System Updates

[Zig26]

I just signed up with Public Mobile 2 weeks ago. I took the 1 gig data package as I figured that would be enough for the usage I would need. As of yesterday, I received a text saying that my data was all used up!! What?? After only two weeks and I haven't even used the data myself. From searches I've made it seems that the data is being used up for updates. In fact there is data being used up every night (midnight to 1:00am) so it definitely seems to confirm these are system updates. The last one took up 307mb, out of 1 gig?  no wonder I have nothing left.  I am not paying for data in order to have PM use it all up to do their updates. What is up with that??   And what happens now that I don't have any more data? They just withhold doing updates till my next cycle? I certainly hope there is a mistake here somewhere!! 

[Zig26]

Thank-you for your detailed response! I will definitely check what on my phone has been using up my data. 

I do have one more question regarding this though. Now that a few more days have elasped since getting notifiyied that my 1 gig was all used up, I checked just before looking at these responses. I had downloaded the report of my data usage as of Sep 17th and totaled the mbs used. As of that date I was at 1080.47mb.  Now the report shows there is still data usage on the 18th (162.45), 19th (153.45) and 20th (162.08), which would bring the total to 1558.45mbs. So how can there still be data being reported as used if I am at my 1 gig limit?

[Zig26]

Thank-you for your response and explanation of the systen reporting. It helps to better understand what was happening! 

[BKNS27]

@Zig26 

Login to your account on the PM app then swipe down on the screen to check your latest data usage. This would be your current data usage but as others indicated. PM updates your data usage twice a day…around noon and around midnight.

[softech]

@Zig26 

first with what you see about data used around midnight.  PM does not update the data usage constantly.  In fact, it only update it twice a day at most 

So, any entry you see is just a total usage between that timestamp and the timestamp of the previous entry.  The early morning usage  you see on the Usage log does not mean it was used in the morning but a total usage for the last 12 or 24 hours.

Also, for correct usage reading, always use Incognito mode to login My Account to avoid reading cached old info

And with the usage, it is best of your to check your phone data usage meter to confirm if you used that data:

If you have an Android, you can go to the Mobile data usage screen, change the cycle start date to match your current PM cycle start date and it will confirm how much you used since the beginning of this cycle  (To change the cycle start date, go to Settings > Connections > Billing cycle and data warning to change the Start billing cycle on date) 

With iPhone, unfortunately you cannot trace the usage back.  You can only go to Settings > Cellular  and click Reset Statistics there and start tracking from today.  It is best to reset the statistics at the beginning of each PM cycle (and remember PM has a 30 days cycle, not monhtly)

[umnikke8]

To start the Public system reports data usage in batches, twice a day. Each report includes the data usage over the time period to the preceding report. You'll need to check on your phone to see what is using the data. Public itself is not sending any data to your phone. Also check phone settings to see if wifi is working or if something like wifi assist is on, enabling cell data usage even when connected to wifi.