# Data usage app



## HenriHelvetica (Oct 4, 2011)

Taking a closer look @ my data usage since this past month, I went over 2.39G (charged @ $49.62 by rogers!). I have no idea how that happened seeing I don't stream THAT much - esp w/ wifi @ work. I have an app installed that does the job, but felt I should ask what others are using. 

Anyone out there using one worth mentioning?

thx!


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

What's wrong with the built-in monitoring, assuming you have iOS 7?

There's no third party app that can accurately monitor data usage by process - iOS doesn't allow that kind of access.


----------



## HenriHelvetica (Oct 4, 2011)

John Clay said:


> What's wrong with the built-in monitoring, assuming you have iOS 7?
> 
> There's no third party app that can accurately monitor data usage by process - iOS doesn't allow that kind of access.


Didn't realize it was expanded now. I recall looking in prev OS's and prob never went back. 

This still seems odd. 50G since sept '13 and I had 8.4 (my allowance + the overage) of it in 1 month?? very bizzare. And no warning (of course) form Rogers that I'm getting close. 

I'm going to reset it for my next billing cycle and see what happens, and compare it to the 3rd party monitor I have and see. 

Thx John.


----------



## heavyall (Nov 2, 2012)

I refused to pay a data overage bill once unless the provider could tell me what the data was used for. They absolutely couldn't -- as previously mentioned, Apple does not allow that level of access to the processes. The fun part was, the provider actually acknowledged the problem with that and waived the fee.


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

heavyall said:


> I refused to pay a data overage bill once unless the provider could tell me what the data was used for. They absolutely couldn't -- as previously mentioned, Apple does not allow that level of access to the processes. The fun part was, the provider actually acknowledged the problem with that and waived the fee.


Huh?

It's your responsibility to monitor your usage, not your provider's. If anything, them being able to tell you how you're using your data is a massive invasion of privacy.


----------



## HenriHelvetica (Oct 4, 2011)

John Clay said:


> Huh?
> 
> It's your responsibility to monitor your usage, not your provider's. If anything, them being able to tell you how you're using your data is a massive invasion of privacy.


It actually is a breach of privacy to monitor the source.

BUT, i find it very odd to have such a spike in data usage in 1 month. You'd think they'd call to inquire. We're talking 2.5G, *40% past my allowance*. 

AND, the operator kindly gave me a sort of data-overdraft? meaning that for the next 2 months I would not be charged for overage. Hmmmm. It's hard to know what's going on @ TelCos. They make so much money from us!


----------



## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

Prêtre much all providers have the possibility to monitor your usage, or have an app that is attached to your account.


----------



## heavyall (Nov 2, 2012)

John Clay said:


> Huh?
> 
> It's your responsibility to monitor your usage, not your provider's. If anything, them being able to tell you how you're using your data is a massive invasion of privacy.


Nothing changed about how I used my device, that's why I disputed the charge. They claimed I had used several times more than I hadI ever had before. That's why I demanded that they provide proof of what the data was used for. They couldn't provide it, so I didn't pay.


----------



## tilt (Mar 3, 2005)

This: DataMan for iPhone - App Review | iMore

Monitors not just your data usage, but also your wifi usage. I have not come across any other app that does that. The built-in feature of the iPhone does not distinguish between wifi usage and data-plan usage; it just gives you a total figure which does not help with monitoring data-plan usage.

Cheers


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

tilt said:


> The built-in feature of the iPhone does not distinguish between wifi usage and data-plan usage; it just gives you a total figure which does not help with monitoring data-plan usage.
> 
> Cheers


It does, under Settings -> Cellular. It breaks it down by application, and system services.


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

John Clay said:


> It does, under Settings -> Cellular. It breaks it down by application, and system services.


This.

My wife went over and it found that while she was out Pinterest was the culprit. Then turn off setting that allows Pinterest to be used on cellular.

Edit: Just reset the usage for cellular an then watch the next month.


----------



## tilt (Mar 3, 2005)

John Clay said:


> It does, under Settings -> Cellular. It breaks it down by application, and system services.


Well, that screen shows me my overall data usage, and yes, it does say Cellular, but then, do I get to see the overall data usage (Wifi + Cellular) anywhere, or is that information unnecessary?

Cheers


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

tilt said:


> Well, that screen shows me my overall data usage, and yes, it does say Cellular, but then, do I get to see the overall data usage (Wifi + Cellular) anywhere, or is that information unnecessary?
> 
> Cheers


I'd say it isn't necessary - I couldn't care less how much data something uses on WiFi.


