iPhone wastes 100s of megabytes on mobile data when connected to Wifi

[NT1440]

I have just done this and turned off ALOT of apps, including app store. Which is the offender for this data waste. If I want to maintain my LTE speed for the rest of the month, I now have to pay my phone company extra. Twice the price of my regular fee. Because of this data waste. So I find it hard to see how this has always been this way.

Hopefully this means they will stop working in the background. But does turning these apps off means you cant use them even when you open them? What happens then?

I have also turned off automatic updates completely now. I don´t trust Apple anymore after this. I guess I´ll go a few years back in time and handle everything manually again. To avoid my phone bills rising automatically.

Go into the App Store and hit any of the buttons along the bottom ten times quickly, you'll see the page refresh. This, from what I've read, is like clearing out the cache.

It sounds like your got a runaway process stuck, which is unfortunate, but I think turning off background refresh will take care of the issue. IF you completely turn off cellular for them then it will prevent it from working when you open them and you're not on a wifi network.

 

[Mlrollin91]

Yes. 100% sure.
I found the apps that had automatically updated today and it corresponded with their registered data usage. That happened while I have been having home all day on my wifi.

Apps will not auto update on Cellular if you have it turned off. Not even a random freak glitch can allow that to be bypassed. I'm curious to your point as "automatically updated today and it corresponded with their registered data usage." Like I said, carriers do not post your data in real-time. It can take upwards of 36 hours for the data to hit the server. Last time my AT&T data count updated was 11/14/16 at 3:42AM. So I am missing over 30 hours of data.

What you need to do is turn everything back on to how you had it and reset your data statistics in cellular. If the issue comes back you can narrow it down via the statistics and find out if there really is a problem.

 

[NT1440]

Apps will not auto update on Cellular if you have it turned off. Not even a random freak glitch can allow that to be bypassed. I'm curious to your point as "automatically updated today and it corresponded with their registered data usage." Like I said, carriers do not post your data in real-time. It can take upwards of 36 hours for the data to hit the server. Last time my AT&T data count updated was 11/14/16 at 3:42AM. So I am missing over 30 hours of data.

What you need to do is turn everything back on to how you had it and reset your data statistics in cellular. If the issue comes back you can narrow it down via the statistics and find out if there really is a problem.

Also, isn't the limit for App Store updates still at 100MBs?

 

[Mlrollin91]

Also, isn't the limit for App Store updates still at 100MBs?

I believe iOS 10 removed that. Not 100% certain.

Edit: I just tried to download a 2GB app. Got the popup. So you are correct. 100MB is the limit.

 

[mrex]

This is not true. WiFi uses less battery than cellular because it always has a constant signal and is not searching for a better signal.

you are now compairing active states (and travelling). When you travel or even when in one position your phone needs to look for the best tower to connect. when you are at the same place your phone doesnt need to search when the signal is strong and change to the best signal constantly. which one consumes more is depending on lots of things like the signal strenght and the network (hspa/hspa+/3G or 4G), but generally it usually is the wifi which uses less atleast when compared with 4G.

in standby mode, wifi is shutted off to save the battery - otherwise it would drain your battery - and it is only listening.

When I pick up my 7+ with a locked screen and turn it over to view the screen it is on WiFi. If not on WiFi it would show LTE but it shows it is on WiFi. Seems mine is on WiFi, even when locked.

i have seen it depending on how long you wait until activate the screen (how long the phone has been on standby). when my phone is on the table and i activate it by pressing the on/off button, i can see it changing from wifi to 4G and back to wifi during few seconds. if i just raise the phone to activate it, it is way too short time to see it changing between the networks before the screen goes off again. if i repeate the same thing again, i doesnt change between the two networks. i quess there is somekind of time when the wifi goes on the standby state.

 

[Mlrollin91]

you are now compairing active states (and travelling). When you travel or even when in one position your phone needs to look for the best tower to connect. when you are at the same place your phone doesnt need to search when the signal is strong and change to the best signal constantly. which one consumes more is depending on lots of things like the signal strenght and the network (hspa/hspa+/3G or 4G), but generally it usually is the wifi which uses less atleast when compared with 4G.

in standby mode, wifi is shutted off to save the battery - otherwise it would drain your battery - and it is only listening.

I only have one bar of service at my house. My 7Plus battery drains in 4 hours from 100% if I leave it connected to cellular only. It is constantly searching for a better signal. All my battery stats change to 'low signal'. So no, its not comparing active and traveling states.

Like I said, my WiFi does not shut off on my device when it is sleeping. I know this because I stay connected to AT&T WiFi. AT&T WiFi is the slowest of the 4 WiFi callings to connect. It takes a minimum of 2 minutes. Therefore if I were to unlock my phone after letting it sleep, I would never be connected to WiFi Calling.

