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


Recommended Posts

The wife is on the verge of selling her S3 although she doesn't want to.

She has a 500mb/month plan like i do. We were both iPhone 3GS users & would both use approx 200mb max per month - not even going over the half way mark, nevermind the full allowance.

I bought an iPhone 4S, she got the Galaxy S3.

My usage remains the same & i'm using the same MB per month as i always was.

Her usage remains the same however last month she went over her 500MB. This month she topped up 1st Dec & she's used over 300MB so far. She used 80MB in the last 2 days.

She's tried turning mobile data off but this seemingly didn't help. She's had a look at what app is using what. Apparently she says the Facebook app has a rep for eating data? It seems to be that way from her screenshot, although i've no idea why her Facebook app on the SGS3 uses so much more than mine on my iPhone when we always did the same.

She wants to keep it but will have to sell if the data usage keeps going on like this.

Help.

IMG_0853.jpg

IMG_0852.jpg

IMG_0851.jpg

You seriously bought a highend phone and then paired it up with the budget data plan? Rather illogical move to be honest.

Anyway, how much of facebook's auto-sync stuff do you have turned on? If it's all turned on it'll likely use quite a bit of data.

I use Facebook every day and I've only used 13.14MB data so far since the beginning of the month, but I connect to WiFi networks whenever possible. If you can connect to The Cloud anywhere, then you should.

I try to limit heavy data use as much as possible.

  • Like 1

i can't help you, but i did hear that the facebook app just got a huge update yesterday or today, so that might help?

Probably not - she has all auto-updates turned OFF

You seriously bought a highend phone and then paired it up with the budget data plan? Rather illogical move to be honest.

Explain that please.

At the time it was released, would you call the iPhone 3GS a high end phone? I would.

Would you call the iPhone 4S a high end phone? I would. Ok it may not be the biggest & baddest out there right now, but when it was released...

And as i said, i don't come anywhere near the 500mb allowance. Neither did my wife when she was running her iPhone 3GS.

So again ...... i'm at a loss as to what relevance your statement has?? It was ok before & after for me. It was ok before for her, but with the Galaxy S3 it's not. Her day-to-day usage hasn't increased, therefore it has to be something within the SGS3's makeup.

Anyway, how much of facebook's auto-sync stuff do you have turned on? If it's all turned on it'll likely use quite a bit of data.

Not sure. How do you check & i'll get back to you on that.
but I connect to WiFi networks whenever possible.

As does she.

Going in to the facebook settings, here is what is turned ON...

Notifications: Active

Messages: Ticked

Everything else is OFF. Refresh interval is "NEVER", Sync Contacts are "DONT SYNC"

Make sure the Facebook app is not set to automatically sync photos taken.

It isn't

Make sure "Show Wi-Fi usage" isn't ticked in "Data Usage". Might be the problem, is that it's showing the data usage with wi-fi included.

It isn't

The data use in general is a bit much in my opinion (as in, it sounds like there may be a problem). Web browsers using around 150MB...! I use my web browser every day at work and at home and I've used under 1% of 150MB.

Ask her what she does on FB and Internet

Sharing / Viewing videos / pictures is bound to use a lot

She just checks facebook - statuses & the like. She doesn't upload or download.

Web browsing is just like 15 minutes worth of browsing for e.g. She doesn't stream videos.

She pretty much uses it to check facebook (read statuses), send a few text messages, browse a few pages, doesn't stream any videos & that's it. Comes home & turns on WiFi. She only uses it for 1hour tops on mobile data through the week. WiFi after 6pm & on weekends.

She's just used 3MB while the phone was sat on the sofa, mobile data turned off, WiFi turned on.

When you look at the apps running in the background once everything has been shut down, there's LOADS. Settings alone was listed as 45MB. Facebook was 18MB. Swiftkey3 was 20+MB. Will this make a difference - all this background work, or is that nothing to do with mobile data & more to do with processor hogging or whatever?

The data use in general is a bit much in my opinion (as in, it sounds like there may be a problem). Web browsers using around 150MB...! I use my web browser every day at work and at home and I've used under 1% of 150MB.

What would you suggest there may be a problem with? Phone or SIM?

I doubt it will be the SIM... It must be the phone. For some reason it's devouring data like it's nobodies business.

I'd suggest installing a logging app if the phone is rooted to see what exactly is going on. Otherwise I'm not sure what to suggest. :s

You sure she doesn't play things like that farmville thing, flash games will probably use quite a bit too

You could also set the browser to make plugins/addons (ie. flash) be "Ask Only" as in they will not just load every banner and advert / video that is on the page unless you click the ? on the flash placeholder

I doubt it will be the SIM... It must be the phone. For some reason it's devouring data like it's nobodies business.

I'd suggest installing a logging app if the phone is rooted to see what exactly is going on. Otherwise I'm not sure what to suggest. :s

Her phone isn't rooted i'm afraid.

You sure she doesn't play things like that farmville thing

Positive.

You could also set the browser to make plugins/addons (ie. flash) be "Ask Only" as in they will not just load every banner and advert / video that is on the page unless you click the ? on the flash placeholder

How does she do that?

