My iPhone's usage meter (Settings -> General -> Usage -> Cellular Network Data) currently shows usage of 20.8 MB (3.0 Sent plus 17.8 Received).

However, if I log onto Telstra's website and check out my current data usage is reads 49,720 KB (48.6 MB).

This is a rather large discrepancy which makes me wonder if both meters are measuring the same data?

Earlier today, I contacted Telstra about the way they measure data, but all they could tell me was that the iPhone uses "a lot" of data because it is "constantly checking for updates".

BTW, here is the table of my data usage from Telstra's website:



From this table it appears that I'm using approximately 5 MB per day. This usage is for:-

1. Push email (less than 20 emails per day)
2. Internet browsing (less than 5 minutes per day)
3. GPS/Maps (about 5 minutes once every second day)
4. Weather (once or twice in the last week)
5. Stocks (once or twice in the last week)
6. No YouTube, no movies, no porn.

That's equates to 153 MB a month for what I would consider extremely limited data usage.

Also, from this table, it appears that I've clocked up 43 hours of usage on the 13th July and 27 hours on the 15th.

I predict some nasty shocks from Telstra customers when the first round of accounts come in!

You haven't reset the meter (on the iPhone) by any chance, have you?

I think the readings are correct on the iPhone, as each time I've used it (only for a day) it has registered the correct amount of sent/received data.

I think it is Telstra that is the inaccurate one (overblown)?

I could be wrong though - but I think the iPhone is the correct one in this case... my suggestion is to reset the meter now, and check Telstra and the iPhone later according to that particular time interval. Restrict your usage and check whether it is incurring any data transmissions when you know (100%) that you are leaving the iPhone on sleep, or not using any data at all (as far as you can tell).

Nope…

Last Reset: Never

ok this makes me even more sus about telstra. The usage meter sucks shit and doesn't work like it should. I say call telstra.

if you restore the iPhone it resets all data. didn't do this?

I elected a higher data pack for the first month... as I knew I'd want to play...

I am being very careful though and not suing the net, I have push mail, contacts, address book, have used GPS maybe half a dozen times, weather every other day, checked my Data Usage a few times...

but no youtube, no video downloads, iTunes downloads etc etc
and am up to 17.5MB. Weekdays seem to average almost 4MB a day as well...

means I will struggle to go back to the 80MB a month as well...
is a BIG shame Telstra didn't have better data packs.

I'm with Huy. I've compared the data usage on the phone with the Telstra records on a first gen phone since last Sept and they are always plus or minus 5%. So far my 3g usage is within 1MB accuracy. Sounds like there's some problem with Telstra's record of your usage. Good luck getting it fixed though with T's legendary customer service...

Just to confirm that my iPhone has not been reset since I got it last week. (Settings -> General -> Usage -> Reset Statistice -> Last Reset:Never)

Mark, thats not what I'm suggesting. I'm asking if you have done a "restore" through iTunes (as opposed to reseting the counter.)

Some people have done a restore to get newer firmware (2 versions newer, doesn't seem to change anything!)

If you restore the phone ALL the settings are erased, your usage meters are reset, and again it will tell you they have "never" been reset.

If you do a restore, then revert to your last "backup" then your stats probably get retained though.

they as not erased if you use the backup iTunes makes

Wonderfully, i assume hellstra is charging in 25kb blocks, so even a ping is costing you 25kb. Or am i misreading something?

The data usage stats survive a restore.

I did mine last night to unlock my iPhone and was pleasantly surprised to see my data usage stats still there.

Hey this happened to me too, I called Telstra and they said that my usage has been halved because my plan started on the 14th and therefore I only got half a month before August 2nd.

So they added 40MB of data use to my meter so I didn't go over... dumbest thing ever, but that's what I was told.

Very quick reply that may help with the data usage mystery.

I have an unlocked 2g iphone v1.1.4 on Virgin. I have the 1Gb/$10 plan (no longer available), so coupled with the slowness of GPRS, never really worry about my data downloads. I saw mentioned on another forum that someone had been overcharged data on their 2G iphone, phoned their carrier (?? Optus) and was told this was a known technical problem with the 2G, wherein wifi data is counted with cellular data because of the way that the iphone reports it to the cellular network.

Anyway, at the time it all sounded very strange and implausible, but thought I'd check my data usage with Virgin for that month - lo and behold, Virgin had supposedly clocked me at having downloaded 700Mb (!!!) for that month - over a frick'n GPRS data connection no less! I use my iphone a lot on wifi at home/work, so that's a conceivable amount in total that I may have downloaded in a month, but obviously impossible to do over GPRS without the patience of a Tibetan monk.

This may not relate to the 3G iphone (one would hope not) and may be a problem at Virgin's end, but I would be interested to know if other 2g/3g users have seen similar stuff.

I have had this problem Telstra too, I have 3g turned off 90% of the time have wifi at home and Office. get a message Sat Morning i have used 80% of my Data (200mb!!) my data counter in the iphone at this point says 31.8mb received and 2.8mb sent

Tried calling Sat Arvo, got sent to faults and then sent back to enquires were they said they can't help closed call back monday!!

this is annoying me i have wifi on all the time and barley have been using my 3g data, Bloody telstra!