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Bug IOS Apple

iOS 6 Streaming Bug Sends Data Usage Skyrocketing 98

Posted by Soulskill from the please-don't-start-calling-this-streamgate dept.
MojoKid writes "iOS 6, by all appearances, has a streaming problem. This is separate from the network issues that led Verizon to state that it wouldn't bill people for overages that were caused by spotty Wi-Fi connectivity. The issue has been detailed at PRX.org with information on how the team saw a huge spike in bandwidth usage after the release of iOS 6, and then carefully tested the behavior of devices and its own app to narrow the possible cause. In one case, the playback of a single 30MB episode caused the transfer of over 100MB of data. It is believed that the issue was solved with the release of iOS 6.0.1, but anecdotal evidence from readers points to continued incidents of high data usage, even after updating. If you own an iPhone 5 or upgraded to iOS 6 on an older device, it is strongly recommend to check your usage over the past two months, update to iOS 6.0.1, and plan for a lengthy discussion with your carrier if it turns out your data use went through the roof."
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iOS 6 Streaming Bug Sends Data Usage Skyrocketing More

iOS 6 Streaming Bug Sends Data Usage Skyrocketing

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  • Well done (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I am glad that there are such rigorous QC controls in place at Apple to protect Customers from issues like this. I am also glad to see that the issue was corrected so quickly, with Apple being upfront with customers about the issue, and working with carriers to correct it.

    It's examples like this that make it easy to clearly identify why using Apple products is such a good idea, for all involved.

    • Well, it's money well spent, again, and again, and again.
    • Its funny because Apple must not like network connections in General. They routinely break wifi with updates. Not only on their phones but also on iMacs and other devices too. Of course you can plug those devices into the network which brings up an incident I had with an iMac about 5 years ago where the network interface would fail intermittently every so often. Of course with a normal computer you can just put an add in card. With the iMac, it just had to go in the recycle bin.

  • Apple cultists (Score:5, Funny)

    by Dunbal ( 464142 ) * on Friday November 16, 2012 @03:59PM (#42005733)
    Don't worry, it's all part of Apple Innovation. You must be using the phone wrong or something. You'll be able to buy a patch soon.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by yacc143 ( 975862 )

      Exactly, and the perverted criminal competition has changed the landscape all around to make Apple Maps look bad.

    • Don't worry, it's all part of Apple Innovation. You must be using the phone wrong or something. You'll be able to buy a patch soon.

      ... and by "patch," we of course mean the iPhone 6.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jd2112 ( 1535857 )

      Don't worry, it's all part of Apple Innovation. You must be using the phone wrong or something. You'll be able to buy a patch soon.

      No, it is exactly the way AT&T and Verizon want it.

  • wrong recipient (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Why should the carrier care, the fault lies here with Apple, so a discussion with your local collection of badly geniuses is what you need.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by yacc143 ( 975862 )

      So if Hyundai lies about it's cars fuel efficiency, you go and discuss this at your gas station, right?

      • So if Hyundai lies about it's cars fuel efficiency, you go and discuss this at your gas station, right?

        Strike that. Reverse it.

    • The carrier sells the product.

      While it is an Apple bug. the Carrier wasn't diligent enough to check for that flaw, and they are selling a device that could rack up minutes without the user knowing. For the most part if Verizon doesn't charge for the excess they are the good guy. If they charged than they will be less trusted.

  • haha federal government truly unlimited data plan, don't care about data usage

  • That headline is the mean interpretation of all Apple bashers, whereas the Apple fanboys will call it a glitch or a minor mishap.

    Somewhere along the infamous, slippery path both may have delivered a relevant piece of an annoying truth.

  • Tinfoil hat time here. Why did it have to be a bug? Perhaps apple wanted to push for updated networks, or a carrier wanted more money and colluded with apple. Maybe not even to make money, but to have more 'evidence' for caps and throttling. Just sayin'.

  • Bypassing wifi too (Score:4, Interesting)

    by A5un ( 586681 ) on Friday November 16, 2012 @04:32PM (#42006215)
    Probably this is a different issue with the reported issue, but I have noticed that iOS is bypassing the wifi network and flip to cellular data network every so often (and flips back again). This happens probably a handful of times in 1 hour. This is easy to check if you have a wifi AP with tcpdump or wireshark running on it. It's especially bad when you're running VoIP app that needs to register properly so that calls can be routed to the proper IP address.

