How is mobile data usage calculated?

[Melant56]

How do you guys calculate usage ? 

[Sams]

Hi @Melant56 

The Bell app has a usage section which breaks down your download / upload usage in any billing period.

it also shows you how much days you have left till your next cycle in % and how much % you used out of your allowance.

The web version has a more detailed breakdown by day and 6 month trending. You can find the usage details after you log into your bell.ca account and go to My Services section and clicking on internet. 

[Melant56]

Thank you for reply, I should have been clearer. I have two mobile phones from two different providers , one is from another country.  I use both phones in a very similar way and usage is about 50-50 across the same type of apps and browsing.  On the phone from another country the way the GB usage is calculated is significantly less that the GB usage calculated by Bell. I am therefore questioning how does Bell calculate usage on the internet ? 

[Sams · Accepted solution]

I think you are asking about the mobile data usage….

All carriers in theory should calculate data usage the same way MBps downloaded and uploaded.

The factors that impact the total consumption of the data can be individual user related, phone related, app related or settings.

example, if you have background app refresh on one phone and not the other, than apps will consume data without you even knowing it and you don’t even have to launch the app!

if you have auto update enabled, that can impact your consumption.

if you stream videos, some apps will recognize you are not on wifi and reduce the resolution quality to save on data while others will not.

There are really so many reasons your data might be consumed at a higher rate when comparing phones or users. Those reasons can be hard to identify. One way that can help you figure out the culprit is by looking at consumption by app. You can use the feature in your phone or download a third party app.

I have an iPhone and in the setting app under “cellular” it will show you how much data is being consumed by every app in a current period. You can reset the period by pressing “reset statistics” and keep an eye on all the apps. You can also disable apps from using cellular data if you see they are using slot of your data.

For example, I found out a gaming app that I almost never use was consuming my data even if it’s not being used so I turned off the cellular data for that app and I no longer have that data leak issue.

[5464]

How do I add dada

[BellAntgio]

Hey there @5464, 

Welcome to the Community and thanks for your post.

When looking to make changes to your rate plan, we have a few options that can be completed via My Bell:

To change your add-ons select: Add/Remove features

To change your rate plan select: Change Rate Plan

[30MbDatadad]

I have many repeating data usage events for exactly 30Mb.  Nearly every day, sometimes multiple time each day.  I did not notice until this month when there was a large block of them and I went over my plan limit.  

The exact value is statistically nearly impossible to be regular usage so often.  So there must be something else going on.   It's on an iPhone 12.

[Suvrat]

300MB data usage charge on a talk and text plan for 750 minutes of usage ( as confirmed by Bell customer service.) most dates have 0-5 MB used a a day. despite of the phone having data usage turned off the entire month.

What can cause the bell talk and  text plan to pick data usage from an Apple device which is having blocked data ?

Also, despite online tools showing spreadout usage across month. Customer service says 750 minutes was entirely used on 1 day !.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome the Community Forum.

The Bell Community is a place for you to ask questions, find answers and share your thoughts on all of Bell's  products and services with other Bell customers like yourself. This is a peer-to-peer community space. As such, we do not access to your account, billing & usage records.

Which mobility plan are you on? Are you connecting to Wi-Fi? Are you connecting or sharing data with another device, E.g. iPad, etc.?

If you would like to see which applications are using up your cellular data; then have a look at the following:

To verify your device data usage:

1. Login to MyBell with your web browser & select your mobile service.
2. Select View usage details.
3. Select Daily usage.
4. You will now see a breakdown of your daily usage & below this specific details by day.

Keeping this information in mind, you can now open up your mobile device & you should be able to compare your online MyBell data usage to the applications that you have allowed to use your cellular data.

For example, if your device is an Apple iPhone, you could go to Settings > Select Cellular > Scroll down & view all of your installed Apps & their Data Usage. You can sort by name, by usage, etc. You can also turn on or off each specific apps'. ability to use data. You device can collect this usage by app for a specific period or as a cumulative total. You can also reset these stats if you choose to analyze the results.

Once you have a clearer understanding of which apps are using your data,& when they are using it, you can then make decisions to either allow data access for that specific app or at least have a look at the specific settings within that app. E.g. Video quality, notifications, entertainment, audio, update settings, etc.

Is your Wi-Fi Assist Turned on? How about your Personal Hotspot? On or off. Location Services? App updates, iCloud drive, Maps, etc., etc.

Hopefully, this will give you some further tools in determining where your data is going. If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

Take care.

[NorPlan]

In August I got a Text Message, then again for the Month of September. (????) Your Acct. Has reached $50. In additional Data Charges. As required by Law, We've Temporarily Blocked Data Usage till 09/16/24, Same for the Month of August. I don't have Unlimited Data on my Package.  What uses Data, I just use my Cellphone for Talking and Texting (???)  Help Please

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Good Day.

Data usage can accumulate quickly depending on the type of activities or mobile applications that are being used.

Activities that can trigger significant data usage include:

• Streaming/downloading video or audio (music or radio) from the Internet
• Sharing your device's mobile data connection with a laptop (tethering) or with other smartphones (creating a personal hotspot)
• Using live navigation/map apps
• Uploading or sharing photos and videos through social media, email, or messaging apps
• Browsing on the Internet for prolonged periods
• Enabling email settings to automatically fetch new emails or "push" to your device
• Using apps that automatically update or require the use of location services

Tips to manage your data usage:

• Upgrading your rate plan to increase your data usage allowance
• Connecting to a Wi-Fi network when available
• Updating apps over Wi-Fi or through your PC, and then synchronize the updates to your smartphone through a USB cable or Bluetooth
• Setting email settings to manually update/fetch
• Closing and signing out of apps when possible
• Using an application manager that will reveal high usage apps

Bell also offers some great tools to help you manage your data:

• You can quickly check your data usage in the My Usagesection of MyBell.
• Data usage notifications are sent by text message when you reach certain thresholds (e.g., when you have used 95% of the data in your plan).
• For details specific to your device, consult the device tutorials from our smartphone support section.

Take care.

[NorPlan]

Right out of the Gate Streaming, I have Two people in the Family that do everything on their Cellphones. So if someone is visiting and scrolling through their Cellphone, Streaming and what not in my Home ?? I have Wireless Internet & Cellphone service. They are draining my available Data Usage ??  Cheers Thanks

[Vanadiel]

If you have wireless (rural) internet and you let them use your WiFi for data, then yes it will use up your internet data.

If you don't let them on your WiFi, then they will use their own cellular data included with their phone plan.

[WelshTerrier]

Good DAY.

And once again, thank you for your reply & feedback.

You are absolutely correct! It might be time to change your password or ask them if they would be interested in assuming the responsibility for paying the bill.

Take care.

[5GUser]

does anyone’s daily data usage mature by one (1) day at 1800 hrs , when referencing Bell.ca or when using MyBell app? 

Bell tells me it’s a proprietary too!, for mobility accounts , but it’s clear they are stealing six (6) of data per day.