Data usage abnormally high

[JAW]

My data usage in the last 2 months is abnormally high.  I have never been close to using all my data but had a notification 3 days ago that I had used 75% of my data and now have used 100% - 12 GB/3 months.

Is this a virus? Cell phone problem? PM problem?

[JAW]

Thank you for your suggestion. I'll try this

[JAW]

Thank you for this suggestions.  I have reset statistics so I'll see tonight if there is any usage posted after midnight.  I've turned off everything I could think of.  

[JAW]

Thank you for your suggestions.  I've turned data off, wifi assist off, hotspot off and everything else I could think of.  I'll see what happens tonight as usage is always posted after midnight.

[softech]

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@JAW wrote:

Thank you for your suggestion.  I have turned data off and still had usage of 690 MB last night.  I've turned everything off I could think of and reset statistics so I'll see what happens tonight.

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@JAW   keep in mind one thing, when you check Usage history, you might see some usage with a late night timestamp.  It does not mean the data was actually used at that time

PM only posts data usage twice a day. Whatever amount showing on a particular time only mean it was a TOTAL USAGE between last entry and the time of that particular entry.  So, the high usage "last night" could be a usage for half the day

[JAW]

Thank you for your suggestions.  I've turned data off, wifi assist off, hotspot off and haven't installed any new apps so I'll see what happens tonight.  Usage is always posted after midnight.

[JAW]

Thank you for your suggestion.  I have turned data off and still had usage of 690 MB last night.  I've turned everything off I could think of and reset statistics so I'll see what happens tonight.

[softech]

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@JAW wrote:

Thank you for this suggestion.  I have reset statistics so I'll see what happens tonight.

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@JAW   Perfect, check it daily and see if you notice any abnormal usage

[JAW]

Thank you for your suggestions.  I have reset statistics and turned everything off I could think of so I'll see what happens tonight.  I'm using an iPhone 13 and no new apps.

[JAW]

Thank you for this suggestion.  I have reset statistics so I'll see what happens tonight.

[softech]

@JAW so, you are using iPhone?

for iPhone, you cannot track backwards, so, try to Reset Statistics today and monitor the usage daily.  Also, remember to Reset Statistics again on your next PM renewal days

and also, check if you are backing up stuff on iCloud when you are using mobile data

[JAW]

Thank you to all who have replied.  I didn't know how to post my response to all.  

I have data turned off and still had 630 MB used overnight.  I thought turning off data would not allow any usage.  This is usage that shows on my account when I log into PM

I have wifi assist off.

I have hotspot off.

I haven't installed any new apps and have few apps 

[gpixel]

@JAW 

there are better plans then the grandfathered plan you are currently on. $40/15gb/30days $45/20gb/30days I suggest switching to one before PM stops offering them. make sure to choose to schedule the plan change on your renewal date. or you can change plan immediately since you're out of data. account needs to have funds manually added to avoid a specific glitch when changing plans

as for your data usage is there an app you've recently installed in the last two months? with all the ads and videos, browsing the web uses more data then in it had in the past. it's hard to pinpoint what the culprit is because nobody knows how you use your device. you will need to keep a close eye on your data usage to know wether or not it is a virus. android or iPhone? 

[Meow]

If you keep your Data on all the time, some app and OS will take advantage of it even though you have WiFi on. Particularly if you do not turn phone off during night.

[hTideGnow]

HI @JAW   PM data usage is usually correct, so it is likely a phone problem.

For me, I usually disable Mobile network when it is not used, when at home.  The new OS now has something call Adaptive WiFi or Wifi - Assist which will use Mobile Data when the Wifi signal is poorer, so you could loss some data unexpectedly.  

Also, make sure you disable background data usage or enable Data saver

For virus or not, it might not be, it could be just new app you installed, or an app that you updated and using the data on the background or backing up stuff you weren't aware off

[HALIMACS · Accepted solution]

@JAW 

It would not be a public mobile problem - they cannot cause you to use data that your device/apps have not accessed. 

You may want to ensure that data is not using background processes with apps and that any Wi-Fi assist programs are not toggled on.

This could cause you to use mobile data even though you're unaware when Wi-Fi signals are weak.

Also, if you have a data limiter set through your data settings, it could be toggling off data once you have reached a preset limit - not many people use this option, but it is available on most devices.

Lastly, make sure you do not have a hotspot set on your device which may allow others in your vicinity to access data through your device.

And those SMS notifications of data remaining are very unreliable and users should rely solely on this self-serve landing page data allotment figure.

[softech]

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@JAW wrote:

My data usage in the last 2 months is abnormally high.  I have never been close to using all my data but had a notification 3 days ago that I had used 75% of my data and now have used 100% - 12 GB/3 months.

Is this a virus? Cell phone problem? PM problem?

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@JAW  are you on Android or iPhone?

I suggest you start tracking your usage on the device

With Android, it is easier as you can track backward as well.  Go to Mobile Data usage page, make sure the Start billing cycle on  date matches your current PM cycle start date, then you can if PM usage tracking was correct and you can tell which app used the data and how much

Please note that phone's cycle tracking is per month while PM's cycle is 30 days, so, you have to set the date again on your device every time PM starts a new cycle for the info of that page to make sense

With iPhone, it has similar thing but you cannot track backward.  Go to  Settings > Cellular or Settings > Mobile Data.  You have to Reset Statistics today and then track from today.  Also, on each PM cycle start date, Reset Statistics again

[hairbag1]

TRy this for accurate detail of your account.