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

John Clay said:


> I'd say it isn't necessary - I couldn't care less how much data something uses on WiFi.


Well unless you don't have unlimited.


----------



## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

co-worker have 15gb limit on this 5/1 Fibe...


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

Joker Eh said:


> Well unless you don't have unlimited.


There's no reason not to have a high cap or unlimited with a third party provider - if you're still using Bell or Rogers, that's your own fault.



IllusionX said:


> co-worker have 15gb limit on this 5/1 Fibe...


What's the point in having internet with that little usage?

7Mbps from TekSavvy comes with 75GB for $24.99, or 300GB for $29.99. Bell charges $47.95 for 5Mbps with 40GB. Why pay almost twice as much for less?


----------



## psycosis (Mar 29, 2005)

heavyall said:


> Nothing changed about how I used my device, that's why I disputed the charge. They claimed I had used several times more than I hadI ever had before. That's why I demanded that they provide proof of what the data was used for. They couldn't provide it, so I didn't pay.


Any chance you went from iOS 6 to iOS 7 around this time?

I don't think it is reasonable to ask the provider what apps used the data. From a providers POV, data is data. 

They should be able to say between 6pm and 7pm on the 18th you used 1 Gb.


----------



## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

psycosis said:


> Any chance you went from iOS 6 to iOS 7 around this time?
> 
> I don't think it is reasonable to ask the provider what apps used the data. From a providers POV, data is data.
> 
> They should be able to say between 6pm and 7pm on the 18th you used 1 Gb.


Rogers already break down your usage per day on their invoice. At least, it did for me when i was with Rogers.


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

heavyall said:


> Nothing changed about how I used my device, that's why I disputed the charge. They claimed I had used several times more than I hadI ever had before. That's why I demanded that they provide proof of what the data was used for. They couldn't provide it, so I didn't pay.


Like others have said data is data to any provider. You didn't pay but does that mean you are still being charged for it?


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

I may be a bit OT here, but as a fairly new user of an older iPad 2 with iOS 7, is there any real way to tell whether a wi-fi or cell account is going to be used to download data?

To prevent any cell use with a shared GSM account, I've just been turning Cellular use Off and wait until I'm near any wi-fi and use it.

But even with cell use disabled, I'll swear that there were some slight increases to the cell data. So how come when my cell in Settings is turned Off??

Similar to but not as bad as these users discovered with unwarranted cell use downloads:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5364520

Bottom line is I can't completely trust the Settings settings, as cell use don't always seem to be Off completely.


----------



## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

I would say that background refresh in iOS7 would cause increased data usage...


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

pm-r said:


> I may be a bit OT here, but as a fairly new user of an older iPad 2 with iOS 7, is there any real way to tell whether a wi-fi or cell account is going to be used to download data?
> 
> To prevent any cell use with a shared GSM account, I've just been turning Cellular use Off and wait until I'm near any wi-fi and use it.
> 
> ...


If you see the Wifi symbol you are on wifi, no cellular data used.

There are also settings that allow you to set which apps can use cell data and which can't.


----------



## heavyall (Nov 2, 2012)

psycosis said:


> Any chance you went from iOS 6 to iOS 7 around this time?
> 
> I don't think it is reasonable to ask the provider what apps used the data. From a providers POV, data is data.
> 
> They should be able to say between 6pm and 7pm on the 18th you used 1 Gb.


No change in OS for me at the time.

I'm not buying the data is data line of thinking. Any business must be able tell you what it is they're charging you for. If you add up around $90 worth of groceries in your head, and the cashier rings up a total of $300, would you accept it if they showed you a receipt that just said "groceries - $300"??? OR, would you make them show you specifically what it was in your cart that cost $200+ more than you thought it would? That actually was the analogy I told the Telus CSR that prompted them to just remove the extra data charge from my bill.

Would it be an invasion of privacy? Sure, but so would a printout showing prescriptions, personal hygiene products, and fibre supplements. If I actually asked them to review it and show it to me, there is no privacy expectation.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

heavyall said:


> Would it be an invasion of privacy? Sure, but so would a printout showing prescriptions, personal hygiene products, and fibre supplements. If I actually asked them to review it and show it to me, there is no privacy expectation.


It's not as though they wouldn't tell the cops on a whim what sort of data you'd been accessing.


