Phone on our plan using

[spicerd]

My family has a combined 20g plan. Sometimes we get close to the limit at the end of the month and a few times we go over. We are 7 days into our billing month and I got a few text messages from verizon.
5:05 saying we're almost out of data
5:45 saying we were charged for an additional gb
6:03 saying we are about to be charged an additional gb
6:30 saying we are about to be charged, surprise, another gb.

A relative in college usually uses most of the data, in this case once 90% of it. Since these messages were coming in early in the AM while he's probably sleeping and since he didn't answer his phone we locked his phone from using data.

So my question is, what possibly could be going on that is causing this much data. Like I said we're only a week into our cycle and have never had this happen.

We are on verizon. He has a iphone. We dont pay additional for the wifi hotspot feature which I believe is a separate charge. I thought maybe he could be using his phone as a hotspot so his friends can game online but like I said I thought you would have to pay extra for that feature and I know we wouldnt have if give the choice.

Maybe there's a logical reason his phone's going through so much data, but Ive never seen anything like it. Im worried it could either be due to an issue on verizon's end, or some app or apps are doing things they shouldnt, or maybe he's uploading an entier collection of videos and photos the cloud.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I'd say the hotspot thing but don't most colleges have their own Wi-Fi networks ow, why bother with being a hotspot for other people in an area like that?

Does he live in a dorm? That would make the hotspot thing extra crazy.

 

[kate]

I'd keep trying to contact him to ask if he knows how much data is being used.

Check if he is using WiFi and ask him to turn off WiFi Assist, which switches the iPhone to cell data with a weak WiFi signal.

WiFi Assist:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205296
Go to Settings > Cellular or Settings > Mobile Data. Then scroll down and tap the slider for WiFi Assist.

Check the cellular data usage on your iPhone, restrict apps from using data:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201299

 

[ocnbrze]

yeah i don't think it is the hotspot issue.....as you would have been paying extra for it. i'm not on verizon, but is there a way to see which phone is consuming the most data?

 

[spicerd]

We know whose phone it is. He's saying he fell asleep streaming a show but was on wifi so we're gonna talk to verizon

 

[Dannydet]

Streaming and downloading files will be causing the high data usage