High mobile data usage from System-950 XL, why?

[Windows Central Question]

High mobile data usage from "System"-950 XL

Since buying my 950XL at launch I have experienced a periodic problem where the "System" process is using lots of mobile data, putting me over my limit for the month. The first I know about this is when i get a text warning me I've used almost all of my allowance. Data usage for other apps, particularly those which run in the background (email, Facebook etc) is fine and in line with what I would expect, but there is clearly something going on at the system level which I can't trace.

I have disabled the option to use mobile data if wifi is unavailable, turned off automatic backups, store updates and phone updates, one drive photo backup etc. It did seem that Calls+ was constantly checking call waiting status, and when I stopped this running in the background the situation improved, but I am still using a fair amount of data.

This is becoming very frustrating-is there anything any other users have found that can help with this issue? I'm on the latest insider build and firmware and all store apps are up to date.

As another datapoint, my wife has the same issue with her 950, but m ore extreme-hers is using mobile data even when this is switched off completely in options.

 

[peashooter14]

I bet you have a pending phone update...could be 2-4 gigs....use wifi and check the phone update settings

 

[peashooter14]

Re: High mobile data usage from "System"-950 XL

Also, it takes many days to download all of your text messages

 

[peashooter14]

Re: High mobile data usage from "System"-950 XL

it may take 1-2 weeks for all the data to stop. Your battery will suck too as long as there is a background download of the phone updates.

 

[Joel S.]

Re: High mobile data usage from "System"-950 XL

Oddly enough, I started seeing a similar issue on my fiances phone. Her data is off, and she's used ~500GB already for the billing cycle. (We've had the phones since AT&T launch).

This evening I'm going to remove the GMail account from her phone and see if that helps at all. Also need to make sure she's updated (current is .63 I think... I'm on the IP). The system should not download OS updates when it's not on Wifi unless you explicitly tell it to.

Have you setup the Data Usage App? It can cut off background data when you're near the limit, or turn it off outright. Note: the app appears to force close when setting the background data options if the cellular data is turned off.

 

[peashooter14]

Also, if you have your email setup to download all items, it will sync your email history (big data)

 

[Joe920]

Re: High mobile data usage from "System"-950 XL

Her data is off, and she's used ~500GB already for the billing cycle

I hope that's MB not GB?! I'm curious if everyone here is on ATT. I had the same problem, huge data use reported by ATT, but not by the phone. BTW, scrolling down the list of apps that used data, all the way at the bottom is system, even when sorting from large to small usage. For me it's 170MB right now, sitting at the bottom of the list for some reason.

 

[tgp]

Which carrier are you on? I've only ever had discrepancies in reported data usage on a prepaid carrier. I used to use Net10 AT&T. One time I was throttled because they said I used all my allotted data. I checked the data usage app on my (Android) phone and it showed about what I normally use. I asked them to restore my data but they didn't. I did eventually get the problem taken care of; I switched to GoPhone. I never again had any issues with Net10! :winktongue:

On my Nexus 6 with Verizon service, my phone's Data usage reports exactly the same as Verizon does. Last month I checked the data usage close to the end of the month, and they showed exactly the same at over 135GB (I don't remember exactly what it was; only that they matched).

 

[Joel S.]

Re: High mobile data usage from "System"-950 XL

lol, yea, it's MB, whoops.

FWIW, we're only about a week into the current billing cycle.

 

[GizmoEV]

My Wife's 950XL has been doing the same thing. The high data use is usually when she isn't on WiFi. System has used 7.27GB and OneDrive 1.22GB. It looks like the usage numbers include WiFi and cellular data. The Overview screen doesn't even show any data for SIM 1. Also, what is Maritime?

Any one hear of any fixes?

This is on AT&T and only has 1 SIM.

 

[signal-2-noise]

I've noticed the high data usage as well on my 950XL. 'System' lists 1.14GB used. I've had this WP for only about 3 weeks and my monthly limit is 2GB. My 930 with moderate use would rarely get over 700MB of cellular data usage in a one month period. I've reported this on Windowx Feedback and is very concerning.

SIM2 (which is empty) is also showing 1.11GB of data. This is crazy.

 

[GizmoEV]

I was reading a similar thread in the 950 forum and it appears that the Sync messages between devices might be the culprit. This is set under System|Messaging. If you go to System | Battery saver | Battery use and find MsgMmsTransport. Tap it and select Details. It shows Cellular data: 89.7% on my Wife's 950XL with 0% on WiFi. I've turned off the message sync between devices to see what happens.

 

[mikepalma]

Re: High mobile data usage from "System"-950 XL

@thurott revealed this. Hello class action, great for us lawyers

 

[Andrew Suppa]

Well, did it help at all? I had to disable data for the second month in a row and it kinda sucks. I might go back to my 920 for this.

 

[signal-2-noise]

Since turning off auto backup sync and SMS messaging Sync Across Devices my data usage has been at 'normal' levels.

 

[tdavi82]

I am going to try that out signal-2-noise. I am on wifi so much that I hardly use cellular. For the past 4 years my cell data usage is less than 500MB a month. Usually around 300-450MB. I got the Lumia 950 a few weeks ago. Within my first two weeks of having the phone my data was over 3.6GB! It is now a new billing cycle and its been 5 days. I am the highest consumer on my bill at 330MB. If that trends then I will consume over 2GB a month while being on WiFi over 95% of the time.

The highest cell use is System. Here are a few things I already have disabled and I guess it didn't help.
- Turned off 4G speed
- turned off most apps running in the background
- Hold back button and close apps. IE will consume data and battery even if you do not have it open.
- Only download updates and podcasts on wifi

 

[lankylars]

Also, what is Maritime?

Anyone discovering what's going on? I have a 950 XL dual SIM on AT&T (on normal Windows Mobile build .29). Everything has been fine until today, when I got a notice that I'd consumed 3.6 GB of data out of my 4.5 limit (including rollover). I have never come close under normal usage and have had this phone since late November. Checking my AT&T data usage, I notice that almost all of the data use occurred over a weekend when I wasn't on WiFi. It shows data consumption at a rate of ~120MB per three hour reporting window, at all hours of the day. I know I was not actively using data during that time, at all.

The Data Usage app is not helpful for isolating what is being sent over WiFi versus SIM, since it aggregates everything, so I can't full isolate the culprit. However, of about 22 GB of data used between all sources (WiFi, AT&T SIM and mysterious usage attributed to empty SIM 2 slot), system has consumed 14GB.

Also, in Data Usage, why on earth is SIM1 (named AT&T by me), called "Maritim"?

Has anyone disabled messaging sync and seen a reduction in this wasteful data? Messaging only accounts for 222MB of total data sent - about 1%.

 

[GizmoEV]

Has anyone disabled messaging sync and seen a reduction in this wasteful data? Messaging only accounts for 222MB of total data sent - about 1%.

I disabled messaging sync on my Wife's 950XL Dual SIM and her data use dropped dramatically.

On my 950XL Single SIM, I didn't have the high data use before or after installing the .107 insider build.

 

[signal-2-noise]

...
Has anyone disabled messaging sync and seen a reduction in this wasteful data? Messaging only accounts for 222MB of total data sent - about 1%.

You should read the entire thread. Yes.

 

[lankylars]

You should read the entire thread. Yes.

I did; however, there have been conflicting accounts of this across various threads in this forum. Will turn it off and monitor the situation.