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

heavyall said:


> No change in OS for me at the time.
> 
> I'm not buying the data is data line of thinking. Any business must be able tell you what it is they're charging you for. If you add up around $90 worth of groceries in your head, and the cashier rings up a total of $300, would you accept it if they showed you a receipt that just said "groceries - $300"??? OR, would you make them show you specifically what it was in your cart that cost $200+ more than you thought it would? That actually was the analogy I told the Telus CSR that prompted them to just remove the extra data charge from my bill.
> 
> Would it be an invasion of privacy? Sure, but so would a printout showing prescriptions, personal hygiene products, and fibre supplements. If I actually asked them to review it and show it to me, there is no privacy expectation.


Internet (and thus data) is a utility, similar to hydro or gas. You wouldn't expect your hydro or gas company to tell you how you've used either, would you?


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

John Clay said:


> Internet (and thus data) is a utility, similar to hydro or gas. You wouldn't expect your hydro or gas company to tell you how you've used either, would you?


No, since they do not collect the information from beyond the meter, the best they could do is tell people when the gas was used. However, they would know everything about the gas that entered the meter--just as the telcos know exactly what sort of data you consume.


----------



## WCraig (Jul 28, 2004)

John Clay said:


> Internet (and thus data) is a utility, similar to hydro or gas. You wouldn't expect your hydro or gas company to tell you how you've used either, would you?


Every packet of data on the internet goes to or comes from an IP address. I think we should be able to see, day by day, the amount of data exchanged with each IP address. Not dissimilar to your phone bill.

Of course, this would cause and explosion of storage requirements for the ISP. Right now they keep track total bytes used per customer per day. Keeping track of each IP address would multiply that by a factor of hundreds or thousands. Which would require expensive hardware and raise privacy concerns.

Craig


----------



## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

WCraig said:


> Every packet of data on the internet goes to or comes from an IP address. I think we should be able to see, day by day, the amount of data exchanged with each IP address. Not dissimilar to your phone bill.
> 
> Of course, this would cause and explosion of storage requirements for the ISP. Right now they keep track total bytes used per customer per day. Keeping track of each IP address would multiply that by a factor of hundreds or thousands. Which would require expensive hardware and raise privacy concerns.
> 
> Craig


You'd really want to see the source/destination IP for all of your internet usage? I can't fathom why, unless you were trying to snoop on someone. The amount of noise would be astounding, too. A single webpage of ehMac connects to tons of IPs, because of all the ads and other services embedded in the pages.

Telecom utilities are fast heading towards unlimited usage for all services. My phone service and texting are unlimited, as is my mobile data. I've had unlimited internet at home for almost a decade. Tracking usage is really a thing of the past.


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

But the data is associated with his account. It doesn't matter what he did with it, he used it. That is the way I look at it.


----------



## psycosis (Mar 29, 2005)

WCraig said:


> Every packet of data on the internet goes to or comes from an IP address. I think we should be able to see, day by day, the amount of data exchanged with each IP address. Not dissimilar to your phone bill.
> 
> Of course, this would cause and explosion of storage requirements for the ISP. Right now they keep track total bytes used per customer per day. Keeping track of each IP address would multiply that by a factor of hundreds or thousands. Which would require expensive hardware and raise privacy concerns.
> 
> Craig


Also.. what does it gain you, with ad networks and complicated cdn networks.. the data would be pretty meaningless to humans. 

One thing I would like Apple to do is to add an auto reset for a given day of the month to go with my billing cycle.


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

psycosis said:


> Also.. what does it gain you, with ad networks and complicated cdn networks.. the data would be pretty meaningless to humans.
> 
> *One thing I would like Apple to do is to add an auto reset for a given day of the month to go with my billing cycle*.


Yes that would work. Also allow you to set some sort of alarm if you are coming close to max limit.

The problem I notice with Rogers there is no set 'day' they use to turn over billing cycle I found. But something like that would get you close.


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

That would sure be nice, and maybe have the ability to log the previous amounts and date set/reset.


----------



## WCraig (Jul 28, 2004)

John Clay said:


> You'd really want to see the source/destination IP for all of your internet usage? I can't fathom why, unless you were trying to snoop on someone. The amount of noise would be astounding, too. A single webpage of ehMac connects to tons of IPs, because of all the ads and other services embedded in the pages.
> 
> Telecom utilities are fast heading towards unlimited usage for all services. My phone service and texting are unlimited, as is my mobile data. I've had unlimited internet at home for almost a decade. Tracking usage is really a thing of the past.





psycosis said:


> Also.. what does it gain you, with ad networks and complicated cdn networks.. the data would be pretty meaningless to humans.
> 
> One thing I would like Apple to do is to add an auto reset for a given day of the month to go with my billing cycle.


