Excessive usage of mobile data - while mobile data is not being used

[Jim57]

My monthly contract renewed on Sept 10th and today (Sept 18th) I received a SMS stating that I'd used 75% of my monthly allowance. I hardly ever use mobile data - apart from Google maps location sharing. I cannot understand what can be using SO much data. This is the 3rd or 4th month in succession that this has happened yet never happened before.

[computergeek541]

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@Jim57 wrote:

This has been the most helpful response. I am investigating. Thank you very much! 👍

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self solution removed

[Jim57]

Have used Google maps location sharing for a long time. This is a recent problem. Thanks.

[dust2dust]

Any chance of giving us some images like I suggested so we can see what you see?

[softech]

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@Jim57 wrote:

Android

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@Jim57 since it is Android, you can easily trace your usage of this cycle and confirm how much data you used and which app used the data

Go to Mobile data Usage page, change the "Start billing cycle on" date to match the first day of your current PM's cycle date (remember PM is on 30 days cycle, so, the cycle date changes).  After the change, you can confirm how much data you used and the app used most the data:

You can keep using this tracking tool, but as said above, PM is on a 30 days cycle, so you will have to keep changing the "Start billing cycle on" date for the tracking tool to be useful

[Jim57]

This has been the most helpful response. I am investigating. Thank you very much! 👍

[Jim57]

Thank you 👍

[Jim57]

Android

[Jim57]

This is the 4th month of this - as stated. Thanks 

[Jim57]

An SMS as stated. Thanks.

[Jim57]

This is transmission in real time of my location to other(s). However thanks.

[BKNS27]

@Jim57 

Lot of my co-workers use Google map while travelling and it uses a lot of data. 
One option is to download Google map of the area you are at and disable Cellular data and use Google map offline.

[dust2dust]

Did the 75% come from 611? Can you give us an image of your overview page? Click on all the little spinner refresh icons lower down to make sure you're seeing updated info. It could be that you've come to 75% of your total data.

Adding - or if you know your 4 digit account pin then you can dial 611 and 3 and that pin and you can get the total amount of data you have left. See if that makes sense with the 75%.

[will13am]

@Jim57 , be mindful that phone generally track monthly usage and not 30 day cycles.  The data on the phone will not match up to what is showing in the online account which is known to be accurate.

[softech]

@Jim57 do you have Android or iPhone??

[Dunkman]

@Jim57 

 The PM data tracker is usually  accurate. 

Which plan are you subscribed to?  $15 for 250 mB or $25 plan for 1 GB? These plan data allotment can be used up fairly quickly.  You will need to check your data usage history.  Check your phone to see which apps have used the most data recently.  

[KababMan · Accepted solution]

Would you mind showing us what your data usage stats on your phone look like? It should be in Settings->Connections->Data Usage->View Mobile Data Usage or something similar. Maybe a rogue app. 

Also you can try restricting background data, look for a setting such as "Data saver".