How did I rack up a huge data overage on my Android phone?

[Scarlett67]

OK, so I got a new smartphone in January, a Samsung Acclaim, through US Cellular. First smartphone, so I'm still learning the ins and outs. I'm not a heavy user, but I like being able to check e-mail away from home, go online to look up stuff, etc. without having to hunt down wi-fi. I pretty much only use the phone when I'm out and about, which is maybe one or two days a week, and even then maybe an hour total TOPS on a "heavy use" day.

My first regular bill after the initial one with the setup charges was about what I expected, $76 and change. Okey-dokey.

Went online to get the amount for this month and it was something like $294!! Whoa, whoa, whoa!!

I seldom make calls, so that's not it. I have a 5GB monthly data limit, and I can't imagine ever coming close. Last time I checked my usage at home -- where I'm online pretty much all day, every day, uploading/downloading files, surfing, watching the occasional YouTube video, etc., no streaming movies/music/radio -- I was at 4.4 GB. So I cannot imagine how I topped 5GB on my frigging PHONE.

I hunt around the Web site and can't find current usage. So I call the 800 number and talk to a nice rep. He agreed that based on my described usage, there must be a glitch, and he submitted a ticket. They'll investigate and someone will call me back.

Meanwhile I'm trying to think how this could have legitimately happened. I asked him whether there are apps that suck data even when I'm not using the phone, like GPS or something. He said no, that when I "close" an app and go back to the home screen, data flow stops.

But an online friend said that GPS can suck data if it's constantly "pinging" or whatever, and she knew someone whose phone was constantly checking e-mail and racked up overages that way.

I do have some GPS-using apps, and for now I've disabled (I hope) the GPS, intending to enable it when I need it (say, for my track-your-run app, or Find a Starbucks ), but that seems like a kludge. Kind of defeats the purpose of having the thing, if it can't recognize when you don't need it.

Occasionally the e-mail app will appear to be stuck, trying to get a connection, and I've always just closed it, thinking (as the guy said) that that would "kill" the connection. But maybe not. I just poked around in the app and I don't see a way to tell it to stop trying to connect.

Any thoughts from the more phone-savvy Dopers?

[vinniepaz]

I don't think it's GPS. I'm pretty sure your phone receives GPS signals over a dedicated antenna, not via the Internet. That is, GPS signals are broadcast over the air (like radio) and can be similarly picked up by anyone with a receiver free of charge. Your phone contains one of those receivers which operates independently of it's cellular data link.

So, I think you can re-enable your GPS. Other than that, I have no idea. I would guess that it's a genuine error on your providers' part.

[Baffle]

My wife's iPhone has a GPS program. It's just Google Maps and it triangulates location based on local cellphone towers. Downloading a lot of maps could be causing your high data usage.

[Declan]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

I seldom make calls, so that's not it. I have a 5GB monthly data limit, and I can't imagine ever coming close. Last time I checked my usage at home -- where I'm online pretty much all day, every day, uploading/downloading files, surfing, watching the occasional YouTube video, etc., no streaming movies/music/radio -- I was at 4.4 GB. So I cannot imagine how I topped 5GB on my frigging PHONE.


Any thoughts from the more phone-savvy Dopers?

Two things come to mind

First that your phone will grab the strongest signal, so that when you think your on wifi, its actually grabbing the cell signal.

The second is that the Data meters are not one hundred percent reliable and in real time, so when you were at 4.4, it may have been closer to 5 than you thought. You might see if your carrier can send you a text message when you cross the magic line or just about.

Declan

[bouv]

Originally Posted by Declan

Two things come to mind

First that your phone will grab the strongest signal, so that when you think your on wifi, its actually grabbing the cell signal.

The second is that the Data meters are not one hundred percent reliable and in real time, so when you were at 4.4, it may have been closer to 5 than you thought. You might see if your carrier can send you a text message when you cross the magic line or just about.

I think the OP meant that the 4.4 GB is what they were using on their home PC. Since they know how much hey are online with their home PC< and know they go nowhere near that amount with the phone, then there is no way the phone is over.

I agree it must be some kind of glitch, or you were 'roaming.' A lot of cell companies will let you roam voice for free on other cell company's networks, but if you use data, they'll charge you out the ass.

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by Declan

First that your phone will grab the strongest signal, so that when you think your on wifi, its actually grabbing the cell signal.

I'm confused by this. I've never used wi-fi with this phone (that I know of). Kind of defeats the purpose of having my own secure connection. And still, how am I using multiple gigs of data, regardless of how I'm connecting?

