• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Help Mobile data getting used despite being off from settings!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Shrey Malik
  • Start date Start date
S

Shrey Malik

Guest
I have turned my mobile data off from mobile network settings and am connected to wifi, still apps like Google maps seem to keep on using my mobile data intermittently. I keep seeing these "data used in last connection" messages from my carrier. Interestingly, it happens:
1. Only when I am connected to wifi
2. With apps that use location services like maps or even zomato
I have tried turning location accuracy to device only with no results. Switching location off solves the problem, so does switching wifi off.

I am using Android 4.4.4 on htc desire 820s. Dual sim phone but am using only one slot currently.
 
Similar situation with Iocean M6752 "Rock" dual sim phone, one slot used. Android 4.4.4.

About 5 kilobytes per session. Carrier data shows sessions last less than 1 second, but it costs me (actually my cost is per day, but still it's a lot for 5 kB!).

As I saw it:
1. WiFi was on
2. GPS Essentials app with Dashboard open.
Location accuracy to "device only" actually should solve the problem, but it didn't. "Restrict background data" didn't help either. Turning wifi off solves it. Location off of course solves it also.
 
You might need to put a data block on the service level rather than just locally on the phone. Many carriers have self-service options for this. For example, AT&T has an app called myAT&T that gives you the ability to temporarily block mobile data for each line on the account.
 
Actually I would use the service level block, but sometimes I unexpectedly may need to use mobile data. But if I'm not careful, I will loose a lot of money with location issues.

To illustrate the situation, I made a youtube video.
 
Has there been a solution for this issue?

A similar problem started on my phone, Samsung Galaxy Core (Bell Canada network) on Nov 24, 2015. I only need mobile data on rare occasions so I keep mobile data turned off under Settings/Data Usage. When I do use data Bell kills me at $7.50/50 MB, but overall it's tons cheaper than having a data plan.

Besides keeping mobile data turned off, I restrict background data in Settings/Data Usage, and Auto-update Apps over wifi only is set in the Play Store app.

Both Settings/Data Usage and the My Data Manager app show no mobile data usage, but Bell shows numerous mobile data events. Most are around 1 kB with some up to 2 kB. According to Bell's tech support agent each event is 1380 ms long. The events occur irregularly. Sometimes each day for a few days, sometimes once every few days. On one occasion an event occurred twice on the same day. They happen at anytime during the day.

Location services are on using GPS only. Samsung says this is a dual sim capable phone. Bell says it isn't. I only have one sim but there is what looks like a second blanked sim slot.

Bell and Samsung tell me that it's possible for third-party apps to use mobile data even though I have turned it off. I find this hard to believe, but anything is possible these days.

Unfortunately, I cannot remember loading any new apps in November. I would have suspected these as I had not had any problems for the previous 10 months. To isolate the problem, Bell convinced me to reset to factory settings (after back up with KIES 3) before I talked to Samsung. Samsung told me about booting in Safe Mode. Either way, I'm running only the original apps provided by Bell/Samsung. I'll see what happens over the next few days. If one of the factory apps is causing the problem, then I can go back to Bell to reverse the charges. If not, I'll start adding apps one by one to see if any cause the problem. I'll report back if something comes up.

If this problem defeats me I'll have to get Bell to block the data which will reduce the value of the service to me. It would be great if someone else has a fix for this.
 
What version of Android are you using?

Even if you have data turned off, apparently some background data transactions are permitted under Android. You can turn this off as well, or at least I can, running Android KitKat. I do get a persistent notification that background data is turned of and how terrible this is and the world is going to end if I don't turn it back on. Nevertheless, I don't turn it on and do not use any data.
 
On my phone, I restrict background data by going to the data usage graph page in settings and clicking on the 3 dots menu or use the settings button on your phone if you have one. In the menu that pops up or drops down depending on your phone, you will have the opportunity to restrict background data.
 
I'm using KitKat 4.4.2.

Like Jaan R, I have the set "restrict background data" in the Settings/Data Usage "3-dot" drop down menu as recommended by androidmachine.

Interesting coincidence, the last event occurred in the minute before I did the factory reset this week.
 
I think I found the actual problem and the solution. But I wonder why this only happens with phones with 2 SIM cards. I changed my network provider and it didn't consume data with APN type: default. With APN type: default, supl (same as with previous network provider) it still occurred. Somehow the "data connection" switch doesn't turn off the supl channel. Makes sense at least, and seems to be the cause of all this trouble. I wonder which data does it use when I have 2 supl channels, for example both SIM cards with supl type APN, but data disconnected.

http://androidforums.com/threads/apn-types-explain-to-a-newbie.680154/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_User_Plane_Location
 
I'm glad someone is still trying to sort this out. I'm not sure this would make a difference in my phone as it only has one SIM installed.

Anyway, I gave up and had Bell put a data block on my phone. I can still send and receive multi-media messages, but other data are restricted. Bummer.

I was running the phone in the factory reset state for a couple of weeks and still saw background data activity. The straw that broke the camel's back was when I was restricting background data for individual apps. The Anroid OS and a few other Android apps did not provide this option. It suggested to me that the OS has more control over data transfer than I do.

On the positive side, Bell reversed the data charges. They could not explain why this started to happen in Nov, 2015 and was fine previously. A mystery that I do not have the time to dig into further.

I'll keep an eye this thread. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom