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On verge of selling S3 - too much data being used. Help

In that case, could it be possible that she has a load of friends uploading a lot of photos & my friends don't upload many photos compared?? Sounds unlikely to me, but nobody seems to be able to put their finger on the solution.


She uninstalled the app & then re-installed it. She then loaded it up & just scrolled.



This alone used up 2MB of data. Seems quite a lot for just this action.



Here's a screenshot of her Facebook settings:



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If you need settings screenshots of other apps or whatever then let me know.



Doesn't look like anyone has been able to put their finger on the problem. The response of "she's using facebook a lot" may be true, but she's using it no more than when she had her iPhone & her iPhone didn't munch data. She could revert back to the iPhone right now, use the phone as normal & be ok.



EDIT: Just to note - application requests is ticked in the 2nd image. This must be the default setting as she had it unticked before uninstalling - as in the 3rd image.
 
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Could it be the screen size at all? This was suggested on another forum. 5 times the screen size, 5 times the data usage is what was said (over her iPhone 3GS).

As for mobile data being turned off .... i'm sure i've said that she does that.


screen size .. to data usage...

NO.. i dont see how that would matchup.
the pic online will be downloaded to both phones and data to both phones the same. the screen with the better resolution just shows the pic better.
 
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It shouldnt be using any more data. There may be something that went wrong with the facebook app, so i would uninstall and then reinstall it. I do recommend just turning off mobile data completely unless youre using it, that way it isnt used in the background. I use mine quite alot and only have the 200mb plan, for now, and have never gone over. I thought the facebook bug had been fixed, as it did used to not exit properly and use data when it wasnt open, but i havent had that problem in a very long time
 
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Facebook:

Mobile data from 1st Dec (when she topped up)...

Foreground: 114MB
Background: 9.90MB

As for over WiFi....

F/G: 22.96MB
B/G: 6.93MB

This info help you guys any?


I should point out that while her phone is connected via WiFi at home, she generally uses her Galaxy Tab for the net & Facebook at home.

As another poster stated it looks like Foreground data. When she leave Facebook is she hitting the Home button or the Back just to the right of the Home button. Hitting the Home button will leave it running like it is in the Foreground, using more data. Hitting the Back will close the app to Background.
 
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Honestly, just don't sync unless you're around wifi or really need to. And don't use 4G unless you have to. Being an earlier iPhone user, you don't have access to 4G, so here's a tip: 4G burns through data FAST. Just use wifi whenever possible, and if you don't have to, DON'T use data. Unless there's a bug, this should be an easy fix.
 
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As another poster stated it looks like Foreground data. When she leave Facebook is she hitting the Home button or the Back just to the right of the Home button. Hitting the Home button will leave it running like it is in the Foreground, using more data. Hitting the Back will close the app to Background.
She says she hits the home button but then follows this up by closing ALL open apps via task manager "most times".



For the following quotes, i'm sorry but i feel people aren't taking in what has been said....

Why not get yourselves a bigger data plan instead of trying to restrict yourselves to 500mb a month. Honestly if that's all you use your phone in data then your pretty much wasting money in having the phone. Seriously. I use like 2gb a month alone. I can't imagine restricting myself to 500mb.
I'm not being funny here, but how does YOUR usage relate to ANYONE elses? I drink a lot of coffee. Does that mean everyone else does or should?

Fact of the matter is - as has already been said, 500mb per month was more than enough with the iPhone. It always was for the both of us. It still is for me on my iPhone 4S & very likely would be for her if she bought an iPhone again. The problem isn't needing to upgrade to a bigger data plan.

I've said it before & i'll say it again 1 last time ........ upgrading to a bigger data plan is NOT an option. It costs more money, more money cannot be afforded, therefore NO.

If you have not seen it, the new Facebook app is much much better than the old one. The old one was terrible. The new one is much better.
Thanks .... how is it better though? It looks better? Which would be a debatable comment. It performs better? If so what way? How is it "better"?