 

[Ramius]

Apps will not auto update on Cellular if you have it turned off. Not even a random freak glitch can allow that to be bypassed. I'm curious to your point as "automatically updated today and it corresponded with their registered data usage." Like I said, carriers do not post your data in real-time. It can take upwards of 36 hours for the data to hit the server. Last time my AT&T data count updated was 11/14/16 at 3:42AM. So I am missing over 30 hours of data.

What you need to do is turn everything back on to how you had it and reset your data statistics in cellular. If the issue comes back you can narrow it down via the statistics and find out if there really is a problem.

This whole case has proven you wrong. I dont see a reason to get into a whole debate about this with you.

My data is being used when Im on wifi. I found out what data had been downloaded today. And it matches up with the data my mobile service provider had.

Even though it can take longer, it CAN also take less time. And today it did. And why you do seem to think you know the operating times of service providers in the entire world? Not everyone lives in america and use AT&T

 

[Mlrollin91]

This whole case has proven you wrong. I dont see a reason to get into a whole debate about this with you.

My data is being used when Im on wifi. I found out what data had been downloaded today. And it matches up with the data my mobile service provider had.

Even though it can take longer, it CAN also take less time. And today it did. And why you do seem to think you know the operating times of service providers in the entire world? Not everyone lives in america and use AT&T

First of all, don't be rude to someone that is trying to help you. Otherwise you won't get help.

Second of all, no carrier is instant. Plain and simple as that. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, there is no way to update data instantly. It has to be recorded by the carrier on the server and then they record it to the account.

Third, what case has proven me wrong. What you are describing is not possible. Something cannot go rogue that is related to app updates. There are fail-safes in iOS to prevent this. It has to be something else. I gave you a suggestion on how to track the problem and instead you ignored the suggestion and had an attitude.

 

[Ramius]

First of all, don't be rude to someone that is trying to help you. Otherwise you won't get help.

Second of all, no carrier is instant. Plain and simple as that. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, there is no way to update data instantly. It has to be recorded by the carrier on the server and then they record it to the account.

Third, what case has proven me wrong. What you are describing is not possible. Something cannot go rogue that is related to app updates. There are fail-safes in iOS to prevent this. It has to be something else. I gave you a suggestion on how to track the problem and instead you ignored the suggestion and had an attitude.

If I were you I wouldn´t be the first one to call others rude.

I have explained to you what is actually happening. If you chose not to believe it, then keep it to yourself.

The simple fact here is.
1. Approximatly 150 mb of apps was updated today
2. Phone was at home, seemingly connected wifi and not in use
3. Data was instead downloaded over mobile network
4. Service carrier confirms this. Also fully aware that the iPhone turns off wifi in sleep mode. Had similar reports.
5. Users in this thread confirms it. Though it is hard to pinpoint when this change took place in iOS.

Solution as of now is the following: Turn off automatic updates. Disable app store in mobile network. If this doesnt work, turn off mobile network completely.

 

[bufffilm]

My phone has the wifi indicator at all wakeups, unless the phone has been locked for a few hours.

I think it is dependent on your setting. But only when I unlock my phone will it switch to my wifi.

 

[mrex]

I only have one bar of service at my house. My 7Plus battery drains in 4 hours from 100% if I leave it connected to cellular only. It is constantly searching for a better signal. All my battery stats change to 'low signal'. So no, its not comparing active and traveling states.

it depends on the signal strength alot.

Like I said, my WiFi does not shut off on my device when it is sleeping. I know this because I stay connected to AT&T WiFi. AT&T WiFi is the slowest of the 4 WiFi callings to connect. It takes a minimum of 2 minutes. Therefore if I were to unlock my phone after letting it sleep, I would never be connected to WiFi Calling.

i have no idea how att works. but im quite sure that wifi goes to the standby mode while your phone is sleeping.

 

[Mlrollin91]

it depends on the signal strength alot.



i have no idea how att works. but im quite sure that wifi goes to the standby mode while your phone is sleeping.

My phone 100% does not turn off wifi while sleeping.

 

[mrex]

Also, isn't the limit for App Store updates still at 100MBs?

per app.

but 10 apps and each has 100mb updates making the final "size" to be 1gb. this is one reason that i dont understand that 100mb restriction - you are still able to download as much as you want as long as each files are under 100mb.

 

[Mlrollin91]

If I were you I wouldn´t be the first one to call others rude.

I have explained to you what is actually happening. If you chose not to believe it, then keep it to yourself.

