How Much iPhone 3G Data Are You Using Now?
Last August, a month after the iPhone 3G’s release, we asked you how much iPhone 3G data you were using. Now, some 10 months post-release, with cries that iPhone users consumer “too much” of their “unlimited data” and should be charged more, and perhaps on the eve of the next generation iPhone announcement, we’re asking again:
How much iPhone 3G data are you using now?
Because here’s the thing: the iPhone is the first real, successful consumer smartphone. Lots of people have them. And even though Wi-Fi is an option (one not available to many Verizon smartphone users) and serious video-streaming apps are still missing in action, get a convention full of iPhone users together and AT&T’s network still goes down.
So is it that iPhone users use too much data, or simply that too many people have become iPhone (and thus, data) users for AT&T’s current infrastructure to handle?
After all, single lane highways are fine — until everyone starts buying cars.
May 12th, 2009 at 6:54 am
I’m a brand new iphone 3g user here in Sweden via Telia.
The first month I somehow used 1gb of data within 3 days of buying the phone. For the rest of the month I used about 550 mb.
So far this month (the 2nd) I’ve used about 350 mb of data.
Both months are higher than what we might normally use as we just moved across the country before buying the phone and don’t have regular Internet access here. So the phone is representing 99% of our total Internet usage.
May 12th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Buttloads of data.
May 12th, 2009 at 7:00 am
My usage is showing 42 minutes and Standby 6 hours, 13 minutes.
Sent: 39.1 MB Received: 765MB
May 12th, 2009 at 7:05 am
mine shows I have sent 1.2GB and received 53.6GB. I stream music with Simplify Music all day every day…
May 12th, 2009 at 7:14 am
As I said before, no one purchased an iPhone to make calls. ATT should be aware and is aware of that when THEY signed the contract. The iPhone is so great as a smartphone that any carrier, even Ray-Ray in a trenchcoat with cellular service could sell a million of them. If they intend to raise rate then the Touchbwas probably a better product. Apple’s future ventures should be online with the quality and functionality of their products. The question of rate hikes, fare hikes, toll hikes, mortgage hikes SUCKS!
May 12th, 2009 at 7:22 am
This thing is actually a ****… I use about 550MB of data every month according to my carrier. But iPhone always reports my usage to be way higher. My iPhone reports it to be around 1.2GB of download every month.
I’ve raised a report to Apple. But still it has not been fixed. I think Apple has purposely made this to report an insanely high value so that AT&T users will stop using their 3G network fearing high usage rates.
May 12th, 2009 at 7:22 am
I use a lot of data Sent 76.8 Mb received 1.8 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Total usage (since Sept 2008)
Sent: 130 MB Received: 2.7 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Since July 2008 – sent 150 MB, received 1.7 GB – which really doesn’t seem like that much (most of my heavy usage is over wifi).
May 12th, 2009 at 7:27 am
According to my AT&T bill ( so far ) 314.28Mb
According to my iPhone usage. 249Mb ( sent ) 3.5Gb ( receive ) 0_o
Kinda of confusing but I think that’s from my ‘last charge’ , which was this morning.
May 12th, 2009 at 7:29 am
I always seem to be in places with WiFi, so mine stands at 9.8MB sent and 144MB received on cell data.
May 12th, 2009 at 7:33 am
314 mb sent ; 14.1 GB received
May 12th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I have a similarly horrid descrepency between what the iPhone says and what the AT&T website says. At first I thought it was because of wifi usage… but I left wifi off for awhile an the results are the same. The iPhone always has much much higher received data… you think it is counting voice phone calls as received “cellular network data”?
May 12th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Sent: 220MB, Received: 4.9GB since August ‘08
May 12th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I’m shocked.
Sent : 0 bytes Recieved : 0 bytes Why?
May 12th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Always less than 200MB. Theres WiFi everywhere… and I don’t use my iPhone when I’m sitting at a computer.
May 12th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I have sent 284 MB and received 5.9 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 7:50 am
My phone says since 9/1/08: sent 156kb, received 3 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I have sent 142 MB and received 3.4 GB . Also there is not a discrepancy when your bill and phone dont match , the iPhone tracks all data , including Wifi . Your AT&T bill doesnot track when your on a WIFI network .
