increased data plan = increased usage?

[forgivemyhonesty]

For quite some time I've only had 1gb of data available to me on my iphone 5 and I wouldn't typically exceed the usage. In May I upgraded my data to 2gb because I noticed for 2 months in a row, I had to turn off cellular data for the last 3 days of my cycle to avoid overages. Now i'm using insane amounts of data (200mb in a day) but I don't feel that my usage has changed.

I don't use music streaming services and only a couple times a month will I stream youtube while on the network. I really have no idea why my usage has skyrocketed. I have yet to upgrade to iOS 7.1.1, and although I use LTE, I went months without it being an issue.

Has anyone else noticed this?

[nasty · Accepted solution]

You need to go into your settings to find what is using cellular data in the foreground and background. You then disable what does not need to constantly be syncing or refreshing status. Your battery monitor should also show what apps are always awake and sucking on data. launch the Settings app and tap on Cellular. http://www.cnet.com/how-to/keep-apps-from-using-cellular-data-on-ios-7/

[nasty · Accepted solution]

You need to go into your settings to find what is using cellular data in the foreground and background. You then disable what does not need to constantly be syncing or refreshing status. Your battery monitor should also show what apps are always awake and sucking on data. launch the Settings app and tap on Cellular. http://www.cnet.com/how-to/keep-apps-from-using-cellular-data-on-ios-7/

[xray]

Make sure you are still connecting to WiFi at home and the office. You will notice an increase in data usage if you are no longer on WiFi at places where you spend a lot of time.

My wife complained recently about a spike in usage and I pointed out to her that she had WiFi turned off!

[forgivemyhonesty]

I always make sure I'm on wifi and I've already restricted cellular access to a bunch of apps.

I recently reset the cellular tracking and within 24 hours an app had used 150mb which is baffling to me.

or in the 20 minutes while I'm driving to work where I may check something at a red light, i apparently used 95mbs? there are just these random massive data sucks that only started happening since i increased my plan. before that 60mb was a big day of data for me to use. now i'll have some days that are 50mb, others that are 230mb. i don't use any song streaming apps or anything crazy. i mostly surf facebook, send emails (very rarely email pictures), and check bbc or something.

i guess it's just weird to me that i was using approx. 1GB a month for a year and half and now i'm using 2GB when my usage hasn't really changed.

[NFtoBC]

Simply increasing your data allowance would not increase your consumption. There has to be something else happening that you've not yet discovered. I suggest you keep digging into this to see what you can find.

[xray]

Have you installed any new apps around the time you noticed the usage increase?

I'm not familiar with iOS but there must be a way to monitor which apps are using data. On Android it looks like this:

[NFtoBC]

On iPhone, use Settings > Cellular then scroll to the bottom of the screen. You can turn apps on and off, see what system apps are using data, and reset the count.