The simple fact here is.
1. Approximatly 150 mb of apps was updated today
2. Phone was at home, seemingly connected wifi and not in use
3. Data was instead downloaded over mobile network
4. Service carrier confirms this. Also fully aware that the iPhone turns off wifi in sleep mode. Had similar reports.
5. Users in this thread confirms it. Though it is hard to pinpoint when this change took place in iOS.

Solution as of now is the following: Turn off automatic updates. Disable app store in mobile network. If this doesnt work, turn off mobile network completely.

Excuse me? What have I done that has come across as rude? I explained to you in my first post what might have happened and then gave you a suggestion to verify the issue. I told you leave everything the same, reset data statistics and let it sit. Then if something were to spike you can go and check to verify the issue. Neither the carrier nor Apple is going to help you if you do. Or at least begin to troubleshoot the issue on your own.

My device 100% does not shut off WiFi when sleeping and I can prove it. AT&T WiFi does not disconnect. Therefore WiFi itself does not disconnect. There are multiple people in this thread that also have my experience.

Believe what you want to believe. But I will not waste my time trying to help someone that clearly doesn't want the help but just wants to complain.

 

[Applejuiced]

I have just done this and turned off ALOT of apps, including app store. Which is the offender for this data waste. If I want to maintain my LTE speed for the rest of the month, I now have to pay my phone company extra. Twice the price of my regular fee. Because of this data waste. So I find it hard to see how this has always been this way.

Hopefully this means they will stop working in the background. But does turning these apps off means you cant use them even when you open them? What happens then?

I have also turned off automatic updates completely now. I don´t trust Apple anymore after this. I guess I´ll go a few years back in time and handle everything manually again. To avoid my phone bills rising automatically.

You need to disable automatic app update over cellular network. You enabled that option yourself since I know that is not a preset.
There's an option in settings/itunes & appstore.
Also reset your data usage counter at the 1st day of your billing cycle at settings/cellular/
it will list every mb used by each app for the time being.
But it sounds like you might need to get a better data plan if you're keep going over in the middle of the month.
1GB is nothing, I can go over that in less than an hour.

 

[Ramius]

Im sorry but I don´t think you can actually see this wifi turning off. That wifi signal will appear to be there always when unlocking your phone. But in reality, is reconnecting when you unlock it.

Also, Apple seems to vaguely indicate something related here. But never actually explaining if cellular data is used despite wifi connectivity:

"When you turn on cellular data, you might be charged for using certain features and services that transfer data, such as Siri and Messages."

"Apps that use push notifications (such as instant messaging or social media apps) will use cellular dataApps that use push notifications (such as instant messaging or social media apps) will use cellular data"

if the Wi-Fi connection degrades, you'll stay connected to the Wi-Fi network, but your device will route the data over cellular data.
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201299
​

But they never really answer if IOS forces a degradation of wifi signal in sleep mode. And still enabling automatic updates to be rerouted to cellular data. THIS is what is indeed happening though.

 

[Mlrollin91]

Im sorry but I don´t think you can actually see this wifi turning off. That wifi signal will appear to be there always when unlocking your phone. But in reality, is reconnecting when you unlock it.

​

But they never really answer if IOS forces a degradation of wifi signal in sleep mode. And still enabling automatic updates to be rerouted to cellular data. THIS is what is indeed happening though.

If you my posts further up you will see how I mention that my WiFi only iPad does turn off WiFi. Upon turning on the lock screen it takes 2-3 seconds for WiFi connectivity to return. But that is after 24 hours of not touching the iPad. As I have now said 3 times in this thread. My iPhone does not drop WiFi connectivity. If it does then I would not be connected to AT&T WiFi calling upon waking the screen of my iPhone. It takes a minimum of 2 minutes to reconnect to AT&T WiFi calling after a wifi connection is lost. I am 100% certain that my phone does not drop the connection.

 

[mrex]

My phone 100% does not turn off wifi while sleeping.

standby isnt the same as completely turned off.

there are many things to improve your battery life and one thing is that the network is on standby and only listening, and active when it is triggered. how is it working on iphone, i dont know.

 

[Mlrollin91]

standby isnt the same as completely turned off.

there are many things to improve your battery life and one thing is that the network is on standby and only listening, and active when it is triggered. how is it working on iphone, i dont know.

Then it must take cellular network strength into consideration. Because my device dies within 4 hours when WiFi isn't active, but I can get 30+ hours of standby when WiFi is active.

 

[mildocjr]

I have just done this and turned off ALOT of apps, including app store. Which is the offender for this data waste

I believe if you turn it off for cellular only it will only auto-update your apps when connected to Wi-Fi, however, you also have to wait until you get home to download that impulse purchase. Probably saves you money there too. If you want to be able to download apps whenever you want, just turn off automatic updates. 3D touch on the App Store allows you to update all apps without having to navigate the menus whenever you want.