Originally Posted by Thylacine

My android has a setting under the network settings for allowing background data use by apps. If not disabled my weather app updates itself, my mail is checked, news headlines downloaded, games updated etc. I disallow that and do those things manually by hitting their icons instead of having them routinely go to get info.

ETA: Oh, are you sure about the calls? My partner has the identical phone to mine and wasn't hanging up properly, not a big deal on my voicemail with a time limit which is how I discovered the problem too late, disastrous when she called someone who also didn't hang up. 3 hour calls are not cheap.

Good call. I checked that and it was enabled. Not anymore.

I thought about calls, but I'm pretty careful about hanging up because I'm not used to that goofy slider thingy yet. Also, the rep said it was definitely data and not voice overages. (There was one day when I supposedly used a gig. I checked my records and I was home working that day. Why would I be fiddling with my phone for a gig's worth? The fact that it sounds so sporadic tells me that it's not something like my e-mail being checked every 5 minutes or something.)

Originally Posted by Slightly mad scientist

You can monitor your traffic with apps on Android, e.g. 3G Watchdog

I forgot to mention that the rep recommended this, and I did install it. I see that my phone used a few hundred KB overnight, but still that wouldn't add up to multiple GB over a month. I'll see what happens now that I've killed background data use.

Originally Posted by bouv

I think the OP meant that the 4.4 GB is what they were using on their home PC. Since they know how much hey are online with their home PC< and know they go nowhere near that amount with the phone, then there is no way the phone is over.

I agree it must be some kind of glitch, or you were 'roaming.' A lot of cell companies will let you roam voice for free on other cell company's networks, but if you use data, they'll charge you out the ass.

Yes, the 4.4GB was at home, on my desktop machine.

I just double-checked, and I'm on Primary Plus, which is supposed to be national voice and data. So I shouldn't be roaming ever, right?

Originally Posted by US Cellular

The best value in wireless.

You love to browse. You love to e-mail. You love to text. And yeah, you like to talk a little bit, too. Here's your plan. You'll get 450 anytime minutes, unlimited messaging, a full 5 GB of data and GPS navigation. Nobody gives you more value for less. If you'd like the freedom of having more minutes, consider an Essential Plus or Premium Plus plan.

This is a National Plan with no roaming fees, and it includes Data Plus with national 3G data, Web, e-mail and turn-by-turn navigation, Unlimited Nights & Weekends starting at 7 p.m. and Unlimited Mobile to Mobile (M2M).

[CookingWithGas]

Originally Posted by Declan

Two things come to mind

First that your phone will grab the strongest signal, so that when you think your on wifi, its actually grabbing the cell signal.

I am not a cellphone engineer but I would challenge this statement. You are either on WiFi or you're not. If the WiFi signal is strong enough to make a connection, the phone should not prefer a stronger cell signal for an Internet connection. I would be pissed if the above were true; any supporting cites?

[Thylacine]

My android has a setting under the network settings for allowing background data use by apps. If not disabled my weather app updates itself, my mail is checked, news headlines downloaded, games updated etc. I disallow that and do those things manually by hitting their icons instead of having them routinely go to get info.

ETA: Oh, are you sure about the calls? My partner has the identical phone to mine and wasn't hanging up properly, not a big deal on my voicemail with a time limit which is how I discovered the problem too late, disastrous when she called someone who also didn't hang up. 3 hour calls are not cheap.

[dzeiger]

On mine, that's Settings, then Accounts and Sync. All sorts of things can be set to sync automatically in the background.

[needscoffee]

Never mind.

[Slightly mad scientist]

Using more than 5 gigabytes is very hard if you don't use something like streaming radio, or are constantly watching videos on youtube. If your phone is using that much data that is most likely a misbehaving application.

You can monitor your traffic with apps on Android, e.g. 3G Watchdog, it won't tell you which application is causing the traffic, but you should be able to see your general usage.

[Slightly mad scientist]

For roaming there is an option on Android, check under Settings -> Wireless and Network -> Mobile Networks -> Data roaming. The names are approximate translations, I don't have an english Android installed. Make sure that option is disabled.

[Ferret Herder]

Scarlett, I don't know about the Android, but on the iPhone, wifi usage does not count against your data usage limit. You might want to consider enabling wifi for that reason.

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by Ferret Herder

Scarlett, I don't know about the Android, but on the iPhone, wifi usage does not count against your data usage limit. You might want to consider enabling wifi for that reason.

I believe that's true for Android also, but again, (1) I'm paying for a secure connection, why not use it? And (2) this doesn't explain how my data usage went (or is going through) the roof.

