Why are my ANDRIODS using DATA in the middle of the night when noone is on them?

[tammys7603]

I want to scream. I traded in my Apple phones for Android phones and the main reason was because the Apple phones were running during the night and losing WIFI connection. Well guess what? the Androids are doing it too!!! What is going on. this is crazy. There is no reason they should be using so much data in the middle of the night when no one is using the damn phone. I have fixed all APPS to never update unless on WIFI. I see that it is automatically checked on the phone HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S5 to never update unless on WIFI. I have two phones using 5 GB of data each a month!!!!

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[Jakeman1 · Accepted solution]

Your phones will use data in the middle of the night on some apps such as Backup Assistant or Verizon Cloud, Facebook, email as well as others.  You can turn off synching or background data on these but the best recommendation I can give (others may have different ones) is add an app called Onavo Count and it will pinpoint which apps are using the data, then either disable them all together if you do not use the app, or change the ones you can to only sync on WiFi. In my experience on different phones Backup Assistant or VZW Cloud have always been the data hogs on the phones along with Facebook.  I would change all of my contacts to Google Contacts and let them sync through google (more reliable as well) and if you have other items backed up to the cloud, use a different cloud to back them up such as Google or Dropbox or SkyDrive etc.... Then also look at the bloatware that came on the phone and disable anything (app wise not services) that you do not use. The end results are it will save your data and may save battery life

[bridgetpotterbrock]

contact a consumer protection lawyer, your states attorney general and the FCC has a complaint form.. i am doing that

[bridgetpotterbrock]

by disabling apps.. i get a warning that my phone wont operate correctly... so i am forced to buy more data... there are apps that are preinstalled form samsung... that are samsung apps and verizon apps that milk my data... both companies are milking my data that i pay for... my data is not unlimited... verizon has refused to offer me unlimited. why have apps only to disable them and cause the phone to malfunction??? why must i rely on my cable wifi to compensate for samsung and verizon apps milking my data??  actually as i walked into verizon a message from my verizon starting the app appeared soliciting me to buy accessories to my phone!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!! Verizon needs to resolve this issue!! when i got service with them i had 4g lite at my house now i barely have 2 bars of standard service... i am lucky if my phone even rings!!!  UNACCEPTABLE!!!  OF COURSE THIS IS A CONSUMER PROTECTION ISSUE!! I AM IN COLLEGE TAKING LAW CLASSES!!

NOT TO MENTION THIS PHONE OVER HEATS, MESSAGE+ LOCKS UP, FACEBOOK MESSAGER LOCKS UP, EVERYTHING LOCKS UP, THE PHONE HAS LOCKED UP, JUST HAVING THE FACTORY APPS ON IT WITH A 64 GIG SAMSUNG MICRO CARD IN IT...AND DAILY THE  CACHE IS CLEANED, PHONE IS REBOOTED.... INTERNAL MEMORY ISN'T ENOUGH FOR PHONE TO RUN PROPERLY!!

[mama23dogs]

bridgetpotterbrock

Just to to understand you clearly, was the previous phone also using large amounts of data?

WHich iphone did you have?

1.   Which phones do you have now?

2.   How long have you had them?

3.   Which Apps are using mobile data?  ( check in settings, mobile data, scroll down to see usage amounts by app. )

NOTE:  disabling apps you don't use does not save mobile data and may be causing the problems you are having.  I have a Note 3 and I have disabled some apps, like Flipboard, yahoo news, yahoo finance, HP print service, and the carriers navigation and family base. 

I Would be happy to help you, but am obviously limited to print.

