Data usage went ballistic for one night on AT&T

[yeewiz]

Last night my wife was babysitting and streamed a Netflix movie onto her Note 2 for the granddaughter. She was at home and using wifi, or so she thought. Then we started getting AT&T email notices that we were exceeding our data plan allotments and being bumped up another allotment. In all, she used about 600MB in data. Today, she found a setting in her Note 2 for data usage and the setting indicated that about 600MB was used by Netflix last night. Clearly, I have enough ammunition to call AT&T and get the data charges reversed. But this incident leads to couple of questions:

1) My wife is on a family plan with me and I couldn't find this setting or app on my 920. Does this feature not exist on WP8, or am I missing a download or something?

2) Has this happened to any of you? A couple of weeks, ago I had an over data allotment email but it was only for 200MB so I thought maybe I could have overused data. But normally I don't and this wife incident has me re-thinking maybe my overage was bogus too. I don't use Netflix on my phone so it wasn't Netflix for my overage.

3) Is the Netflix app defective?

4) Has anybody heard of this rumor where this data issue was caused by AT&T upgrading their network? Heard it from my stepson who has Android which also went into data only mode and who says an AT&T rep told him it was caused by AT&T network upgrade.


Thanks all for any insight!

 

[foxbat121]

1. It is called Data Sense on WP8. Unfortunately, no AT&T phones have it because AT&T like you to pay for the overage.
2. I always tell my family members to turn off the mobile data completely if they are going to streaming over wifi (be it WP or Android). WiFi connection can't be guaranteed to be always connected. Just because you are sitting in a area covered by wifi, doesn't mean your phone always connected via wifi.
3. No.
4. No.

 

[yeewiz]

Thanks for your reply.

1) Except my wife's phone is on my family plan so it is on AT&T. Unless you're saying Android has Data Sense?
2) Been running on smart phone data plans for a couple of years now and this is the first time something like this has happened. Hmmm, but you got me thinking, my wife and stepson both have Samsung Android and both had this data overrun problem in a house running a new U-verse WiFi account.

 

[pankaj981]

Data sense is a core WP8 feature which unfortunately ATT has stripped off from all its WP8 phones (workaround is to flash to a generic unbranded ROM). If you want to avoid falling in this situation while using a WP8, turn off the use data when using wifi option from wifi settings.

 

[xandros9]

other phones have similar data measuring tools baked in usually. In this case, AT&T conducted a lobotomy and yanked Data Sense. I have an ATT 920 and flashed to an int'l ROM on day 2, definitely worth it for me

 

[yeewiz]

looks like the Data Sense feature suggestion just got completed by the WP* programmers

Data Counter app for windows phone 8

Windows Phone 8 users desperately need a Data Counters App similar to Nokia Counters released for Windows Phone 7.x.
This is an absolute basic need for phones which run on Operators who DO NOT currently support the Data Sense Feature.
I DO NOT need any of the nifty features like Data Compression and all of that, just a basic Data Counters App which works the same as Nokia Counters for Windows Phone 7.x.
It's really a shame that you leave out such a critical feature when you know NOT every operator in the world would have been capable or even interested (in the interest of making more money) to support Data Sense at the time of release of Windows Phone 8 or even later on for that matter.
Don't dump unfinished Beta software on us, fix this ASAP and release an app or an update.

876 votes

completed ? AdminMobile Guru (Admin, Windows Phone) responded ? Dec 1, 2013
This feature is now available in Windows Phone 8.
And as always, if you think this feature, or any other, needs improvement, be sure to create a new product suggestion so we can track it and other users can vote on your ideas. And while we can’t promise to ship every suggestion that gets submitted, we will be sure that our product development team receives your feedback. We’re always listening!

 

[foxbat121]

Good luck. I suspect what meant by AdminMobile is Data Sense is available today on WP8.

 

[yeewiz]

the thought did occur to me that it means it already exists. but the same completion language is also used for orientation lock so it could go the other way too. I'll just cross my fingers and think positive.

 

[pankaj981]

the thought did occur to me that it means it already exists. but the same completion language is also used for orientation lock so it could go the other way too. I'll just cross my fingers and think positive.

Orientation lock is also available on WP8 after the GDR3 aka Update 3