[Apex Rogers]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

I believe that's true for Android also, but again, (1) I'm paying for a secure connection, why not use it? And (2) this doesn't explain how my data usage went (or is going through) the roof.

1) Why do you keep calling it a secure connection? There's nothing inherent to 3G that makes it more secure than Wi-Fi, in fact, you're more secure with WPA2 encryption on WiFi than broadcasting 3G miles away to the tower.

The other point is that most home connections are quicker than 3G--both in bandwidth and latency.

2) This is indeed a mystery. I think we need to know more about your habits with the device. What sort of apps are you using and how often?

[Reply]

Originally Posted by Apex Rogers

1) Why do you keep calling it a secure connection? There's nothing inherent to 3G that makes it more secure than Wi-Fi, in fact, you're more secure with WPA2 encryption on WiFi than broadcasting 3G miles away to the tower.

3G connections need special radios to intercept and typically have at least rudimentary encryption (cracked in the past, but at least it's there) so they're less accessible than wide-open WiFi. Compared to a properly-configured WPA2 setup, no, they're probably not any more secure, but most home hotspots are not properly-configured WPA2 setups.

[sparky!]

For your described usage, there is no way you've hit 5GB.

The only time I ever topped 1GB on my iPhone was when I was in NYC using GPS a lot with 3G.

Even streaming Pandora (which I do a lot at work) and generally using the phone on 3G quite a bit, I generally stay around 0.5GB of data usage per month.

There must be a misbehaving app.

[jjimm]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

I believe that's true for Android also, but again, (1) I'm paying for a secure connection, why not use it?

Why don't you use a secure WiFi connection?

Also, since it's a new phone, did you download a heap of apps when you got it, via your 3G rather than using WiFi like most people would? That would do it.

[scr4]

I don't think it's GPS or background data. I have both enabled on my Android phone, as well as auto-sync on two e-mail accounts. It's showing 150 MB usage over the past week, and I think much of that is e-mail attachments that I read on the phone.

Have you ever tethered your laptop to the phone (i.e. use the phone to connect your laptop to the internet - also called "Portable Wi-Fi hotspot") If so, are you sure you turned off the feature afterwards?

[enalzi]

Just to reiterate the OP, she says she only uses the phone when away from home, IE, should would be using public WIFI instead of 3G.

Anyway, I would say the problem is on the phone company's end. Even with a misbehaving app, 5 GB is a lot to rack up on a phone. I use Pandora on my phone all the time and I still never rack up 5 gigs a month.

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by Apex Rogers

1) Why do you keep calling it a secure connection?

Well, that's how it was explained to me, that connecting to the Internet through my cell phone would be a secure connection, unlike most public wi-fi, where any bozo on the same open network with the right sniffing software can grab my passwords and stuff. Not sure how somebody would do that when I'm using my broadband connection.

2) This is indeed a mystery. I think we need to know more about your habits with the device. What sort of apps are you using and how often?

Apps on home screen(s):

Calculator: Used a few times
Voice Search: Don't know what that is
Talk: Don't know what that is
Market: Have used, duh
Maps: Tried it once, disappointed.
Evernote: Haven't set up yet
MyContacts: ???
Tone Room: Downloaded one ringtone
Your Navigator: ???
Help

SoundHound: Downloaded but haven't used
AndRecord: Ditto
Camera: Have uploaded a few photos
Color Flashlight: Toy
Contacts: Have used, duh
RunKeeper: GPS run tracker. Tried it once or twice.
Aldiko: eBook reader. Downloaded a bunch of public domain books.
Twitter: Occasional use. Had a couple of heavy days.
Phone: Few calls.
Email: Occasional use. Don't bother with downloading attachments; I wait till I'm home.
Browser: Some surfing, again, only a few days a month.
Facebook: Ditto.

Winamp
Gallery
YouTube: Might have used a few times.
Find a Starbucks: Might have used a few times.
The Weather Channel; Occasional use.
PointsPlus: Weight Watchers app.
Dropbox: Haven't set up yet.
MSNBC.com

Apps on pull-up tab (not already on home screen):

3G Watchdog
Adobe Reader
Alarm Clock
Amazon
Backgrounds: Wallpapers.
Best Buy
Books: Not sure what this is.
Calendar
CityID: Not sure what this is.
Compass
Dictionary.com
File Viewer: Haven't used
GMail: Never used.
IMDb
Journey Tracker: Another run tracker. GPS. Tried it once.
Messaging: Never used.
Music: ???
MySpace: Never used.
QuickOffice: Haven't set up yet.
Shazam: Tried it, but "upgraded" to Soundhound.
Twidroid: Used a few times. Prefer the regular app or Tweetdeck.
Urban Dictionary
Voice Control: ???
Yelp: Used once or twice

Originally Posted by jjimm

Why don't you use a secure WiFi connection?

