Data usage | AT&T Community Forums (2024)

First of all data is now cheap. AT&T is least expensive $30 for 30 days Prepaid Plan includes 5 GB of data. Typical smartphones will use about 2 to 3 GB in a month just for normal usage.

If you are on an old plan with a very limited amount of data, you're probably paying too much for what you have. Some of the old plans had less than 1 GB of data and we're charging you ridiculous amounts for it, and the penalty of $20 if you exceeded your meager allowance.

Newer plans cost the same but include a lot more data as well as unlimited talk and text.

Data is not measured in milligrams (mg) as you indicated.

Data is measured in kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes. There are 1024 KB in a MB , and 1024 MB in a GB.

Your smartphone relies on data to function. Turning off data means that once your smartphone can access data again it will update any system that has been disconnected. It is unlikely you are saving any data what-so-ever by turning data off, the updates just wait till reconnected.

Just loading an app, like your web browser, is going to take the same amount of data each time before you even begin your web search.

Also if data is off and you lose your phone you will not be able to locate it.

It's false economy.

You might want to look at the new plans, including plans from other service providers. Because you are pinching the wrong sort of pennies. If you have a current plan you're going to wind up with a large amount of rollover which expires, as it rolls for one month only.

The mg was a clerical error, assume the mg should be GB. The term turning data off meant turning off ATT data using wifi when it can be used instead of ATT data

Dont understand how a smartphone relies on data to function. Thought data was only used when on the web, streaming, or downloading or updating apps.

Is data also used when using the phone to talk, using the camera, or. using apps such as word processing or scanning documents etc which dont require the web.

Your smartphone is loaded with apps. Those apps may go to the internet for all sorts of things, checking to make sure that you don't need to do an update, for news, notifications, ads (this is a lot of it these days). E-mail apps will check in the background to see if you have new e-mails.

Even when you think you have your data turned off, some phones have a "feature" that allows them to use mobile data when Wi-Fi isn't adequate/stable/fast-enough.

Depending on your phone, you should be able to see what mobile data you are using and what applications are using the data.

Is data also used when using the phone to talk, using the camera, or. using apps such as word processing or scanning documents etc which dont require the web

No. Data is only used when an app or phone function needs to connect to the internet. So, for example, your phone camera does not use data to take pictures but if your pictures are saved to the cloud, that will use data if not on WiFi. A smart phone will use data even if you aren’t on the web or using an app that connects to the internet. One phone function that uses data regularly is location services. You totally control what apps and phone functions are allowed to use data through your phone settings.

If both wifi and att data are turned on does that mean the phone will try wifi first and if that doesn't work use att data, or will the phone use att data first?

Android phones come with gmail built in. Are you saying that gmail automatically checks for new email messages even when not loaded, just by turning the phone on?

Also does text or talk use data. The plan says unlimited talks and text and x amount of data. Seems if talk and text use data and data is limited, the plan would not say unlimited talk and text?

If both wifi and att data are turned on does that mean the phone will try wifi first and if that doesn't work use att data, or will the phone use att data first?

That depends on the phone and the app and phone settings. Most phones and apps will just use WiFi if connected to WiFi. However, most smartphones have a setting called “WiFi assist”. With WiFi assist enabled, the phone will use both WiFi and cellular data. There are also some phone functions that will use cellular data even if connected to WiFi. Location services is one example. Visual voicemail is another.

Android phones come with gmail built in. Are you saying that gmail automatically checks for new email messages even when not loaded, just by turning the phone on?

Yes. I have an iPhone and my iPhone built in email app automatically checks for email. Once again, check phone settings. There may be a way to configure gmail to only check for email when you want it to or only use WiFi.

Also does text or talk use data. The plan says unlimited talks and text and x amount of data. Seems if talk and text use data and data is limited, the plan would not say unlimited talk and text?

Talk and text do not use data. Sending or receiving picture texts do require that cellular data is on but the data does not count against your data allotment.

@BillJohnFirst time it said I used 25mg , 2nd time said 50 mg total, and 3rd said 70mg total.

The mg was a clerical error, assume the mg should be GB.

Uuhhh...

So you are trying to say you turned on your data for a brief time, and the phone used 25 gigabytes , 2nd time 50 gigabytes total, and 3rd 70 gigabytes

For a total gigabytes of 145?

I don't think so. Please go back and actually look at your phone, I suspect what you see is a k b or kilobytes. Maybe megabytes.

@formerlyknownasI suspect mg meant megabytes, not gigabytes.