOS 16.0, super frustrating to be out with data on and suddenly see that you've used an extra 400mb of data. Very unconsistent too at times, sometimes I have data on for long periods and nothing happens, then all of a sudden it'll eat up 200mb. I've noticed it happens whenever Data is on, even when I'm connected to Wifi and forget to turn off Data, it'll still eat it up as if I have nothing better to do than pour money into Canada's data plans.
Very strange indeed. Have you heard anything from Apple lately? Super annoying to have to consciously remind myself to turn off data at all times.
I've had low data mode turned on for years, hasn't done anything
I have been following this thread as both my wife and I have been frustrated by this same issue of Software Updates absorbing a ton of our cell data for the past couple months. (Nearly 3 GB during last billing period). We’re also located in Canada like some of the others (Rogers) - and we have recently found a solution that seems to be working. Turning off Automatic Updates (General -> Software Updates -> Automatic Updates = Off.). Since that setting change, almost no cell data for System Services is being used now. (Just the normal amount we would have used prior to this issue.). Would recommend that approach and perform manual software updates over wifi until this defect is solved. Good luck to all.
We have also tried this but you’ll still see a large chunk of data being consumed randomly. I’ve gone 3+ weeks before it started happening again..Just give it some time.
It happened to my wife and daughter on Xfinity (Comcast), which is a US carrier
Welcome back to the club!....Mine hasn't happened in a few weeks. But it will happen again, I know it.
I’m still having the same issue over the past couple months. iPhone 13, iOS 16.3.1 on the Rogers Network. Around 800MB of data used on software updates this month. Low data mode is on, Automatic updates are off. 5G is on in settings, but it shows LTE since my plan isn’t 5G. I just recently turned off, automatically install security response & system files toggle. I didn’t see that toggle last month. I’ll see if it makes a difference.
I'm having the same issue of cellular data usage. My carrier is Fizz (Canada). It's frustrating to go out for 10 mins and when come back have your cellular usage up by 400mb! It made me so mad, because I dont have much data on my contract and try to save it as much as possible to see it being drained by stupid software updates that I have never requested. Btw, as most of you, I dont have files and photos to sync using cellular, my configs are set to low data mode.
I have already created a post on apple community (here) to see if I could have some help but was unsuccessful.
Now, I leave my cellular data off and only turn it on once I need it. I've created an automation to turn it off when connecting to a wifi and turn it on every time I connect it to my car, so I can use the maps. It does not always work, but helps.
I have just updated to iOS 16.4 hoping they have fixed this stupid bug.
I have already created a post on apple community (here) to see if I could have some help but was unsuccessful.
Now, I leave my cellular data off and only turn it on once I need it. I've created an automation to turn it off when connecting to a wifi and turn it on every time I connect it to my car, so I can use the maps. It does not always work, but helps.
I have just updated to iOS 16.4 hoping they have fixed this stupid bug.
Apple community forums is the most useless forums I’ve ever seen. It’s just a bunch of people posting generic articles on Apple’s website. No one actually bothers to read someone’s problem and understand it.
To update I haven’t seen software update in 1.5 months now. I just have all the automatic update toggles switched off, no Low Data Mode. I shall see what happens when I go to Japan in a month and use Airalo or RedTeaGO.
I reset my data usage every month. Today I did a reset but before took note on the software updates, not to my surprise, used 450mb of my data
I chatted with Apple Support over the weekend and was happy they didn't immediately dismiss it as not their issue. They recommended a few of the settings that I already had changed before the last 320MB data hit. They then suggested that I just disable everything under Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates, which I didn't have before, and see if it happens again.
I'm having this issue too, but on an iPad. This is a 2020 iPad Pro with a UK O2 SIM, freshly restored and updated to iPadOS 16.4.
As soon as I switch from Wi-Fi to 4G, system services starts furiously downloading some unspecified "software update" in the background even though I'm already on 16.4 and have both auto-install and auto-download of updates disabled. It gets so bad that this process saturates the wireless bandwidth of the iPad, and any other app that attempts to connect to the Internet just hangs and behaves like I'm in a weak signal area despite having full bars. So far it's consumed over 700MB of data and all the while I can't use any apps that need to connect online because the connection's being hogged by system services.
Even weirder still, this stops as soon as I switch back to Wi-Fi. Whatever this "software update" is, it only downloads on mobile data and not on Wi-Fi, eating up my allowance and preventing me from using any other apps on mobile data.
This doesn't happen on my phone, which is also on 16.4 and the same network provider but with a different SIM.
As soon as I switch from Wi-Fi to 4G, system services starts furiously downloading some unspecified "software update" in the background even though I'm already on 16.4 and have both auto-install and auto-download of updates disabled. It gets so bad that this process saturates the wireless bandwidth of the iPad, and any other app that attempts to connect to the Internet just hangs and behaves like I'm in a weak signal area despite having full bars. So far it's consumed over 700MB of data and all the while I can't use any apps that need to connect online because the connection's being hogged by system services.
Even weirder still, this stops as soon as I switch back to Wi-Fi. Whatever this "software update" is, it only downloads on mobile data and not on Wi-Fi, eating up my allowance and preventing me from using any other apps on mobile data.
This doesn't happen on my phone, which is also on 16.4 and the same network provider but with a different SIM.
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