I'm a little confused as to why everyone is recommending that I rely on public unsecured wi-fi to use my broadband-capable, $70/month smartphone. Why am I paying for my own connection if I'm still supposed to look for a McDonald's every time I want to get online? I could do that with my iPod Touch for free.

Also, there's no wi-fi in my car when it's going down the highway (don't pop a stitch, I'm talking about when I'm a passenger), and that's when I use it the most.

Also, since it's a new phone, did you download a heap of apps when you got it, via your 3G rather than using WiFi like most people would? That would do it.

Yes, but several months ago, and I've had a normal bill in the interim.

Originally Posted by scr4

Have you ever tethered your laptop to the phone (i.e. use the phone to connect your laptop to the internet - also called "Portable Wi-Fi hotspot") If so, are you sure you turned off the feature afterwards?

I haven't used that feature yet, but it's one of the reasons I got the phone—as an Internet backup for home.

Originally Posted by sevenwood

Presumably the OP's home network is secure, as he/she worries about that sort of thing.

(she) Yes, of course. My home network is firewalled and passworded. Besides, I live in the middle of Buttfuck, Nowhere, so it seems unlikely that somebody's going to sit in a car out on the road, in full view of my house where there's pretty much no traffic, to steal my bandwidth.

Originally Posted by enalzi

Just to reiterate the OP, she says she only uses the phone when away from home, IE, should would be using public WIFI instead of 3G.

Again, why? (And what about when I'm not near wi-fi, like in the car?) Why would I pay $70 month to NOT use the connection?

[Shmendrik]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

Again, why? (And what about when I'm not near wi-fi, like in the car?) Why would I pay $70 month to NOT use the connection?

For one thing, the wifi connection is probably at least 5 times faster than your "broadband-capable smartphone".

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by Shmendrik

For one thing, the wifi connection is probably at least 5 times faster than your "broadband-capable smartphone".

I dunno, the broadband seems fast enough for me. I don't need blazing fast; I'm not in so much of a rush that a few seconds waiting for a page to load is going to kill me.

But you say that's one thing; are there others? Why do people buy these phones and their associated data plans if using the broadband is such a crock?

(Why the quotation marks? They seem intended to indicate sarcasm more than the words I used.)

[twhitt]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

I dunno, the broadband seems fast enough for me. I don't need blazing fast; I'm not in so much of a rush that a few seconds waiting for a page to load is going to kill me.

But you say that's one thing; are there others? Why do people buy these phones and their associated data plans if using the broadband is such a crock?

(Why the quotation marks? They seem intended to indicate sarcasm more than the words I used.)

Almost all of the posters here, when mentioning wi-fi, are talking about using your phone to access your own secure, residential internet access over a wi-fi connection that you've established in your home using a wireless router. This situation may not apply to you, and it sounds like it's not applicable.

If you are currently connecting to your home internet using a laptop and a wireless router, however, it offers a few advantages. One is that it's totally safe and secure, to the degree that anything you do on that connection would be. Secondly, it's fast; considerably faster than a 3G connection when downloading a lot of data like new apps. Third, it costs you nothing in data charges. This is, again, only a concern if you're using a lot of data. It sounds like you're not. You may find these advantages to be not worthwhile, and that's fine based on your stated usage patterns.

While you are also able to use wi-fi at your neighborhood Starbucks, many of the advantages above are nullified, and there's potentially a lot of additional expense. I don't think anyone's advocating that you go accessing miscellaneous wi-fi networks unless you have compelling reason to do so.

[Shmendrik]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

I dunno, the broadband seems fast enough for me. I don't need blazing fast; I'm not in so much of a rush that a few seconds waiting for a page to load is going to kill me.

But you say that's one thing; are there others? Why do people buy these phones and their associated data plans if using the broadband is such a crock?

(Why the quotation marks? They seem intended to indicate sarcasm more than the words I used.)

The quotation marks should probably have just been on "broadband".

[enalzi]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

Again, why? (And what about when I'm not near wi-fi, like in the car?) Why would I pay $70 month to NOT use the connection?

Err, I was agreeing with you that it makes more sense to use 3G when away from home.

