Data blocking

[Hailey0926]

My parents fixed our account so that we can't use data after we've reached our monthly limit, in order to prevent overage charges. However, my mom said today that she's getting emails from Verizon telling her who I've been calling and texting. I'm not really okay with this; I don't creep through her phone to see who she's contacting, and she respects me enough, as an adult, to not go through my phone the same way. Verizon has no business sending her emails with my phone activity like that. It's only started since my parents put that limit on the data. Is there any way to turn this feature off so that they don't get an email every time I make a phone call or send a text message?

[Ann154]

If you are over 18, living on your own and paying for your own housing, have you considered splitting your line from your parents' account and take the responsibility to be financially responsible for it?

[Hailey0926]

Of course I've considered that. But considering I am a college student who already has to work a minimum wage job to pay for things more important (such as a place to live and food), I can't afford Verizon's overly expensive phone plans by myself. I can't switch companies, either, due to going to school in a rural area where Verizon is the only phone company who provides sufficient coverage. But thank you for that insightful, original reply. I never would've thought about it on my own!

[Hailey0926]

This question isn't only for myself. It's for my parents, too. They don't want to get constant emails about my phone activity just because Verizon feels that they have to babysit a 20-year-old college senior. We've been having problems with my phone using data without my permission, and it was sucking up all of our data for the month. That's why we decided to try out the data block once we reached our limit. But I'm annoyed that my parents can see every little thing I do on my phone, and my parents are annoyed that they get constant emails reporting every little thing I do on my phone.

[tikibar1]

Have you checked the data usage section on your phone to see what's using the data so that you could adjust usage habits/phone settings to reduce data usage, if possible?  Depending on the phone you have, you may have the ability to set usage alerts/limits on the phone itself.  Depending on the plan your parents are on, they may want to price-check switching to the New Verizon Plan since it includes safety mode, i.e.,

Safety Mode FAQs Use Safety Mode to Help Avoid Data Overage Fees | Verizon Wireless

[Hailey0926]

I thought I had all my apps set to where they only use data when I'm running them, etc. and I close out of all my apps regularly to make sure they're not using data in the background. It's an Apple phone, though, so who knows what's actually going on with it. I don't think the data usage is Verizon's fault, I think it might be a problem more related to my phone, like you've suggested. I'll see if anything on my phone can be adjusted!

[Ann154]

Are they subscribed to the Family Base feature? Perhaps you could have a discussion on why they are. If it is only to restrict how much data each line is using, perhaps they can look at adjusting the settings and notifications associated with that feature.

[tikibar1]

See if this helps:

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2016/10/how-to-reduce-iphone-mobile-data-usage.html

[Hailey0926]

Wow, I didn't even realize like half those features were even an option! I'm gonna try some of these and hope it reduces data. Thanks!

[vzw_customer_support]

Hailey0926, I know how important it is to balance managing data with your need for privacy. We certainly don't want to be sending your parents emails that they do not want or find useful. Many of our customers like to use FamilyBase to help limit data, but do not need the other features designed to manage the usage for younger family members.

If your parents want to stop getting these notifications, they can update the FamilyBase settings on My Verizon. Simply log in and hover over "My Plan & Services," and click Manage FamilyBase. Under the Activity Tab, click on Notifications, and from there they can uncheck the unwanted information and click Save Changes. The instructions can also be found at the link below. I hope this is helpful. 

http://spr.ly/65818SeJH

MichelleH_VZW

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