Also seahorsepip - it says her device needs to be rooted for that. She doesn't want to root.

It's looking like this is going to be an unexplained complicated matter :( Hope we can get a solution as she really likes the phone, but am not getting a good vibe over this one. Nothing seems to be working. Facebook as has already been said - has damn near every auto thing turned OFF.

Positive. How does she do that?

Goto Browser Settings > Web Content > Addons > Set it as "On Demand" or something similar to that

It's looking like this is going to be an unexplained complicated matter :( Hope we can get a solution as she really likes the phone, but am not getting a good vibe over this one. Nothing seems to be working. Facebook as has already been said - has damn near every auto thing turned OFF.

Try uninstalling the facebook app and reinstalling it

Or when shes not using it, goto Settings > Apps > Disable Facebook

Explain that please.

At the time it was released, would you call the iPhone 3GS a high end phone? I would.

Would you call the iPhone 4S a high end phone? I would. Ok it may not be the biggest & baddest out there right now, but when it was released...

And as i said, i don't come anywhere near the 500mb allowance. Neither did my wife when she was running her iPhone 3GS.

So again ...... i'm at a loss as to what relevance your statement has?? It was ok before & after for me. It was ok before for her, but with the Galaxy S3 it's not. Her day-to-day usage hasn't increased, therefore it has to be something within the SGS3's makeup.

A 500Mb allowance is a very small these days which is what they were referring to. A modern smartphone makes it extremely easy to use way more than this and to use it to the maximum you'd need more than that

A 500Mb allowance is a very small these days which is what they were referring to. A modern smartphone makes it extremely easy to use way more than this and to use it to the maximum you'd need more than that

Agreed, I have my Lumia on wifi and dread to think what I would use if it was on a data plan, Live tiles, background apps that update, email on push, always using the browser, always downloading new apps, streaming video

A smartphone without the internet is a dumbphone, half of my apps only work if there is a connection, probably more than half

How much of the Facebook data is used when the app is in the background? compared to the foreground?

If the majority of it is in the foreground then its her looking at photos / video i would guess, if its the background its Facebook syncing something.

You could try re installing the app and see if that helps, the usage does appear a little high.

In the last week i've used about 50mb on Facebook, that's 100% on 3g, watching videos and generally not caring about how much data it uses.

30aay9s.png

swap phones and then check after a month, if the data has mysteriously swapped around you know that it is something to do with FB or whatever your missus is doing with the phone.

I have an S3 here and never have anything like that, it looks like a user problem rather than the phone. I have data on contantly and watch a bit on the sky app and have nowhere near as much data usage as that!!

If not just jib facebook off, its **** anyway :)

How much of the Facebook data is used when the app is in the background? compared to the foreground?

If the majority of it is in the foreground then its her looking at photos / video i would guess, if its the background its Facebook syncing something.

You could try re installing the app and see if that helps, the usage does appear a little high.

In the last week i've used about 50mb on Facebook, that's 100% on 3g, watching videos and generally not caring about how much data it uses.

30aay9s.png

Unrelated to the OP's question, but which ROM has this app?