[Omniscient]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

Apps on home screen(s):

Calculator: Used a few times
Voice Search: Don't know what that is
Talk: Don't know what that is
Market: Have used, duh
Maps: Tried it once, disappointed.
Evernote: Haven't set up yet
MyContacts: ???
Tone Room: Downloaded one ringtone
Your Navigator: ???
Help

SoundHound: Downloaded but haven't used
AndRecord: Ditto
Camera: Have uploaded a few photos
Color Flashlight: Toy
Contacts: Have used, duh
RunKeeper: GPS run tracker. Tried it once or twice.
Aldiko: eBook reader. Downloaded a bunch of public domain books.
Twitter: Occasional use. Had a couple of heavy days.
Phone: Few calls.
Email: Occasional use. Don't bother with downloading attachments; I wait till I'm home.
Browser: Some surfing, again, only a few days a month.
Facebook: Ditto.

Winamp
Gallery
YouTube: Might have used a few times.
Find a Starbucks: Might have used a few times.
The Weather Channel; Occasional use.
PointsPlus: Weight Watchers app.
Dropbox: Haven't set up yet.
MSNBC.com

Apps on pull-up tab (not already on home screen):

3G Watchdog
Adobe Reader
Alarm Clock
Amazon
Backgrounds: Wallpapers.
Best Buy
Books: Not sure what this is.
Calendar
CityID: Not sure what this is.
Compass
Dictionary.com
File Viewer: Haven't used
GMail: Never used.
IMDb
Journey Tracker: Another run tracker. GPS. Tried it once.
Messaging: Never used.
Music: ???
MySpace: Never used.
QuickOffice: Haven't set up yet.
Shazam: Tried it, but "upgraded" to Soundhound.
Twidroid: Used a few times. Prefer the regular app or Tweetdeck.
Urban Dictionary
Voice Control: ???
Yelp: Used once or twice.

First and foremost, uninstall all those crappy apps that you never use or are redundant. Uninstall Shazam, all but one of your Twitter apps, MySpace, Urban Dictionary the GPS trackers that you aren't using, IMDB, Dictionary.com, Books, Best Buy, Adobe Reader and Backgrounds. Apps are sometimes poorly written and leak data. There's really no justifiable reason to keep apps that you never use and redundant apps. If you've got 3 Twitter apps all three are going to be constantly updating your account. The GPS tracker apps might be wasting a ton of data pulling in maps constantly in the background, stick with just one. All those website apps are better off as bookmarks. If you need to check a dictionary, IMDB or Best Buy just run your web browser and load their website. You don't know how shitty the Urban Dictionary app might be and it doesn't do anything the website doesn't. Ditto with the Find a Starbucks app, Google Maps is an excellent app and does this fine. No need for another possibly shitty app. Lose Winamp, The Weather Channel and MSNBC.com. Winamp might be worth keeping if you really like it, but if you don't listen to a lot of music stick with the stock apps. TWC and MSNBC are better as bookmarks than apps.

Not only do these things use extra data and take up space, they probably are burning your battery life faster than you want.

Next, go to Marketplace and click your menu button. Click "My Apps" and make sure everything is updated. Keeping apps up to date is important since good app developers are constantly fixing security holes, battery drain and data leaks. There might be a corrupt app that you have install that needs updating and will fix the issue.

There's a chance that your data issue was a fluke of their network and/or a bizarre state for a program you installed. Might never happen again and you might never be able to locate it. Uninstalling useless apps and keeping used ones up to date is going to be the safest way to protect it happening in the future.

Incidentally, I don't use Dropbox but of all the apps that's the one that seems most likely to spin a lot of data if it's constantly syncing files with cloud storage, the camera app might be similar depending on if you have your photos somehow synced with the cloud via facebook or something else.

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by Improvisor

In the email app under Account Settings you can set 'Inbox Check Frequency' which I turned to 'Never' since it is not my primary email account and now I sync it manually once a day. This solution may not be an option for you though.

Mine is already set for Never. As I've mentioned, I use the phone rarely enough that I know I don't need it to be constantly updating the e-mail. When I need to see my e-mail, I do it manually.

I found the problem by downloading the free version of the Phone Usage app.
https://market.android.com/details?i...=search_result

It basically tells you what apps are using data on 3G, WiFi, calls, etc. Once you download it, it takes a few days to build up the app usage data to graph out. So, download and install it, wait a few days, and it will tell you exactly what is using bandwidth.

Hm. I have 3G Watchdog, but that doesn't identify apps. I should probably try this one instead.

This morning the watchdog tells me it's used 1.39 MB since Monday.

Originally Posted by jjimm

So how many of the apps you listed did you download using 3GS?

Do you mean as opposed to wi-fi? All of them. But as I've explained, that was all shortly after I got the phone in January, and I've had a normal bill since January.