May 12th, 2009 at 8:03 am
monthly I use around 3GB. Downloading apps, music, streamic music, streaming tv, using Twitter, downloading pics, surfing the web for countless hours, watching YouTube, and downloading books. And recently it’s died down just a bit because I’ve been turning off 3G just to save on battery
May 12th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Since January 09 sent 25.9mb recv’d 275mb.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:20 am
I’m at 4.2 GB down and 350MB up. Not sure on the time period, but I use my phone for browsing twitter facebook and remotely accessing servers all day long.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Since April 24:
16.4MB Up 361MB Down
May 12th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Sent 130 MB. Received 3.6 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Since 12/31/08 (so basically all of 2009) Sent: 34.9 MB Received: 800 MB I’m sure AT&T loves me since that’s spread out over 4.5 months. Mostly I use my iPhone around the house via WiFi. But the 3G sure is nice when I’m away from home.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Call Time: 7 Days 22 Hours Lifetime Data: Sent 417 MB Received 9.5 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 8:56 am
mine has never been reset so since like novemeber
call time = 4 days 13 hours sent 40mb received 385mb
May 12th, 2009 at 9:03 am
About 400mb a month according to my bill. And I have a 6gb plan! Because it kills the battery so much I pretty much never use wifi.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Sent: 135 MB Received: 4.0 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 9:31 am
My stats say sent 408mb recieved 8.8gb. Not sure what time period that’s for, it says usage time 7 days ,
I use pandora when I’m at my desk at work and stream tv shows off of NBC and you tube.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Guys (e.g. @6,10,13,22,30), the Cellular Network Data usage isn’t per billing period nor is it since your last full charge. It’s since you last pressed Reset Statistics, or since you purchased your phone if you’ve never pressed that button. It will tell you when your last Reset was below the Reset Statistics button (scroll down).
May 12th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I can’t believe how clueless the readers of this blog are. They’re confused why there’s a difference between the data usage counter on te iPhone (all-time cumulative, unless manually reset) versus what AT&T reports (monthly)? They think data use stats get reset every time you charge the phone? They think it’s counting WiFi data, when it’s clearly listed under Cellular Network Data?
Please, everyone, watch the movie Idiocracy. If you understand its message, you will do the honorable thing and commit suicide for the sake of the non-stupid people.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Sent: 179MB Received: 4.3GB
Never hit the reset button, bought 3g phone on the day it came out…
May 12th, 2009 at 10:08 am
It just so happens that today is the last day of my AT&T billing cycle, and the AT&T iPhone app reports I’ve used 562 megabytes this month.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Lifetime 4 days 5 hours Sent 109 MB Received 1.9 GB
Mainly email for me.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:33 am
My cycle goes from 18th to 18th, 554.71MB. And I HATE ATT!!!
May 12th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I’ve used a little over 4GB total which is about 400 MB each month
May 12th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Hi Rene, i have a question regarding your Screenshot above, how come your iPhone usage says its 7 Hours & 3 Mins and still you have more than 50% battery life left?
Is there something i am missing as i seldome get more than 5 Hours of usage on one charge!
I am really intrested to know this as if thats the case then i might have to get my iPhone 3G checked at the apple store!
May 12th, 2009 at 11:10 am
over At&t less than 500 megs
May 12th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Typically between 200MB-600MB a month, depending on time spent in wifi hotspots. While I browse in Safari a lot, the bulk of the bandwidth usage is probably OTA podcast downloads and internet radio.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:48 am
@Zeeshan I was shocked when I saw the screenshot as well and was about to ask, How come you get such long battery life?
May 12th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I’ve had my iPhone since September ‘08. I use it the most at home, or at work, or when I visit my mom. All 3 places have wifi. I bet AT&T is ecstatic that theres wifi in these things. haha.
Lifetime: Sent – 25.6mb Received – 657mb
May 12th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
@Zeeshan – I use my iPhone all throughout the day on a single charge. Couldn’t tell you the last time I had to plug it in during the day. And generally I have 20-40% battery life left. Are you heavily using your phone…?
May 12th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Sent: 376 MB Received: 4.3 GB (mainly from a few torrents I’ve downloaded the last couple of weeks) Torrentula!
May 12th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
166 MB sent 2 GB received
May 12th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Mine is on the EDGE network though.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Sent: 196 MB
Received: 1.6 GB
Hahahahahahah Im only 13…
Btw. Does that mean how much I’ve used in the time since my last charge? Or in my phones total lifetime?
May 12th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Oh nvm. I jest read the the thing under reset statistics in the usage bar. It’s since 1/12/08 at 5:36 PM
May 12th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I haven’t reseted my data usage…I’ve got about 2.1 GB received, and like 200 MB sent.
May 12th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I’ve never used more than about 500mb a month, typical usage is around 300mb
May 12th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Sent: 62.3mb
Received: 1 GB
May 12th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
last reset… never got phone in december… lifetime calling 9 hours and 12 min cell network data: sent… 91 mb received… 825 not that that includes all data use from what i understand the usage page doesn`t show your email usage or something like that.
May 13th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Lifetime reads 8 days, 10 hours Sent 80.8 mb Rec’d 1.4 GB Mostly email while on 3G. YouTube and streaming video while on wifi. I expected more actually. To those constant whiners-instead of complaining, do something productive…Leave AT&T or start your own cell phone service.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:22 am
Had my iPhone replaced 2 months ago, now sent 13.5mb received 61mb. Im on O2, also work for O2 and our fair usage is apparantly 200mb per billing month. I KNOW I’ve gone over that a lot with my old iPhone and never had a single complaint from O2. Sound like AT&T suck tbh.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Usage is 1h23m Standby is 1hr 49m
Sent is 431mb Receieved is 12.6gb
I restore every month or so and backup my call history folder via ssh, among other things, in order to preserve this data. This 12.6gb is over 5 months, so in reality I don’t use that much data. A lot of it is radio streaming.