Help Holy Smokes! High Data Usage by Android OS! [SOLVED]

norb · Dec 15, 2016

I have been having this same problem this month. Although I do not use google back up (where do you access it?). I am down about a gig due to andorid OS now for no apparent reason. I have background data turned off. WTF? I am using android 6.0.1.

Gazdac · Jan 11, 2017

I solved the problem for me, after using 26gb data in one month.
I had rooted my phone with a custom bootloader. Pixel (and Nexus?) CANNOT update using the automatic update if you have done this. It will try though. It will try hundreds of times a day. it downloads 45 mb, fails, and then tries again minutes later. Thus, downloading 450mb an hour at times.

Those of you that restored factory it probably "fixed" whatever was preventing it from updating, and the update finished successfully. This could happen EVERY time there is an update though.

I fixed mine by manually updating and re-rooting.

psimit · Jan 16, 2017

I was able to pinpoint the particular app which is causing Android OS to consume a lot of data on mobile data only ... it was WhatsApp.

Everytime I reinstall WhatsApp, the app and Android OS behave normally for a day or two. After that both of them start consuming data at the rate of 60Mb/hr each. I thought I might have backed up some wrong settings for the app, so I cleared Google Backup (by turning it off) but this does not solve the problem. I have also done a factory reset, just in case.

Funny part is even if WhatsApp and Android OS want to download an update, they don't do so on WiFi. Only when cellular data is switched on, they start to do their thing.

So now whenever they start consuming data, I have to reinstall WhatsApp!

I am using an unrooted Nexus 5 with stock Android 6.0.1

Felix 123 · Mar 4, 2017

Well, have never happened in years. Couple of hours ago 1.71 GB by Android OS and there's nothing new on my phone - no apps, no activities, the same version 5.1 and I use Wi-Fi. I closely watch my usage. Since morning I didn't watch YouTube or any other streaming. I didn't use maps, email, Facebook or anything else. I don't have WhatsApp. I was on the road. I didn't even text. Came to the boring evening and decide to entertain myself: opened my phone to find this

wbrocky · Apr 21, 2017

My Android OS has just used 4GB in 2 days

I can't pinpoint why it's doing this.

Any solutions besides a factory reset?

Felix 123 · Apr 21, 2017

I called my provider and surprisingly _SURPRISINGLY_ they didn't even let me finish my explanation and added and additional 1GB of days for free.

My provider's wedgie that monitor usage didn't reflect anything.

But they knew that something like this happening and added free data - just shut up and enjoy.

Thinking about total surveillance, bought FTC and wild behaviour of big telecom hand by hand with government, these Androids are not safe.

Of course, nobody admit they do such thing but there are too many cases and no explanation.

id crad · Aug 15, 2017

I tried everything! The ONLY resolution is to remove your google account from the phone when not in use.

I tried installing a firewall and blocking androidOS but this failed to reduce data use. I tried blocking google account or play services which also failed. It is clear that google has tied root level processes into their own applications (such as photos, mail, etc) so there is no way to block data use. The only option is to remove the google account when not in use and re-add it when you need to update apps via google play. As a side benifit google will also no longer track you when you use gmail or their apps in the browser. YAY!

eskiimoments · Sep 7, 2017

I do not usually subscribe to forums and such because I know practically NOTHING about electronics. But I had to sign up to androidforums because 1) When I Google problems with my phone it brings me to this site and 2) I was all the sudden having the same problem with my phone using data over night (I listen to XM radio through the night). I went to Sprint and they reset my WiFI connection which did absolutely nothing. I got to poking around and here's what I found - I went to Settings; Connections; Wi-Fi; Advanced at the top right; Scroll down to "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep".
Mine was set to "Never"! I set it to "Always" and the problem is solved! Thanks a lot Sprint phone expert for all your knowledge : ) I have a feeling that when I downloaded an update from Sprint it reset that particular function, I would use more data, panic and then contact Sprint for a larger data plan at a larger cost.
Thanks to all of you for your help in the past with phone problems and for your patience with me now. I hope this will help someone.

Unforgiven · Sep 7, 2017

Welcome to Android forums @eskiimoments. I glad you found help here.

reelpharaoh · Dec 17, 2017

RMFlagg said:
Hi Everyone,

I just got a warning about my data limit from T-Mobile saying that I hit the 2Gb limit. I thought that this was kind of strange because I don't use that much data via 3g/4g because I am around WiFi most of the day!
I check the data monitor on my GNex and this is what I saw! In the space of one week, Android OS used almost a GIG of data!
Has anyone else out there had this sort of data consumption?!? Does anyone have a clue as to what could be the culprit?

Thanks,
RMFlagg

View attachment 27373

1. GO TO SAMSUNG CLOUD SETTINGS
2. select menu item NETWORK SETTINGS
3. SELECT ALL CONTENT via WIFI ONLY
I'm not sure why they are not set by default, but this will help

Good Luck

ossianmacpherson · Jun 9, 2019

Just had two separate phones, one ZTE and one Huawei both clock up around 3Gb of data from the 'Android OS' app over 4G data on 7 June. Interesting to see the past posts associating this behavior with WhatsApp, when it was recently announced that the Israeli spying tool used WhatsApp to compromise phones. A several Gb upload like this could be an indicator of a compromise of the phone and an upload of collected data. Anyone with this problem also had a hit from their anti-virus software?

zxcv286 · Feb 5, 2020

alliev said:
OMG I also started experiencing this around the same time you did! And I finally found out today what's causing it! It's the LOCATION!! With my Location turned on, my phone used to consume at least 5Mb per minute. Now it's back to consuming less than 1MB per day.

Here's what I did:
Location -> Location Method -> GPS only

Hope it works for you too!

I read this and figured out that my usage of a GPS Joystick was the cause of the high data usage. In detail, to prevent jumping back to the real GPS location, the GPS Joystick app can use two settings to fix it: A-GPS reset and 100ms Process interval. I ignored the warning tooltip that said using those settings will cause high data usage, and also forgot about setting it. Also I had moved the app be to a System App, so on data usage monitors it appears to be the System eating data.

I used the app for around 1-2 hours, causing 6GB of data use.

Mohsen860240537 · Jan 21, 2022

I solved my problem. os services Data usages on my phone was from Google service when I turned off it's network access my problems solved.
For that you must go to settings than go to all apps find Google play services select apps than go to mobile data and wifi and switch off network access

Help Holy Smokes! High Data Usage by Android OS! [SOLVED]

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