5s using a lot of data ! Support offered no help!

[baffle60]

I'm not sure who is to blame, but we are showing chunks of "data usage"

2-3 times a day. It's cyclical, and the "usage" occurs even when the

phones are completely turned off for 24 hours at a time. Please check your

bill on line and tell me if you are seeing this pattern as well. Happens

on all four phones, 2 iPhone 4 and 2 iPhone 5. We are all configured

differently. I only use mine for calls and email. We turned off the 5's

at 6pm on 1/3 and turned them on again at 10am 1/5. Notice how the pattern

stops and takes a couple of days to return to it's full "usage." View your

bill in KB and see if its the same for you. It doesn't look like much

data, but for the phone below, which used to be about 1.1 GB a month, this

month is almost 4.2 GB. Let me know what you find. Thanks.

[Tabbygrey90]

I'll add my two cents to this. This is what I read (facts) on Consumer Report (July or August issue), on Apple website under support (somewhere hidden in there), and from the web. Using WiFi (anywhere and at home - is the safest place to use it) DOES NOT use up your Data, ONLY when you are on Cellular. Makes perfect sense. How can using one's own internet connection, uses one's Data for cell? It does not add up.

I find, at times, it depends WHO you are talking to at Verizon and how knowledgable they are. Just like calling Apple for help and sometimes (it's rare) you get a bad apple.

IF/when you use WiFi and your data is being chewed-up (??) then I will check ALL of the apps in Settings, check Notifications, etc. Or it could be somethings the person is doing that he/she is NOT aware of.

[zombiecoop]

your Iphone DOES choose cellular OVER wifi.....I have proof!  my report clearly shows WHILE connected to wifi that data is being used....and i was told the ONLY way to stop this is turn off cellular unless you absolutely NEED it....that your phone will choose the 3g (mine is an iphone4) over the wifi because it does not have a STAY ON feature.  so for example you r sleeping and your phone is sitting on the kitchen table....well there is an email coming through or a communication with verizon at 3am....well guess what you aren't ACTIVELY connected to wifi cause your phone is in SLEEP mode so guess what.....that uses 3G instead of WIFI!  there goes a data charge....it's CRAZY....and i'm not sure which flaw IPHONE or VERIZON is causing this but its stupid.....you expect to be on your wifi network yet have all these crazy data charges.  same thing if it's in your purse, pocket, or backpack....you think you are connnected to wifi but your phone is in sleep mode so NOPE....3G it is!

I just this out!  I had been using an old droid phone and got sick and tired of it shutting down on me so i bought an iphone 4 and this is my first month with it attached to my plan and guess what.....using 3 TIMES the data that phone did!  WTF.....well now i hear the 5S is doing the SAME thing.....i really LOVE apple.....but this flaw is too hard to overlook!

[Tabbygrey90]

SOooo, now that makes sense to me. It COULD be the iPhone 4......... not the iPhone 4s right? A friend of mine has that same phone with Verizon and he has upgrade to iOS 7, BAD IDEA as iOS does NOT work well with iPhone 4 and he's having all sorts of problem with calls and such.

But you're talking Data usages that it sounds like hell for NOT being able to set it to automatic choose WiFi over cellular. That would certainly suck your data like.......... okay eat it up. I and several people I know have the 5s and 5c with zero problems.......... SO I'm NOT sure what and/or how others are setting their 5s and 5c to handle WiFi and cellular. Like I said, I have don't have to worry about it. I can clearly see when it's connect to home WiFi and 4G cell and when n'about, I get ask IF/shown a WiFi nearby.

It is too bad that you have to deal with this crap. When is your contact up? Cause you can upgrade. Remember, there is always a few bad seeds in these things. Hope NOT to pick that one.  

