Data

[msaali18]

I am putting this question on behalf of my son. He has public mobile connection and now planning to switch to other service provider.

He had plan of 20GB package for data and it is consumed in 12 days without having any apps running on the phone. He turned off all the possible auto download apps etc. but the 20GB was gone like unbelievable. Two days before he again got 15 GB and in two days lost 10 GB. He couldn't figure out why it is happening. His phone is mostly used for google map. Could anybody please provide any explanation on this?  

Thank you in Advance. 

[softech]

@msaali18   

if he is using Android, you checked this data usage page on the device?

Remember, PM cycle is running on a 30 days cycle and this Android page shows monthly.  So, to make it useful, you need to change the "Start billing cycle on" date to match the current PM start cycle day.

since your current PM cycle starts on March 13th, change the "Start billing cycle on" day to 13th as well and see what is the total usage shows on the device

[esjliv]

@msaali18 - the data usage in your details is normal showing twice a day, as that is how the data is logged in our My Accounts...it captures everything used in 12 hour time slots. So, just to let you know, this part is normal.

However, if you are confident the usage is messed up you can ask CSA about it, not sure what they can tell you but hopefully it will be something to resolve the issue.

­­­Public Mobile Representatives customer support­­­ agents (CSA) can be contacted by either two methods, found here:

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/contact-an-agent

You could also try your SIM in another phone for a week or so, to see if you see a difference of usage? This could identify a device issue/setting.

[msaali18]

@softech He is using Android. When we see the usage of data by the apps that does not sum up to the data shown as consumed in the PM account.  

[msaali18]

Thank you @pmbc . We have checked and all apps show no abnormal data usage. He is using Android. 

[msaali18]

Thank you @hTideGnow. We have checked all the apps are using the normal amount of data and do not see any abnormal activity. Might be issue with the system of PM that is showing wrong numbers. spending 30 GB data in few days does not make sense.  

[msaali18]

Thank you @Handy1. Same result. 

[softech]

@msaali18   first, you have to check your phone to see if it sees the leaks too

tell us if your son is using Android or Apple and will advise accordingly

[msaali18]

@Hank you @DDM69. Yes, the data get used as soon as out of wifi range. 

[msaali18]

Thank you esjliv. We are seeing in the account. We have checked account in Incognito mode too but data is depleting. Yes data limiter is set on the device. We'll call 611 to see if that gives different info. 

[msaali18]

:)). Thank you DennyCrane. We opened account in Incognito mode but the data is continuing leaking. After looking at the apps of the phone, there is no indication of any abnormal usage of the data to any of the application. 

[msaali18]

Many Thanks HALIMACS. All the points, yourself has mentioned are taken care. As soon as data is turned on, it depletes like water leakage from a pot. We have also observed another activity of auto SMS are outgoing. The numbers are 474663 and 7723. We have turned off SMS but still in next hour 273 MB gone. Its very frustrating as in last week or so lost over 30GB. Now seriously thinking to transfer to another ISP tomorrow. 

[HALIMACS]

@msaali18 

1. ensure app processes not running in background
2. toggle data "OFF" in wi-fi areas
3. use wi-fi when available - always, not just sometimes
4. turn off any device wi-fi assist programs (which enable data when wi-fi signal is weak)
5. turn high-consumption apps to wi-fi only (i.e. prevent data from being used on high load apps)
6. and the biggie... download offline Google maps of frequented areas so he can navigate using these maps (this may not be ideal if using Google maps for real-time traffic situations)

[DennyCrane]

That's a lot of only fans 😜

Kidding. Are you sure his data is used? If you're basing that on the account dashboard, make sure you're logging in via Incognito Mode to ensure it's pulling in accurate info. 

Aside from that you can check the phone settings to see what is consuming all that data.

[esjliv]

@msaali18 - where are you seeing this is being used up? In his My Account or does his phone's data just stop working?

Is there a Data limiter set on the device? If so, turn it off or adjust it.

Call 611 from the device to confirm the remaining data balance, as this should match your My Account.

[DDM69]

This is unfortunate. Does his data get used if wifi doesn’t connect?

[Handy1]

@msaali18  try this 

Try again  incognito mode/private mode or a different device or lap top or simply try refreshing the page when logged in

For most up to date account info

[hTideGnow]

HI @msaali18   

PM usually has good count on data use.  You really need to check your son's phone to confirm the data usage.  He will end up with the same huge usage with another provider

For iPhone, reset the data statistics  on the phone and monitor for couple days.  He can tell from that screen what app used the data

For Android, there is similar data screen.  I think you don't even need to reset statistics on Android, you can just change the data cycle date and then can tell the amount of data each app used

So, start from your device first to trace

[pmbc]

What kind of phone is your son using?  Can he check on the phone what apps are consuming the data?  iOS shows if system is using the data and lumps a lot of the apps together.  Android may have more granularity that shows what apps are consuming the data.  I assume he's not connected to wifi as any data should go over wifi and only when there is no wifi connection then it will use cellular data.  

edit: found this article for Android.

How to Track Your Data Usage on Android (howtogeek.com)