Originally Posted by Omniscient

First and foremost, uninstall all those crappy apps that you never use or are redundant.

I'll take this under advisement, but I do use and enjoy some of these "crappy apps." I know I should uninstall the redundant ones. Still plan to get around to testing the run trackers some more and pick one. (And I *think* they track only during a tracked run. Will investigate.) I plan to use the phone for my music player on runs so I don't have to carry it and the iPod Touch, and I'm not happy with the native player, hence Winamp (still playing with it). We're heavy Starbucks users when we travel, and the app gives me hours, which I don't think Google Maps will do. And I love Aldiko (eBook reader) and don't see how it could be using data when I'm just reading a book and not downloading one.

For things like The Weather Channel and MSNBC.com, I find the mobile versions much easier to use.

I do run updates as they come up.

Incidentally, I don't use Dropbox but of all the apps that's the one that seems most likely to spin a lot of data if it's constantly syncing files with cloud storage, the camera app might be similar depending on if you have your photos somehow synced with the cloud via facebook or something else.

As far as I know, I don't have anything synced*. I do hope to use Dropbox/Evernote in relation to my business; I just need to set them up and learn how to use them. Even so, I wouldn't be using them often, only when I'm away from home and need to handle work files, and 99% of the time when I'm in work mode I'm right here in this chair.

---
* I do have one annoyance that may be related to syncing, and that's with my contacts. First, I had my phone numbers ported over, and when I went to delete the old Alltel service numbers, it told me they were "read-only" and I could only hide them, not delete them. WTH? The same appears to be true for some but not all of my old numbers.

Second, some of those imported numbers are now somehow associated with Facebook and Gmail. Again, WTH? They were just numbers in my old non-smartphone, I don't have those people in my Facebook or Gmail accounts (most of them aren't even on FB!), and I don't want them connected to FB/GM at all. They're just numbers in my phone. And when I went to update one of the numbers the other day, it told me I couldn't edit the contact, nor delete it and create a new one. Come on!! Obviously there's some obscure thing I'm not grokking. I'd hate to have to wipe them all (how?) and put them all in again by hand (the ones I've added manually don't sem to have this problem). I've been meaning to call tech support or go in to the local office sometime and ask for help, but I haven't had the time/inclination.

[sevenwood]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

Besides, I live in the middle of Buttfuck, Nowhere

That might be a good reason to check your bill for roaming charges. If you don't have any (and you may not be doing any roaming or your contract may include domestic roaming for no extra charge), great! Otherwise, that's something you may be able to minimize.

This would probably be totally unrelated to your data overage issue.

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by sevenwood

That might be a good reason to check your bill for roaming charges. If you don't have any (and you may not be doing any roaming or your contract may include domestic roaming for no extra charge), great! Otherwise, that's something you may be able to minimize.

This would probably be totally unrelated to your data overage issue.

I bought the phone in town, 5 miles away, and I have a national plan with no roaming for voice or data. I double-checked this.

Since I started monitoring my bandwidth, everything looks normal. I have also (usually) been using the task killer when I put the phone back in my pocket/purse for a while, or when I plug it in at home. Ditto for allowing background data use. I have a couple of days showing zero data usage.

I stopped in at the "shop" on Saturday to see about some checks they'd wanted to do earlier in the week when I didn't have time to do them, but the service counter was closed. Will try again later this week.

[Fubaya]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

I have also (usually) been using the task killer

Just FYI, that's not necessary and can even drain more battery that if you didn't use it. Apps in the background are there for a reason, either finishing up something or in a suspended state just waiting for you to come back to it. Killing apps usually just makes the system do more work by reloading the app. (longer explanation)

[Chimera]

Whereas from my dealings with phone companies, I tend to classify this under

"Damn, he was paying attention"

[Scarlett67]

Well, I've got some people (including US Cellular tech support) telling me to use a task killer, and others telling me not to. I guess that means I can decide for myself, and for now I'm going to go with using it. I'd rather have to recharge the battery a little sooner (and so far I'm happy with battery life) than risk another $300 bill that US Cellular can't explain, but still insists on collecting.

[Cell Guy]

I'm a service tech with U.S. Cellular. The only times I've seen what you are describing it's been a runaway app or a glitch with the network. If it's an app I have a couple of suggestions for you:

1. If you haven't already done so upgrade to Android 2.2 The task manager on 2.2 is better than the one on 2.1 and negates the need for a third party app killer.