Honestly, just don't sync unless you're around wifi or really need to. And don't use 4G unless you have to. Being an earlier iPhone user, you don't have access to 4G, so here's a tip: 4G burns through data FAST. Just use wifi whenever possible, and if you don't have to, DON'T use data. Unless there's a bug, this should be an easy fix.
I'm sure somewhere i was asked if she syncs & i said no. I think even the images i posted say no.

So unless i'm misunderstanding, why are you then saying not to sync??


Also, i know for sure i've discussed the 4G topic.

As with the data plan comment - we don't get 4G in our area. I don't even know whether we get it with our provider, therefore all 4G comments will be irrelevant.

Again, not trying to be funny with you, i just feel i've covered some of this already & it's being ignored.
 
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Looking at your data usage image in the 1st post, I'm wondering if it is the Facebook app that's the real issue.
Internet usage is not far behind and if she uses Firefox (3rd) for web browsing then Internet (Stock browser) shouldn't be that high.
I use Dolphin HD browser (my highest data user) and "Internet" doesn't even show in my data usage.
I could be totally wrong but Just a thought;)
 
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I understand your frustration!!!

But it doesn't take much to burn through 500MB of data, by accidentally forgetting you are on data and choose to watch a video or forget to turn off facebook after browsing. I also have a 500MB plan and have never gone over in 2.5 years, I rarely use half and the one time I came close to my limit was last month I was uploading pictures to FB using data (rather than waiting until I got home to use wifi) and sending a lot of MMS pics (which use data). Then one afternoon I was at a friend's house and was showing her some youtube videos BEFORE I thought to connect to her wifi.

I am not saying this is what your wife did, because clearly it is FB using the data and not youtube or MMS, but being more aware of backing out of FB after using it, or trying another app such a friendster might solve the issue.

It is unlikely she will remember everything she did last month on her phone, and it really doesn't take much if one is not aware and watches a quick video or forgets to back out of it.

I am also not sure if the FB app for android works exactly the same as for the iPhone, but there might be something different enough about it to be eating her data.
 
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Internet vs dolphin comparison on my phone.

The second one shows the week I went nuts and used far too much internet data (I am not even sure how because I thought I always used dolphin) but you can see my FB data is near tops for data usage, even uploadinga lot of pictures using data never came close to your wife's.

BUT!!! I NEVER EVER use the home button to close any app, it is just a habit that I think iPhone converts find hard to break.
 

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so we ran a little test....



Went to town. Did not connect to WiFi. Turned on 3G on my iPhone 4S. Turned on mobile data & GPS on her Samsung Galaxy S3. Took screenshots of both....



IMG_0860.png


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Then when in town, i used my phone a LOT more than she did with hers. When we exited town i looked at her usage & it said only 1MB of mobile data used.

I then fired up Facebook on HER phone via the stock browser (the APP has been deleted). I let the news feed load, i scrolled & then i opened THREE photos. The usage jumped 2MB.



Here's the final shots as we got home:



IMG_0862.png


IMG_0864.jpg




As said, i used my phone in town quite a lot more than she did as i was using mine as she was clothes shopping. I was on the Quidco app, i had the MyFreeCarCheck app open. I had Facebook app open - she had none of these open. The only one she did have open was My Data Manager (i had that open too).

Use FriendCast or what ever it was called or just go through the browser. If the Facebook app is using that much data then delete it.

These options have been suggested but seemingly have been dismissed.
I'm sorry but i'm not going to repeat myself AGAIN.

I'll give you a clue though - it's not been dismissed. You just need to read the part where we've acted on the advice.

Looking at your data usage image in the 1st post, I'm wondering if it is the Facebook app that's the real issue.
Internet usage is not far behind and if she uses Firefox (3rd) for web browsing then Internet (Stock browser) shouldn't be that high.
I use Dolphin HD browser (my highest data user) and "Internet" doesn't even show in my data usage.
I could be totally wrong but Just a thought;)
I have wondered this also.