    Has anyone else notice this issue?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      Probably this is a different issue with the reported issue, but I have noticed that iOS is bypassing the wifi network and flip to cellular data network every so often (and flips back again). This happens probably a handful of times in 1 hour. This is easy to check if you have a wifi AP with tcpdump or wireshark running on it. It's especially bad when you're running VoIP app that needs to register properly so that calls can be routed to the proper IP address.

      There is a setting I believe (I've only seen the s

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by A5un ( 586681 )

        There is a setting I believe (I've only seen the screenshots - I didn't install iOS6) that enables iOS to use 3G if it detects the WiFi is bad. Could this be the case - your device has a terrible/slow/laggy WiFi connection and it decides using 3G would at least lead to a more stable internet connection?

        I'll check for this setting. However, I don't think the WiFi connection is slow at all. The WiFi goes to a corporate network with 100 Mbps dedicated connection to the Internet both up and down. Something is definitely amiss. Btw, iOS 6.0.1 does not fix this issue.

        • On those large wifi networks, it is less about the outbound pipe speed, and more about the signal noise.
      • I believe the setting you are referring to was only in the pre 6.0 betas. I can't remember what it was called. I assume it was removed because of issues like this. But perhaps only the toggle was removed?

    • Ok, I have an extra iPhone just for development which I put on a pre-paid plan that charges 1 euro for every day you use the 3G network. I have used that kind of plan on Maemo/MeeGo and Symbian phones for years and I never had a charge while at home since I have a good WiFi network.
      You are starting to see where I am going eh?
      So, a couple of weeks after I added such a card on the iPhone, which was a bit more than a year ago (so we are talking about iOS 5), I disable the WiFi to do some testing with 3G. In co

      • Re:Not a new issue and Android did it too (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        My Samsung Galaxy S (Fascinate) does the same thing. Its a battery-saving behavior, but at least the Android phone had a setting to let the user control whether or not it disabled the WiFi comms when the screen is off for an extended period and the phone wasnt plugged in to the wall.

        Go back two years when Android was really taking off and you'll see lots of user complaints about impossible overnight uses of their 3G data eating away their limited usage plan.

      • iPhone has always done this (so definitely not an iOS 6 or iOS 5-specific thing). It's a battery-saving measure. Actually, don't most smartphones do this? (Apple or not)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by yabos ( 719499 )
      My GF's iPad keeps complaining that she's nearing here data usage cap(1GB). When you go to check the usage on the cellular provider's website(Bell Canada), she's well below the cap. Something is indeed a little buggy with iOS 6. Most of the usage is on WIFI also.

  • Alright, here's a data point that might throw a monkeywrench into this situation...
    I have an ipod, still on 5.1.1, that I drive around all day connected to a verizon wifi hotspot thingy with a 3GB data plan. Usually, I download the couple of podcasts I listen to at home before work, but if I forget, I'll go ahead and download it out on the road, they run about 40 MB or so. The only other thing I do is a few emails, a few google searches, and the occasional look at facebook.

    In the past, I would sometimes get

  • Post Steve Jobs? (Score:3)

    by slapout ( 93640 ) on Friday November 16, 2012 @06:02PM (#42007359)

    First maps, then no YouTube app for the iPad and now this. Things aren't looking good for iOS post-Steve Jobs.

    • I don't think many people are being affected by this bug - some are, for sure, but it's not hugely wide-spread. I certainly haven't noticed anything odd going on with the data usage of the 3 iOS devices in this household since upgrading to iOS6.

      The new maps does suck, that's for sure though. Not so much the app itself (the vector-based mapping engine is pretty awesome actually, much faster and lighter on data usage than the old bitmap maps) ... it's just the data that is terribly bad. Which is fixable, than

  • Even if you're on Verizon. AT&T's position is "We just provide the roads you drive on. If your car drives a thousand miles without you wanting it to, it's not the fault or will of the highway department." Never mind the fact that if carriers wanted to rip customers off, they would simply disable network access entirely, freeing up bandwidth for more important clients. No, it's a far more Romulan level of ploy to put bricks on everyone's pedals and then deal with everyone else complaining about degraded
  • Apple came out with an update some time ago so the only people who would still be on iOS 6.0 would be people who have jailbroken their devices. That is one of many risks you run if you choose to jailbreak. If you are not jailbroken then there should be no reason to be still on iOS 6.0.0.

  • How much bandwidth is wasted by buggy software (and by "buggy" I also mean super-inefficent borderline stupid codig) per year...?

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