I want to focus on the top 20 IP addresses (actually hosts) by MB transferred. The OP had a spike in data usage that he felt was unwarranted. With this type of detail you'd be able to see where the data is coming from. Right now, you just have to take the ISP's word that you used the data. And pay for overage charges. 

Craig


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

Joker Eh said:


> If you see the Wifi symbol you are on wifi, no cellular data used.
> 
> There are also settings that allow you to set which apps can use cell data and which can't.



Thanks, and that's what I thought.

But... I haven't had my Cellular Data enabled for over a week now on my older iPad 2 with iOS 7.1.2, and I just checked its Settings, and it now says for Cellular Data Usage, Current Period = 355KB, not much I know, but still some usage, but even stranger is the fact that I *did not* reset the Current Period in any way.

It was last showing about 1.9GB. Strange.

Is there something else that can reset the usage or some way to tell when it was reset??

Wi-Fi is enabled and connected to my Apple Express and the wi-fi icon is showing at the top left of the screen.

Edit:
Maybe this could be one of the reasons I just came across:
"You can tap on System Services to see how much cellular data is used by system components that you can't prevent from using the cellular connection, like DNS services, Time & Location, Siri, mapping, networking, and such. ..."

My System Services is showing 349 KB.

So I'm guessing that all cellular use is not completely disabled when Cellular Data is disabled in the Settings???


----------



## psycosis (Mar 29, 2005)

WCraig said:


> I want to focus on the top 20 IP addresses (actually hosts) by MB transferred. The OP had a spike in data usage that he felt was unwarranted. With this type of detail you'd be able to see where the data is coming from. Right now, you just have to take the ISP's word that you used the data. And pay for overage charges.
> 
> Craig


So lets say they say.. you used 1 gig of Netflix on the 15th. You say.. no I didn't.

Or they say.. you used 1 gig on the 15th. You say.. no I didn't. 

You are at the same point.. your word against theirs. They take off the charge either way. 

Also, internet traffic does not go by hostname. DNS is a separate processes. Good luck tying ip info to actual use. ISPs give you access to the Internet.. not access to each site.


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

pm-r said:


> Thanks, and that's what I thought.
> 
> But... I haven't had my Cellular Data enabled for over a week now on my older iPad 2 with iOS 7.1.2, and I just checked its Settings, and it now says for Cellular Data Usage, Current Period = 355KB, not much I know, but still some usage, but even stranger is the fact that I *did not* reset the Current Period in any way.
> 
> ...


Have you tried to Reset Statistics unde Settings-->Cellular?

Do you have 3G enabled still? I think some data from carrier may be calculated here. Like Messages? just a guess on my part


----------



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

psycosis said:


> So lets say they say.. you used 1 gig of Netflix on the 15th. You say.. no I didn't.
> 
> Or they say.. you used 1 gig on the 15th. You say.. no I didn't.
> 
> ...


And you saying they take off the charge each and every time someone calls in to dispute the data charges? I just don't think so.


----------



## psycosis (Mar 29, 2005)

Joker Eh said:


> And you saying they take off the charge each and every time someone calls in to dispute the data charges? I just don't think so.


I previous poster said they were able to get the charges removed. I was just going by that. 

My point is If they are going to take if off or not, them knowing the name of the service is not gonna change it one way or the other.


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

Joker Eh said:


> Have you tried to Reset Statistics unde Settings-->Cellular?


Nope. It still says Last Reset: Never

But something sure reset it from what it had been saying for the Data Usage.

Edit: After enabling the cell data for a bit and then disabling it, it now says it was reset May 9. 2014. Really??? I sure haven't hit the Reset Statistics!!



Do you have 3G enabled still? I think some data from carrier may be calculated here. Like Messages? just a guess on my part[/QUOTE said:


> Nope. My Cellular Data has been showing as Off for over a week+.
> 
> But out of curiosity I just turned in On briefly and then Off again, and now my Current Period is back to showing 1.9 GB
> System Services is showing 20.6 GB
> ...


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

I just realized that it was May 9, 2014 9:38 AM that I installed the SIMM card into my iPad 2, but why has it taken so long for the Last Reset to say so, as for months until now it had been saying "Never", and cell data had been enabled for some use. Not exactly exacting and up to date reliable info. 