2. Continue to monitor your data usage. I'm not a fan of 3G Watchdog (I've found that it overestimates your usage on CDMA networks--it's more accurate on GSM networks). I use ZDBox. It's more accurate and breaks down how much data your individual apps are using.

3. If there's a large discrepancy between the data used on your next bill compared to what your phone says it used I would recommend wiping the phone. Your contacts are saved to your gmail account and your pictures, videos and music are saved to your memory card. If there's a runaway app this will solve the issue. I would then re-download your apps one or two at a time, monitoring your data usage after downloading them. If there's an app causing the problem you'll be able to detect it better this way.

To clarify some other things from this thread:

When you're using wifi the cellular data radio is turned off. As CookingWithGas said, you're either on wifi or you're not. Wifi usage does not count against the 5GB limit.

Your calling plan is a national plan so you will not be charged for roaming. Your phone may show that you're roaming but no charges will be applied.

I noticed that you downloaded a ringtone from Tone Room. My boss would not be happy with me for saying this, but don't use Tone Room. Check out Myxer. Many ringtones on Myxer are free and you can even create ringtones from your MP3s with the Myxer app.

If you don't hear anything from tech support in the next few days PM me. I can do some digging around for you. Unfortunately I can't do anything about the overage charge but I may be able to get some answers.

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by Cell Guy

1. If you haven't already done so upgrade to Android 2.2 The task manager on 2.2 is better than the one on 2.1 and negates the need for a third party app killer.

That's one of the fixes the tech guy suggested (if that's the same as Froyo?), and I'll have them do that when I go back in.

2. Continue to monitor your data usage. I'm not a fan of 3G Watchdog (I've found that it overestimates your usage on CDMA networks--it's more accurate on GSM networks). I use ZDBox. It's more accurate and breaks down how much data your individual apps are using.

Thanks, I'll try ZDBox. I'd like to see what apps are using data, and neither of teh ones I'm using do that.

3. If there's a large discrepancy between the data used on your next bill compared to what your phone says it used I would recommend wiping the phone. Your contacts are saved to your gmail account and your pictures, videos and music are saved to your memory card. If there's a runaway app this will solve the issue. I would then re-download your apps one or two at a time, monitoring your data usage after downloading them. If there's an app causing the problem you'll be able to detect it better this way.

I'm still a little confused as to why some of my contacts are tied to Gmail or Facebook when I never had them there in the first place. I'd rather have them as just numbers in the phone, especially since the Gmail/FB thing apparently doesn't allow me to update or delete them, which seems really stupid.

I noticed that you downloaded a ringtone from Tone Room. My boss would not be happy with me for saying this, but don't use Tone Room. Check out Myxer. Many ringtones on Myxer are free and you can even create ringtones from your MP3s with the Myxer app.

That was the first and last ringtone I will download. I simply didn't like any of the native ringtones, so I found one I liked (a "ringing phone sound, duh) and downloaded it. I don't care about getting fancy with ringtones, I just want one that's inobtrusive and sounds like a damn phone ringing already.

If you don't hear anything from tech support in the next few days PM me. I can do some digging around for you. Unfortunately I can't do anything about the overage charge but I may be able to get some answers.

Thanks very much for the offer. The last CS person I talked to has promised to check in with me once a week for the next month to see how things are going. (Wow!)

I think I'm going to put my thoughts about that bill in writing to US Cellular and if I can't get it at least partly knocked down. I mean, they can't explain how my usage was that high, they don't offer a native meter to check usage or an alert system to let me know if I'm getting close, there's no way to see a detailed accounting of where the data was used . . . basically it's, "We say you used this much data, but we're not going to show you how or where, but you have to pay this bill anyway." I brought it to their attention as soon as I found out, and I've been completely honest in explaining my usage, and what data they can see seems to bear that out. I'm feeling pretty blindsided here. I can understand that people sometimes intentionally rack up a huge bill and then try to weasel out of it, or maybe their stupid kid sent 3 million texts or downloaded 73 movies and they don't want to pay the bill. But none of that applies to me. As I explained to them, I had no reason to expect that I would ever come close to the limit, and they can't explain what happened, so why am I left holding the bag?

[Clark Cello]

Do you have any children that might be using the phone for things you are not aware of?

[RaftPeople]

There have been recent news items about Android Trojans that cause large data volumes.

Here is one article on the general topic, I've read others:
http://www.wirelessindustrynews.org/...-win-news.html

Here's another (article link says iphone but it covers Android also):
http://unravelingmysteries.com/smart...-viruses-iphon

[Cell Guy]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

That's one of the fixes the tech guy suggested (if that's the same as Froyo?), and I'll have them do that when I go back in.