[mb0983]

I just lost my unlimited data plan last month when upgrading to the iPhone 5s, and I have to say, my old Droid Razr came nowhere near eating up data on my unlimited plan at the rate my new iPhone 5s does on the tiered data plan. I have cut back on my streaming habits significantly and fiddled with the settings yet Verizon is telling me I'm using more data than I was on the unlimited plan. It's annoying because my bill has increased by about $20 per month while my service has decreased, and I am kicking myself for ever "upgrading" and now having to worry about overages. I didn't abuse the unlimited data but I enjoyed the peace of mind of not having to worry about going over a limit. Why have a smart phone and pay for data if you have to cripple it down to being essentially a dumb phone when you're not at home or work? This forced tiered data strategy by Verizon and AT&T has come at a time when data-reliant apps are becoming more and more popular (Spotify, Pandora, TV apps, radio, etc.). I guess they wanted a cut of that pie.

So I say this to Verizon - allow me to go back to my unlimited plan and price, or lose my annual $1200 altogether. I will gladly switch to T-Mobile and their unlimited data immediately, which is much more affordable anyway, as I live in an urban area and the lesser coverage would have negligible impact on me for the most part.

[Tabbygrey90]

…………. maybe you should switch over since your are based in urban area. T-Moblie and the rest, works well in cities and large towns, and IF you are traveling a lot to places where their signals can be weak, then why not, IF Verizon allows you. I went with Verizon cause of some of the places I go and where I live. A lap-top works well for streaming at home or traveling, that way I am not using the phone for that. I HOPE in the coming years these Data plans will get larger and cost less………. ????

[ohheyitskaren]

I just ordered an iphone 5c. Was intending to update from my 4. Reading these posts, i will not be accepting delivery of the phone. It sounds to me that the issue stems from the LTE as well as the ios 7. I do not think that manually adjusting all the settings for my aps is a solution. I would rather go without the latest phone until i can find a carrier wherein this is not a problem (either better data plans such as T-mobile or no issues with insane amounts of data usage. I have been out of contract and month-to-month for some time. I WAS willing to take the leap and cgange my unlimited data plan as well as sign a new 2 year contract. Now, i will be looking for other carriers where i can actually UTILIZE the features of the new iphones. Thank you for these posts. I wish i had thought to check before ordering. But, at least i found out before accepting/activating the new phone and plan.

[ttipgem]

I wouldn't take these posts as the gospel truth.

I have had my iPhone 5s since launch date and I have never had an issue with it using "excessive data" in any billing month.  And I don't turn off my cellular data manually when I am connected to WiFi.

[Tabbygrey90]

…. Same here, I'm puzzle as to what/why/how these people are having issue with the iPhone 5c and 5s and data usage…..????? What are you guys doing…. how are your settings…… did you READ the iPhone manual? I got mind in December, have the 500MB plan as for now and the last time I check, my WiFi and Cellular are BOTH turned On. My phone switches between WiFi and Cellular all the time WITHOUT me having to go into settings and turn on/off those features.

Some how it does not make sense, not with Apple, not with the iPhone, maybe with ……. well, nameless.

IF people are having this problem, IT HAS TO BE ON THEIR SIDE. BTW, streaming videos/clips uses tons of data, I've just learned that.

[romacita]

the problem with this is that you're asking us to deal with this obviously occurring problem by not using any of the features that made us purchase the iPhone 5s in the first place. with previous iPhones on the Verizon plan, spending days away from Wi-fi and being able to stream Pandora the whole time, and occasionally checking out videos online never drained data the way an hour on Pandora and a watching a couple videos will drain an entire gig today with the iPhone 5 series. so now, believing we were paying for convenience, we instead are paying to take a multitude of additional steps to "make sure" our phone isn't draining data. every time i need to check anything while i'm on the road, i have to first get back into settings, turn on my cellular then turn on cellular use for the specific app i want to use on the road, and then i have to turn on locations so that if i'm using any of the maps or apps that need location to give me the best answer, i have to do all these things manually - and when i'm done, i have to remember to undo everything or else get screwed! WTF is that?!