How much data does a phone use in 'standby'?

outtatune

All sorts of reasons, apps could update just as there's a temporary problem with the wifi, for example.

3GB will probably be fine, but keep an eye on it. If you find yourself going over, look at payg bundles instead. They work like contracts but because you pay in advance if you use up your bundle and you have no payg credit you don't get a bill, it just stops you from using data/calls out/whatever.

https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/cheapest-pay-as-you-go-bundles

searchlight123

My wife's android handset with EE on sim only has 1gb of data per month. I receive 10gb and can gift her data if needed. I have never needed to gift her data.

Her phone is always on, mobile data is on and when out away from our wifi she will whatsapp, check social media and receive her emails as and when they are sent to her on 'push'. So i wouldn't worry at allw  with a 3gb allowance.

ThisIsWeird

Thanks everyone. Wish me luck as I throw the switch.

Yippee! It's working! It's working! It's wo

savergrant

"3GB will probably be fine, but keep an eye on it. If you find yourself going over, look at payg bundles instead.  

To my thinking the 3gb is from a bundle, or am I missing something?

born_again

ThisIsWeird said:

Thanks, both. Yes, I don't know what contact packets are either - it was just a kind of explanation given on a forum. The gist was that, even when not actually downloading data, the phone keeps 'in contact', and this has a minimum ~250kb 'packet' size.

So, if I shut off all unneeded Apps (which I tend to anyway), tell my Gmail to stop pulling, and basically try to shut everything down to background, 3GB should actually be ok for a month unless I 'download' stuff?

Let me say, I use my phone a lot playing while out walking, a good 2 hours a day. Last 30 days is only 0.89 gig data usage.

ThisIsWeird

savergrant said:

"3GB will probably be fine, but keep an eye on it. If you find yourself going over, look at payg bundles instead.  

To my thinking the 3gb is from a bundle, or am I missing something?

Yes, I guess it's a bundle - 3GB and unlimited calls pm.

From what folk say, I should be fine

outtatune

savergrant said:

"3GB will probably be fine, but keep an eye on it. If you find yourself going over, look at payg bundles instead.  

To my thinking the 3gb is from a bundle, or am I missing something?

I wasn't sure if the OP had a payg bundle or a regular contract bundle where you receive a bill afterwards for any usage outside the bundle.

savergrant

Fair point, although I would think that if you are on contract you have the option to limit your monthly usage to your allowance only, whilst if you are on payg and use up your bundle it will start eating into your topup credit (and may then autotopup)?

I recall autotopup being a problem as a lot of disgruntled asdamobile customers got refunds of their credit balance then found their balances autotopping back up as soon as they hit zero!

ThisIsWeird

Yes, I can set a limit or just a warning, and I'd put that on probably 2.5GB. So happy to do that as an experiment.

I rarely use 'data' when i'm out, but it's certainly useful at times. Following my previous experience, I just didn't want to leave it on by default, only for it to be worn away by 'nothing', and then it not being available when I could actually do with it.

So I'll do as suggested - turn off all Apps not actually used regularly, set 'updates' to WiFi only (yes?), and see how it goes.

RumRat

Why still the worry on here.....3GB is more than ample for the OP's usage. My wife has similar usage, except she uses the SatNav a lot and Spotify but doesn't even hit one Gig of usage, I think the most she ever used was while away and then it only went up to one and half. Streaming video is a data killer and it doesn't seem the OP does that....
If all the belt and braces shenanigans make people feel better then fair enough, but, absolutely no need.