Hopefully this means they will stop working in the background. But does turning these apps off means you cant use them even when you open them? What happens then?

If you turn off background data, this means that once you quit an app it will finish processing the last request (pending upload to Facebook such as a post) it will not be allowed to process anything else until it has returned to the view. Apps have sections of code called functions that are ran when an app does something, Apple included functions for didMoveToBackground which controls what the app can perform when the App is closed, Apple controls when this function is able to be called, not the developer. So when you toggle Background Usage off, Apple kills the function until you turn it back on.

 

[Thor_1]

For the last 45 days, system services has used 126mb of data, total. I don't have any auto updates turned on and limited what system services use data. I also change EACH app to use cellular or not based on what I want, not the app.

 

[mildocjr]

Yes. 100% sure.
I found the apps that had automatically updated today and it corresponded with their registered data usage. That happened while I have been having home all day on my wifi.

As another member mentioned, go into Settings > Cellular, scroll all the way to the bottom, and uncheck WiFi Assist. As it is meant to be helpful in using your cellular connection when WiFi is weak (1 bar) it can be a factor in running up your cell phone data. It is a nice feature if you have the data plan to support it, but since you only have 1 GB (which is roughly the amount of data you download from just the ads on some websites \sarcasm) you need to turn it off.

I hate to say it but you really should look at getting at least a 5GB plan. It should be the bare minimum for all smartphones since they are data heavy devices. I personally use on average 7.5 GB a month and I just stream Apple Music to and from work, let my apps update automatically, and let background stuff happen. I only turn off location services unless I get a huge benefit from the app with it being always on (Maps app). Even though I have an unlimited data plan, I do not trust developers to use Always on location services properly and it can really be detrimental to battery life if they don't ever stop tracking your location.

It may actually be more cost effective to bump up your data plan to 5 GB or the next tier (whichever is at least 5 GB) and see how you do. Like you said, the carrier charges you double, they love people like you because you skimp out for the lower plan but end up paying more for the overage charges than people who used the same amount of data at a higher plan. Subtract the cost of your current plan with the average overage charge from the cost of the higher 5GB+ plus tier, if the number is negative you should upgrade, if it's positive then you need to lock down your phone and watch your habits.

 

[willmtaylor]

As another member mentioned, go into Settings > Cellular, scroll all the way to the bottom, and uncheck WiFi Assist. As it is meant to be helpful in using your cellular connection when WiFi is weak (1 bar) it can be a factor in running up your cell phone data. It is a nice feature if you have the data plan to support it, but since you only have 1 GB (which is roughly the amount of data you download from just the ads on some websites \sarcasm) you need to turn it off.

I hate to say it but you really should look at getting at least a 5GB plan. It should be the bare minimum for all smartphones since they are data heavy devices. I personally use on average 7.5 GB a month and I just stream Apple Music to and from work, let my apps update automatically, and let background stuff happen. I only turn off location services unless I get a huge benefit from the app with it being always on (Maps app). Even though I have an unlimited data plan, I do not trust developers to use Always on location services properly and it can really be detrimental to battery life if they don't ever stop tracking your location.

It may actually be more cost effective to bump up your data plan to 5 GB or the next tier (whichever is at least 5 GB) and see how you do. Like you said, the carrier charges you double, they love people like you because you skimp out for the lower plan but end up paying more for the overage charges than people who used the same amount of data at a higher plan. Subtract the cost of your current plan with the average overage charge from the cost of the higher 5GB+ plus tier, if the number is negative you should upgrade, if it's positive then you need to lock down your phone and watch your habits.

Some good advice, but data consumption depends on consumer. My wife and I SHARE 2GB of data and have only gone over once in the last 24 months or so. Wifi is so ubiquitous, more than that would be a waste for us. Also, since VZW has rollover and voluntary throttling if I use all my data, I'm never worried about it.

Each to his own.

 

[monkey28rb]

If I were you I wouldn´t be the first one to call others rude.

I have explained to you what is actually happening. If you chose not to believe it, then keep it to yourself.

The simple fact here is.
1. Approximatly 150 mb of apps was updated today
2. Phone was at home, seemingly connected wifi and not in use
3. Data was instead downloaded over mobile network
4. Service carrier confirms this. Also fully aware that the iPhone turns off wifi in sleep mode. Had similar reports.
5. Users in this thread confirms it. Though it is hard to pinpoint when this change took place in iOS.

Solution as of now is the following: Turn off automatic updates. Disable app store in mobile network. If this doesnt work, turn off mobile network completely.

Who do you have that only gives you 1GB of data?

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I did not know that my 7 will shut down the WiFi when locked.

Anyone else know this?

Strange. I listen to TuneIn radio or Slingplayer audio all night long and never lost wifi when locked.