She says she only used FireFox to do with the no ads thing, but she didn't really use it a lot. She used Facebook on it, but other than that she hasn't used it much & can't remember other than Friday when she used it this month.
I am not saying this is what your wife did, because clearly it is FB using the data and not youtube or MMS, but being more aware of backing out of FB after using it, or trying another app such a friendster might solve the issue.
You could very well be correct. She thinks she used task manager most of the time to shut down the app ... but perhaps she didn't. Perhaps she thought she did. Perhaps she thought she used the back instead of home button. She doesn't know for 100% sure, so you may have a point.

She's more aware of what to do now, so it'll be interesting to see the results from this point on.

It is unlikely she will remember everything she did last month on her phone, and it really doesn't take much if one is not aware and watches a quick video or forgets to back out of it.
Very true point

I am also not sure if the FB app for android works exactly the same as for the iPhone, but there might be something different enough about it to be eating her data.
I don't know how they differ either. The member earlier said the new app is better, but doesn't elaborate as to WHY it is better. Maybe it's better because it looks prettier, which is pretty useless, but maybe it's better because it manages data usage differently?

I don't know until they explain their comment.
 
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Just to give you an idea I have used 80MB mobile and 500MB wifi in 12 days checking the news feed every few hours. I have the new Photo sync feature (which uploads every single picture you take with your phone camera to a private Facebook folder) off so it's strictly loading the news feeds full of photos. I also shut the app down manualy 'cause I've noticed that it keeps the cpu running at 3-5% in the background if I don't.
 
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so we ran a little test....



Went to town. Did not connect to WiFi. Turned on 3G on my iPhone 4S. Turned on mobile data & GPS on her Samsung Galaxy S3. Took screenshots of both....



IMG_0860.png


IMG_0863.jpg




Then when in town, i used my phone a LOT more than she did with hers. When we exited town i looked at her usage & it said only 1MB of mobile data used.

I then fired up Facebook on HER phone via the stock browser (the APP has been deleted). I let the news feed load, i scrolled & then i opened THREE photos. The usage jumped 2MB.



Here's the final shots as we got home:



IMG_0862.png


IMG_0864.jpg




As said, i used my phone in town quite a lot more than she did as i was using mine as she was clothes shopping. I was on the Quidco app, i had the MyFreeCarCheck app open. I had Facebook app open - she had none of these open. The only one she did have open was My Data Manager (i had that open too).

I'm sorry but i'm not going to repeat myself AGAIN.

I'll give you a clue though - it's not been dismissed. You just need to read the part where we've acted on the advice.

I have wondered this also.

She says she only used FireFox to do with the no ads thing, but she didn't really use it a lot. She used Facebook on it, but other than that she hasn't used it much & can't remember other than Friday when she used it this month.
You could very well be correct. She thinks she used task manager most of the time to shut down the app ... but perhaps she didn't. Perhaps she thought she did. Perhaps she thought she used the back instead of home button. She doesn't know for 100% sure, so you may have a point.

She's more aware of what to do now, so it'll be interesting to see the results from this point on.

Very true point


I don't know how they differ either. The member earlier said the new app is better, but doesn't elaborate as to WHY it is better. Maybe it's better because it looks prettier, which is pretty useless, but maybe it's better because it manages data usage differently?

I don't know until they explain their comment.

I don't know the details as to why it's better but the old app was an html5 web app and the new app is written in android native code. It really does seem faster but I'm not sure how that will help you with data usage because I find that it preloads more photos now.
 
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on 4g LTE I'd say it's not a lot. I don't know how people manage on 500mb per month on 4G it's just not enough.

OP who is your provider verizon or att?

Can't get 4G in this area. Search post code LA1 or LA2.
Also, i know for sure i've discussed the 4G topic.

As with the data plan comment - we don't get 4G in our area. I don't even know whether we get it with our provider, therefore all 4G comments will be irrelevant.

She's with o2.
 
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