[bridgetpotterbrock]

i was going to but received a warning stating my phone would malfunction. my previous phone was a driod razr. with that phone, i never really left home. i used the wifi at home. i attend school and go other places now. i cant relay on time warner cable to pick up the bill for the running data. on the razr i was getting ready  to start being away from my house so i started to disable apps... i got the warning...i did it it anyway.... my phone really got messed up!!! i took it to verizon.. did a factory reset several times!! the guy told me i should not do that!! so... i had to increase data from 1 gig to 2 gig.. at this moment i am at 1.95 gig and i dont get new data till april 8th.. so i will run out AGAIN THIS MONTH!! i couldnt disable the data (per suggested the VERIZON ON N. COLLEGE, WILMINGTON, NC) BECAUSE..MY DAUGHTER IS TYPE 1 DIABETIC AND IF SHE HAS AN EMERGENCY SHE MAY CALL OR TEXT ME....AND... MY 4 DAUGHTERS FATHER...MY HUSBAND OF 18 YEARS, FORMER MARINE WHO WORKS FOR THE STATE DEPT. WAS DEPLOYED..HE MAINTAINS THE SECURITY SYSTEMS FOR OUR EMBASSYS, THE ONLY WAY HE IS ABLE TO HAVE ANY COMMUNICATION WITH ME WHILE OVERSEAS IS VIA THE INTERNET ( DATA)   I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SHUT OFF MY DATA, WORRY ABOUT OVERAGE OR SACRICE...POSSIBLY MISS THAT CHANCE IF HE IS ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT....GOD FORBID IF ANYTHING WAS TO HAPPEN... IF THAT WAS HIS LAST OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE CONTACT AND I HAD IT SHUT OFF BECAUSE OF ALL THIS NONSENSE!!! AND THIS ISNT A FAR FETCH HYPOTHETICAL.... I DID SAY EMBASSY, HE MAINTAINS THE COMPUTERIZE SECURITY SYSTEMS, THERE IS STILL A BACKLASH FROM BENGHAZI.  SAMSUNG AND VERIZON HAVE MADE A BUSINESS DECISION TO MANUFACTURE THESE CELL PHONES, KNOWLYING AND WANTINGLY TO HAVE THESE APPS RUNNING AND USING SAMSUNG AND VERIZON AND THIRD PARTY APPS MILKING DATA THAT COSTS CUTOMER'S A FEE PER GIG!!! UNACCEPTABLE!! UNETHICAL!! 

[mama23dogs]

tammys7603

IF yor previous phones, iPhones, were also using large amounta of data, and you now have two different Android phones,  then the problem is NOT the phones.

I would be happy to help sort out what is causing higher use than you would like.

Open settings on your phone, go to mobile data, scroll down to see which apps are using data.  They are listed in decending order of usage.  

Q1.   Which apps are using the most and how much? (You can post a screen shot)

____________________________________________________________

RE data:  Data usage is collected every 3 hours, usually on the off hours, 9 pm, 12 AM, 3 AM, 6AM......   Data you used in the morning may not be reported until 9PM.  This might look like you were racking up mobile data at a time when you were home on wifi, but is not the case.

i Have tested the system with my security camera app.  I started the app in the morning and deliberately "closed" the app without restricting it from running in the background to wifi only.  I left it on for 6 hours.  It didn't report the data use until midnight.  had I been a neophyte or done it by accident, I might have assumed the phone, app or carrier was faulty.

[Jakeman1]

By disabling apps you get a warning that your phone may not operate correctly in case you disable one of the system necessary apps.  Hundreds of thousands of people disable apps all the time with no issues.  If you disable an app that runs the system such as Google Services or Motorola services, you will run into issues and those are ones that they are warning about.

[mama23dogs]

bridgetpotterbrock

I would like to help, but I need you to answer the questions from my earlier post to do so.

You will not have to shut off Moble data at all.  But you can restrict non essential apps to wifi.  This will not effect your ability to communicate.

(BTW) If you have a family plan, is it in your husband's name so you get the military discount?)

[mama23dogs]

Let's start with diagnosis...

open settings, data useage...scroll down till you see similar screen.  As you see, I use Google maps for navigation the most.

Since I need navigation to work on cellular, but I don't need Google Play....

i Will tap on Google Play which opens the screen below..

Check the the box at the bottom to limit this app to wifi only.

repeat for other apps you want to limit to wifi.