Problem using Iphone 3gs with 3 Network

bubblecut

I wondered if anyone else on the 3 network with an iphone 3gs has had the same problem as me.
I woke up this morning to find I had received 27 texts from 3 Alerts telling me I had gone over the limit of my internet allowance. Each text after that was telling me I had incurred £1.23 of data, then £2.68, and so on and so on until the last one was actually £62.57!!!! All this occurred through the night whilst I was asleep and the phone was on charge. No one could have used my phone as there is only me and my husband in the house and we were both asleep.
I am extremely puzzled as I don't normally use the internet other than through my wifi connection at home and at work.
Unfortunately when I spoke to 3 customer services and asked them to check the last 24 hours of internet downloads, they don't actually have it until the date I am billed which is 25th of the month.
I have now turned off my cellular data so that I do not incur further costs but have never encountered this before. I would be interested to know if this has happened to you too!!

Rusty!

Just because you're not using the phone doesn't mean it's not using data. They are permanently on-line!

I'm not sure of iPhone specific things, but my Android phone will shut off the wifi when it sleeps, and rely on mobile data, so it could be a similar thing with them.

Jon_01

Unless you switch all data service off the iPhone lives online. You don't need to be doing anything for it to be using data.

If you're not going to be using data service's maybe the iphone was the wrong phone to go for?

bubblecut

Well I don't understand if everything is shut down how can it still be downloading data? I got the phone because I need to access the internet on the go and it is by far the best phone out there for that.
I've had the phone for six months and it has never done anything like that before so it is very strange!!

Rusty!

You thinking everything is shut down isn't the same as things actually being shut down

Services run in the background constantly. The only way to stop mobile data being used it to disable it completely, which you have now done.

S0litaire

Check what apps you have installed on the iPhone,
Things like Twitter and facebook checking for emails are constantly using data.

Make sure you take a good look at the wireless settings, it should be set to use Wi-Fi over 3G
Or check if there's an option/app to go into "Airplane mode" (This shuts down Wi-Fi and 3G so you know it's not going to use any data.) and use that over night

I've set my Android to use Wi-Fi over 3G when ever possible (it keeps wi-fi on when the phones screen is off).

robt_2

You can switch off cellular data in the settings, but when you need to use it you will manually need to re-enable it.