I ask because I'm on the Paranoid Android JB 4.1.2 ROM and I don't have this?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • First exciting thing to come to Windows in a long time ! This is the kind of things they should focus on, instead of cramming as much AI as they can in everything.
    • New AMD graphics driver fixes install issues and FSR 4.1 crashes on RX 7000 GPUs by Taras Buria AMD is rolling out yet another graphics driver. Version 26.6.4 is now available for download, bringing two important fixes. One is for those still using Windows 10 and having trouble installing driver 26.6.2. In fact, this patch is coming from the recently released hotfix, so it is not new if you are already running version 26.6.3. The second fix is for RX 7000 owners. AMD recently brought FSR 4.1 support to the previous-gen graphics cards, but there was a bug with certain games crashing when using FSR 4.1. I experienced this issue with Forza Horizon 6, so today's driver should take care of that. Here is the official changelog: Intermittent install issue seen when installing AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.6.2 on Windows® 10 systems for Radeon™ RX 7000 series and above graphics products. Intermittent application crash may be observed in some games with AMD FSR Upscaling 4.1 enabled on Radeon™ RX 7000 series graphics products. Known issues include the following: Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Battlefield™ 6 on AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. AMD is actively working on a resolution with the developer to be released as soon as possible. Texture flickering or corruption may appear while playing Battlefield™ 6 with AMD Record and Stream on some AMD graphics products. AMD FSR Upscaling and AMD FSR Frame Generation may show as inactive in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition while playing Battlefield™ 6 when enabled on Radeon™ RX 9000 series graphics products. Failure to install may be observed while installing AI Bundle components in some regions with limited access to HuggingFace and GitHub. Model flickering or rendering failure may be observed in Maxon Cinema 4D and Blender on Radeon™ RX 7000 series and above graphics products. Users experiencing this issue are recommended to install AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.3.1. Intermittent application crash may be observed on some models while running Blender on Radeon™ RX 7000 series and above graphics products. Users experiencing this issue are recommended to install AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 26.3.1. You can download the AMD Radeon driver 26.6.4 from the official website here. Full release notes are available on the same page.
    • Amazon may use OpenAI and Nova models after Anthropic reportedly raises costs by Karthik Mudaliar Amazon is reportedly considering to use OpenAI models and even its own Nova family of AI models after Anthropic raised the cost of using Claude inside Amazon services. According to a report from The Information, Amazon is weighing its options to reduce costs under a new arrangement with Anthropic. But back in April, Amazon said it would invest $5 billion more in Anthropic, with the possibility of adding up to another $20 billion if certain commercial milestones are met. That investment actually came on top of another $8 billion Amazon had already put into the Claude maker. Anthropic, meanwhile, committed to spend more than $100 billion over 10 years on AWS technologies, including Amazon’s Trainium chips. Amazon isn't just a customer of Anthropic but also one of the most important backers and cloud partners. This is why it makes it interesting that Amazon is considering other alternatives to handle its internal workloads. Although Amazon has been building its own options for a while now. Its Nova family of AI models was announced in late 2024 for Amazon Bedrock, with models aimed at text, image, and video tasks. Amazon pitched the model around cost and latency at that time. With that said, OpenAI has also become a more realistic option recently for AWS customers as well as for Amazon itself. Earlier this year, OpenAI brought its latest models and Codex coding agent to Amazon Bedrock, after changes to its previously more restrictive Microsoft cloud arrangement. This allowed AWS to serve even those customers who wanted other alternatives from Claude, without having to move workloads out of Amazon's cloud. Evaluating alternatives could also be due to commercial pressure and not necessarily a sign of a damaged partnership between Amazon and Anthropic. Whether or not Amazon is actually considering switching entirely to OpenAI's models or its own Nova models remains unknown at this moment.
    • Samsung introduces new AI classroom tools and interactive displays at ISTELive 2026 by Fiza Ali Samsung has announced several new education-focused software features and interactive displays for schools during ISTELive 2026, taking place in Orlando, Florida, from 28 June to 1 July. The focus of these updates is on making shared classroom displays easier to use for teachers while giving IT administrators more control over managing devices. One of the key additions is the Samsung Account Management Solution (AMS). In many schools, multiple teachers share the same interactive display throughout the day, which means signing in and setting everything up can become repetitive. With AMS, teachers can log in by scanning a QR code or tapping an NFC-enabled ID card. Once signed in, their personalised workspace, including wallpapers, bookmarks, app shortcuts, and files, can be instantly accessed through Home Personalisation. Samsung has also included a screen lock feature, allowing teachers to lock the display if they need to step away briefly. Furthermore, the company is also updating its Education Portal with new tools designed for school IT administrators. The portal will allow IT administrators to register teachers, enrol devices, and manage user access from a central dashboard. Administrators can also link NFC cards to teacher accounts, making sign-ins quicker across shared displays. Another addition is a Tags feature that lets schools organise displays by building or classroom. Those tags can also be used to send emergency notifications to selected Samsung Interactive Displays through compatible platforms such as InformaCast and Raptor. Moreover, the tech giant's AI Assistant is gaining several new features aimed at supporting everyday classroom tasks such as lesson planning and classroom engagement. One of the features is Circle to Search, which lets teachers circle text or images on the display to quickly find related information, videos, or web results without interrupting the lesson. The content can then be brought into Samsung Whiteboard. Another feature, Live Transcript, converts spoken lessons into real-time captions, which could be useful for students with hearing impairments or those in multilingual classrooms. The AI Assistant also introduces AI Summary and AI Quiz. The summary tool creates summaries of recorded lessons, while AI Quiz generates questions based on lesson content so teachers can quickly check how well students are following along. Teachers signed in through Samsung AMS can also return to their previous AI-generated lesson materials without logging in again. Alongside the software updates, Samsung has expanded its Android-based Interactive Display range with three new models: the WAF-S, WAFX-PS, and WAHX-M. The WAF-S and WAFX-PS ship with Android 16, bringing updates to security, accessibility, and overall usability while maintaining compatibility with Google's education services including Google Classroom and Google Drive through EDLA certification. Meanwhile, the new WAHX-M is the biggest addition to the lineup, introducing a 98-inch display for larger spaces such as lecture halls and conference rooms. It will also be available in 65-inch, 75-inch and 86-inch sizes. Samsung says the WAHX-M further includes on-device AI features such as voice commands, text-to-speech, and an AI calculator, alongside support for Samsung AMS and AI Assistant. Samsung AI Assistant has been available since April, while Samsung AMS and the updated Education Portal will begin rolling out in July.
    • It's been $24 (single) or $89 (4-pack) for many days on both Amazon and Walmart as far as I know. That isn't a big discount. If these end up like the 1st gen, the 4-pack will routinely get down around $80, give or take a dollar. I think they have even hit $69 at times.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Reacting Well
      NovaEdgeX earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Week One Done
      NovaEdgeX earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      BA the Curmudgeon earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Conversation Starter
      rosiecharles earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      KMilenkoski1202 earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      536
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      269
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      150
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      97
    5. 5
      macoman
      64
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!