Yes, it's the same as Froyo.

I'm still a little confused as to why some of my contacts are tied to Gmail or Facebook when I never had them there in the first place. I'd rather have them as just numbers in the phone, especially since the Gmail/FB thing apparently doesn't allow me to update or delete them, which seems really stupid.

When you put your Gmail info into the phone it automatically takes your phone contacts and places them in your Gmail contact list. It's a feature built in by Google. I like it a lot. I can't tell you how many times I've had a customer come in with a lost/smashed/moisture damaged phone that got upset because their contacts were lost. This way you have a separate place where those are stored and can be recovered in case anything happens to your phone.

I think I'm going to put my thoughts about that bill in writing to US Cellular and if I can't get it at least partly knocked down. I mean, they can't explain how my usage was that high, they don't offer a native meter to check usage or an alert system to let me know if I'm getting close, there's no way to see a detailed accounting of where the data was used . . . basically it's, "We say you used this much data, but we're not going to show you how or where, but you have to pay this bill anyway." I brought it to their attention as soon as I found out, and I've been completely honest in explaining my usage, and what data they can see seems to bear that out. I'm feeling pretty blindsided here. I can understand that people sometimes intentionally rack up a huge bill and then try to weasel out of it, or maybe their stupid kid sent 3 million texts or downloaded 73 movies and they don't want to pay the bill. But none of that applies to me. As I explained to them, I had no reason to expect that I would ever come close to the limit, and they can't explain what happened, so why am I left holding the bag?

Unfortunately the billing system doesn't allow for an alert system like Overage Protection for data, although this will change in the next year or so. Before sending the letter talk to Customer Relations, not Customer Service. I've seen CR do some great things to help customers. Stay calm when talking to them, mention how long you've been a customer and how much you like the service. If that doesn't work throw in how you would hate to cancel your service and go somewhere else. If that doesn't work then send the letter.

[Scarlett67]

Originally Posted by Clark Cello

Do you have any children that might be using the phone for things you are not aware of?

No. They asked me if someone might have used my phone without my knowledge. No kids. Husband not interested/wouldn't know how. A stranger would have had to take the phone without my knowledge, rack up a bunch of data charges, and then put it back in my purse/pocket or on my desk. Neat trick.

Originally Posted by Cell Guy

When you put your Gmail info into the phone it automatically takes your phone contacts and places them in your Gmail contact list.

But that's not what I'm seeing . . . most of them got made into "Facebook contacts," even though almost none of these people are on Facebook. And then they're not editable/deletable. Pretty useless.

I just spot checked a few that are "Google contacts" and I'm not seeing them in my Gmail contacts. I just synced them to be sure, and nothing. (I don't expect you to solve this for me, just describing the issue. Something else to bring up when I take the phone in.)

Originally Posted by Cell Guy

Before sending the letter talk to Customer Relations, not Customer Service. I've seen CR do some great things to help customers. Stay calm when talking to them, mention how long you've been a customer and how much you like the service. If that doesn't work throw in how you would hate to cancel your service and go somewhere else. If that doesn't work then send the letter.

Hmm . . . I'm not finding contact info for "Customer Relations," just the CS number. Googling just produces a bunch of complaints. Is it an option in the phone tree when you call the CS number?

[Cell Guy]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

Hmm . . . I'm not finding contact info for "Customer Relations," just the CS number. Googling just produces a bunch of complaints. Is it an option in the phone tree when you call the CS number?

Check your PMs.

[Fubaya]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

But that's not what I'm seeing . . . most of them got made into "Facebook contacts," even though almost none of these people are on Facebook. And then they're not editable/deletable. Pretty useless.

You can thank facebook for that, they have a history of hijacking your contacts, your life, your privacy, etc. Facebook maintains your facebook contacts on their servers, google keeps your contacts in your gmail account (or is supposed to, not sure what's up with yours). I don't think facebook contacts can be deleted but there might be an option under the contacts settings to not show them or an option under account sync to not sync them. I don't have facebook so my phone doesn't show anything or I might be of more help.

[cinnamon12]

I just purchased a US Cellular Samsung Acclaim and spent two days trying to figure everything out. I found where I was using most of my battery and probably racking up MGs of online time too, by going to settings, applications, running services then see what applications are running and using data and battery. You can also do a shorter route by going to settings, about phone, battery use -what has been using the battery. Then you have to go to the Application and physically find where the log out button is. This might not solve your problem but when I checked it out my maps and some other applications had been on for over 24 hours because I have always been used to just shutting my phone and the app would end, not on this one.