# Smart phone data usage **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 22, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758 "2014-07-22T17:54:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/21 "2014-07-23T01:01:25Z")
samclem The directions are somewhat complex. From the My Verizon page goto my bill. On that page there are 3 tabs. Bill Summary, Charge Details and Call, Messages & Data. Click on the Calls Messages and data tab. That brings you to a page that probably lists all your call. There is a 4 links under the tab. Voice, Messaging, Data, Roaming. Click on data That will give you a list of data transactions. Under the 4 links but above the list of charges there is a download to spreadsheet link. You can also get a spread sheet about calls, text and roaming. Once you are logged into the my verizon site this link probably gets to the bill page. > **[My Verizon login. Sign in to your Verizon Wireless or Fios Account](https://login.verizonwireless.com/vzauth/UI/Login?realm=vzw&goto=https%3A%2F%2Fmyvpostpay.verizonwireless.com%3A443%2Fvzw%2Faccountholder%2Fmybill%2FBillingSummary.action)** > > Log in or register your My Verizon account today! You can check your data usage, pay your bills and manage your account without having to go to a Verizon store. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/22 "2014-07-23T02:01:22Z")
On a broader question, why don’t they build radio tuners into phones. Do they want to force you to use expensive data or is there some other reason? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/23 "2014-07-23T02:13:20Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I’m not exactly a heavy user of Facebook, but when every dang video self-loads and self-starts, there’s almost enough data on the move to consider Facebook as a streaming video service. Facebook only “self-loads and self-starts” video if you have that option selected. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/24 "2014-07-23T14:01:40Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > On a broader question, why don’t they build radio tuners into phones. Do they want to force you to use expensive data or is there some other reason? A lot of android phones have FM radio tuners in them. All of my phones have had FM radio tuners in them. The latest one Verizon removed the FM tuner app but not the hardware. I had to hunt around to find out how to enable it. ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/25 "2014-07-23T15:29:40Z")
Hello JSC, Could be several reasons, for instance my Nokia 625 gobbled c500MB as part of an update from winphone 8 to 8.1. Location services, along with GPS, generally use an internet service to triangulate your position/traffic flow etc. Social networking sites will also send out a ‘hello I’m lonely’ call, as may your selected e-mail provider. Think push and pull, push your connection is always active by default, pull means a user activated connection. It’s in the interest of every 3G/LTE/4G carrier to promote high data usage, bread and butter income. As others have suggested above try and use free, or plan included, WiFi hot spots. Absurd as it sounds some Gas station chains include free WiFi in exchange for a loyalty card. Peter ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/26 "2014-07-23T17:21:38Z")
> [@pdunderhill](#): > > Could be several reasons, for instance my Nokia 625 gobbled c500MB as part of an update from winphone 8 to 8.1. Oh, man. NEVER do a system update over the network if you can avoid it - massive data bites are only one reason. Find a wifi spot and have a cup of something while you do updates. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/27 "2014-07-25T15:26:27Z")
On an iOS device like an iPhone running iOS 7, you can actually look at data use by app, and you can reset it at any time. > [@](#): > > One powerful new feature in the Settings app lets you see how much data your apps are using over your iPhone’s cellular connection. You can even block specific apps from accessing data over your cellular connection if you prefer, limiting them to Wi-Fi-based data access only. > > To find the options, launch Settings, and tap on Cellular. > > Scroll down past all the Personal Hotspot, Call Time, Cellular Data Usage, and other options, and you’ll get to a Use Cellular Data For section. > > The list is sorted alphabetically, unfortunately, and not by cellular data consumption. But you can see how much data each app has used over your iPhone’s cellular connection, and use the green slider to disable certain apps from using cellular data at all. > > 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. > > You can reset the statistics with a button at the very bottom of the screen. From [this page](http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=2013091705442319). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/28 "2014-07-25T16:42:25Z")
You can do that with Android too. Settings \> Data Usage (on 4.2 and higher anyway). The Facebook app’s most recent update set it to autoplay embedded video so most people’s usage has spiked. You can turn it off in the settings (“Video Auto-play”). ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/29 "2014-07-25T17:45:34Z")
[QUOTE=Ruken] Facebook only “self-loads and self-starts” video if you have that option selected. [/QUOTE] Where have they put that option this week? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/30 "2014-07-25T18:35:22Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > A lot of android phones have FM radio tuners in them. All of my phones have had FM radio tuners in them. The latest one Verizon removed the FM tuner app but not the hardware. I had to hunt around to find out how to enable it. My limited understanding (possibly wrong) is that the FM tuner is actually just temporarily reprogramming the software-controlled radio usually used for Bluetooth. That, and the fact that the radio needs a longer antenna (and therefore requires a wired headset or earbuds for that reason) seemed to be why you couldn’t listed to the FM tuner application through a Bluetooth audio device. But even if it’s supported in hardware, you’re right that it’s not apparently a big-enough selling point to support in default wireless-company Android builds. Weird, but then again those same company-tailored OS installs include a lot of “internet radio” and other streamer apps, which can pay the wireless company directly by running up data usage and maybe (speculating here) by kickbacks from the streamer service itself for each new subscriber. So it’d be against the provider’s financial interest in supporting a free alternative. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/31 "2014-07-25T22:29:33Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Where have they put that option this week? When I’m in the fb app, the phone’s menu button brings up settings options. It’s right in there. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758/32 "2014-07-26T02:53:07Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > My limited understanding (possibly wrong) is that the FM tuner is actually just temporarily reprogramming the software-controlled radio usually used for Bluetooth. > > That, and the fact that the radio needs a longer antenna (and therefore requires a wired headset or earbuds for that reason) seemed to be why you couldn’t listed to the FM tuner application through a Bluetooth audio device. > > But even if it’s supported in hardware, you’re right that it’s not apparently a big-enough selling point to support in default wireless-company Android builds. Weird, but then again those same company-tailored OS installs include a lot of “internet radio” and other streamer apps, which can pay the wireless company directly by running up data usage and maybe (speculating here) by kickbacks from the streamer service itself for each new subscriber. So it’d be against the provider’s financial interest in supporting a free alternative. Every phone I worked on that had FM used a combo-chip for BT/WiFi/FM. We just sent special commands to it to enable the FM path. You do need a fairly large antenna to get a good FM signal, so most systems use the cable plugged into the headset jack to provide the signal. There is no technical reason you can’t pipe this over Bluetooth, or even play it out the normal speaker. I’ve done it in test software. However, it tends not to make much sense to the end user, having to plug in a headset to get reception, but not use it for audio. So most implementations don’t allow this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-phone-data-usage/693758.md?page=1)