But maybe it finally updated itself correctly somehow and I guess I'll never know how or why it took so long.


----------



## heavyall (Nov 2, 2012)

John Clay said:


> Internet (and thus data) is a utility, similar to hydro or gas. You wouldn't expect your hydro or gas company to tell you how you've used either, would you?


If my bill suddenly spiked, but my usage didn't change accordingly, I absolutely would expect them to prove that I used it. You can't just tell someone they owe you money if you can't prove it.


----------



## WCraig (Jul 28, 2004)

psycosis said:


> So lets say they say.. you used 1 gig of Netflix on the 15th. You say.. no I didn't.
> 
> Or they say.. you used 1 gig on the 15th. You say.. no I didn't.
> 
> You are at the same point.. your word against theirs. They take off the charge either way.


No, they don't take the charges off. With my old plan, our household regularly used just under the bandwidth cap. Except for those few months where we blew 30 to 50% past the cap and got charged the maximum overage. Looking day by day, there were certain days with enormous spikes in usage...for no good reason. Either we had a rouge program downloading like mad OR their records were wrong. They insist their records were right. Our usage was back to normal so there was no evidence of a rouge. Basically a Catch-22.

Oh, and their 'records' are pretty poor. It normally took 2 days to update the website with usage stats. So, today the 24th, I'd be able to find out what they recorded as my usage for the 22nd. Anytime there is a batch process like that, there is the possibility of posting the batch job twice and I'm convinced that happened. Of course, I could never prove it.



> Also, internet traffic does not go by hostname. DNS is a separate processes. Good luck tying ip info to actual use. ISPs give you access to the Internet.. not access to each site.


Reverse DNS

Craig


----------



## psycosis (Mar 29, 2005)

WCraig said:


> No, they don't take the charges off. With my old plan, our household regularly used just under the bandwidth cap. Except for those few months where we blew 30 to 50% past the cap and got charged the maximum overage. Looking day by day, there were certain days with enormous spikes in usage...for no good reason. Either we had a rouge program downloading like mad OR their records were wrong. They insist their records were right. Our usage was back to normal so there was no evidence of a rouge. Basically a Catch-22.
> 
> Oh, and their 'records' are pretty poor. It normally took 2 days to update the website with usage stats. So, today the 24th, I'd be able to find out what they recorded as my usage for the 22nd. Anytime there is a batch process like that, there is the possibility of posting the batch job twice and I'm convinced that happened. Of course, I could never prove it.
> 
> ...


I am not defending the records they keep. I believe it can be much better. I am just saying, good records of data use is as good as records of where the data is going. If they can say to you, yesterday between 6 and 7, you used 10 gigs, that is good enough. Were it goes is your problem, not theirs. 

Even with reverse DNS, given complicated CDN setups and all the ad networks, you don't always get an easy service name.


----------



## Abby (Aug 19, 2010)

+Data Monitor
It worked almost accurate for me, but seems the newest version are not so well.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/data-monitor-manage-data-usage/id576233634?mt=8


----------



## 4mcntrls (Nov 9, 2009)

Data usage pro works well. Compared its measurement to my provider it is nearly exactly what they charge me for. Tells you both wifi and cell data usage.


----------



## vancouverdave (Dec 14, 2008)

Got this text message today;

Rogers Alert: You have reached 80% of your data plan allowance. Additional charges will apply for exceeding your allowance in this invoice period.


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

vancouverdave said:


> Got this text message today;
> 
> Rogers Alert: You have reached 80% of your data plan allowance. Additional charges will apply for exceeding your allowance in this invoice period.




Huh...???? They're charging you for exceeding your allowance when there's still 20% left??? No wonder they make so much money. 

Oh right, sorry, it's IF you exceed your limit you'll get charged. Nice to get a warning.


----------



## HenriHelvetica (Oct 4, 2011)

vancouverdave said:


> Got this text message today;
> 
> Rogers Alert: You have reached 80% of your data plan allowance. Additional charges will apply for exceeding your allowance in this invoice period.


I've seen that for my home internet BUT never got that for my cellular. I actually feel like calling back to complain about it. 

it at least would have got me to inquire about what I was doing for such an overage. Again, the overage was totally out of normal pattern and exceeded my limit by near 50%. *No trust in Rogers*. none. 

I did cut some services recently so I'm happy for that. 

BTW, glad this thread is still going!

H!


----------

