Data Charges even though cellular data turned off.

[GForbes]

Hoping someone can help.

I set up a new Moto G3 on December 27th. I'm on the basic prepaid Talk and Messaging 10 plan. I don't want data on my phone and have turned cellular data off on the phone, (any updates to software ect. i do via my home wifi) but am still getting data charges of $0.01 removed from my account everyday, sometimes twice a day.

The times are all different. Sometimes it's when I turn the phone on, and January 2, I had two data usage charges for $0.01 at times when the phone was in sleep mode.

Ant thoughts?

[NFtoBC · Accepted solution]

Some phones seem to have a bit of data leakage, which you may be experiencing. Make sure data is turned off both at the app level, and globally in your settings, then continue to monitor your consumption. If the data continues to be charged to your account, you may wish to contact Telus about applying a data block to your account.

[GForbes]

Thanks for responding NFtoBC.

I'm new to smartphones so just need a little clarification/instruction re turning off data at the app level and globally on the Moto G3.

What I did just after the phone was activated in store on Dec. 27th was "settings", "data usage", "cellular data" moved to off. just looking at My Account transaction record online, it's random when I'm getting the $0.01 data usage charge: got it twice on Dec 27, nothing on Dec 28, once on December 29 and 30, nothing on Dec 31 and Jan 1, twice on Jan 2 and once on Jan 3

How would I go about looking to see if it is off at the app level?

Thanks for your patience.

[NFtoBC]

I don't have the Moto G3, but a web search on the terms "Restrict Background Data Moto G3" or "Restrict Data Use by App Moto G3" will return a number of stepwise descriptors.

[Mobility_Princess]

There may be 2 aspects at play especially if you are new to smartphones. 1.) you want to make sure that mobile data limit is turned off. You don't want your motorola turning the data back on for you every 30 days without your knowledge. That would be in settings> data usage > Set mobile data limit would be turned on > just make sure it's turned off. If it was turned on than whatever the cycle dates are, it means that on that day, every 30 days, it's turning your data back on automatically for you, thinking it's being a helpful little smartphone resetting your data usage for you. 2.) the more likely scenario is that data reserve. All prepaid accounts will have a data reserve of money pulled from the account whether they use or want to use data. Usually it is just a one time charge of $2.59 that sits on the account and is refunded to the customer when there is no usage. If the phone is using a microscopic amount of data, like @NFtoBC was talking about, the leaking then it would restart the data reserve and charge little bits now and again. luckily it's only charging .01 because the rates at $2 per 1mb. If there is no usage than the user will be refunded. The only real solution is the make sure set mobile data limit is off, mobile data is off, background app refresh is off and to be safe a free prepaid data block. 

[GForbes]

Thanks Mobility Princess and NFtoBC.

With the cellular data off as it has been since I activated the phone, I went into settings, data usage, and under the cellular usage graph individually selected restrict background data for all the apps listed.

Three days and no new data charges. If it happens again I'll have to see about the free prepaid data block you mentioned Mobility Princess.

[GForbes]

Spoke too soon.

Data charges are back today.

Will go in-store tomorrow to get the prepaid data block put on.

Tried to see if I could put it on through My Account, but it wasn't there to add it.

[Mobility_Princess]

I'm not sure if you can add the prepaid one yourself. If you can it would be called prepaid data block and say $0. 

[GForbes]

Thanks again Mobility Princess.

No I couldn't add the prepaid data block myself.

They can't add it in-store either.

Had to call customer service and after 27 minutes on hold, finally got it done.

[Mobility_Princess]

Yeah sorry about that 😞 If you chat in online it's typically not so bad. Evening time after 8pm Monday- Friday (we're open until 10pm) is usually the best time these days or in the mornings from 8am-10am Monday - Friday are the slowest times if you are calling in 😉

[Joadee]

This fixed the problem for me. I had the same problem of getting charged one or two cents everyday on my prepaid account for data usage even though mobile data was turned off and all apps were not allowed to use data in the background. I went to my settings and under mobile networks I switched my mobile network to 3G only (it had previously been 3G/2G auto connect).  Since then I have not had the charges on my account. 

If you don't want any data at all on your phone then contact a Telus Service Representative and they will put a data block on your account.