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being charged for data when within wifi distance...

mbwood

Lurker
Jul 21, 2011
2
0
So there have been some weird charges showing up on my moms bill(she pays for my phone). There were a few charges of decent amount of money (10bucks). At first when we were looking at these I had no idea what it was. Then I noticed my mom got some charges for my phone 5 days ago at 12:30 at night. it was in total sometihng like 12 dollars just for that day. I have been using my phone to look up stuff while I'm in bed for the last few days and i'm assuming that's what it is. The thing is, I was under the assumption that I was using my houses wifi to do it. I didn't even know whether my phone had the capability of getting internet whilst not in a wifi zone (it is a cheaper smartphone). I thought that even if it did have that capability, that if I wanted to access the internet it would at least ask me before it let me, letting me know I was about to be charged a lot of money. So I just have a few questions regarding this. -Is it true that you can access internet like this while not in a wifi zone and not even be aware that you are being charged? (thinking you are in a wifi area but not actually in one. I now notice that when I turn off wifi that a blue 3g symbol appears at the top) -does it sound like this is the case with me? -Is it possible for my mom to find out what I was looking up on youtube? I mean, we're going to our service provider to ask them about these charges. I don't expect my mom to specifically ask what I was looking up but Is it possible that the person that works there will say what I was looking up? (I was looking up some weird stuff lol) Help is very much appreciated
 
I think, 3G and WiFi are both switched on at your phone. With WiFi in reach, you'll get WiFi.
Maybe in your sleeping room the WiFi signal is weak. So the phone would automaticly switch to 3G.

You should look at the WiFi signal strenght in your house at different places with a tool like WiFi Analyzer.

EDIT: To be sure, you could mobile data connection switch off when you at home:)

Harry
 
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Wow, how do you get charged like that? Who's your carrier, whats your phone, etc?

oh sorry, I am in Canada and use telus. I have a galaxy apollo. I guess I have come to the conclusion that i wasn't connecting to my wifi for whatever reason and was using 3g and using up alot of data looking at youtube. Damn, it's alot of money, like 30 dollars over a few days i think. I wish their site wasn't down now so I could actually look at the bill
 
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The thing is, I was under the assumption that I was using my houses wifi to do it.
Why would you assume (keep the old saying in mind) when you can glance at your notification bar to verify? It seems like many people severely under utilize the notification bar. If you're not familiar with it then search and read up and ask for help if you can't find anything.

I thought that even if it did have that capability, that if I wanted to access the internet it would at least ask me before it let me, letting me know I was about to be charged a lot of money.
Nope. Your device connects to your carrier's network by default. Managing your usage is your responsibility. If you want a feature like that then include it in your must have list when shopping or find an app to help you out. Again, don't assume. Performing proper due diligence is your responsibility as well.

Is it true that you can access internet like this while not in a wifi zone and not even be aware that you are being charged?
Only if you're clueless and irresponsible. Whatever the case, you know better now. Your device will use your carrier for data if you're not connected to WiFi. Again, check your notification bar. Those icons aren't just for looks. :p

With WiFi in reach, you'll get WiFi.
Not automatically for all access points. Also, if there's some sort of problem connecting then it won't be connected automatically in such cases. Again, the notification bar will tell you if WiFi is connected.

Oh, I have no clue how Canadian cell service works is all.
Basically the same except that they haven't had unlimited data for much longer.
 
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