HTC 8X WP8 uses up airtime without being used!

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DaveSemm

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A few weeks ago I got an HTC 8x for my friend on an MTN top up contract. I tried to convince her to get a Samsung Android phone, but she insisted on the HTC. 3 weeks later & she's ready to toss it out. The 100 minutes of airtime gets used up in 2 weeks. She topped it up with R25, and a few hours later it was used up again, this time without her having made any calls - just one SMS. Is the phone using airtime for internet? Do Windows updates run in the background? Is there anything else that could be using the airtime?

While I'm complaining, I should mention that HTC does not support the 8x in South Africa: she asked for a cover, and the MTN sales person said they didn't have it, but we could get it at one of the other cell phone shops. We tried every shop at the Pavilion in Durban, then at Gateway, then at Liberty Mall in Pietermaritzburg. We also tried some dodgy street vendors. No one has a cover for it. I emailed HTC, who at first replied saying try a cell phone shop. After repeating what I said in the email with lots of bold and underlining, they said I should order it from the UK!
 
BTW, I put this on HelloPeter, but they flag HTC as a company that doesn't respond.
 
It's probably an app pulling data from the web, or the OS updating itself.

Try turning off the handset's cellular data connection and see if it makes a difference.

Turn off your cellular data connection

The most thorough way to make sure you're not using cellular data is to turn it off altogether.

  1. In the App list, tap Settings Settings icon > Cellular.
  3. Tap Data connection, and then tap Off.
Goodluck.
 
Last edited:
The OS will not automatically update itself as I think it requires a wifi connection.

As mentioned above, it is probably an app. If turing off all data traffic (as detailed by sii) stops the airtime depletion, then go through the settings in each app, looking to turn off any background data activity.

On the Nokia, you have Data Sense which lists each app and the data it uses via mobile and wifi. Easy to identify the culprit. Not sure if HTC has somethhg similar?
 
OS updates will only happen over cellular if you go into phone update and force it, so it won't be that.

Probably some app running in the background.

If the phone has been updated to GDR2 it should have DataSense installed which will give a break down of what is using data and how much, this is unless MTN has requested that it be removed from being installed on their phones.
 
Thanks! I've connected to a WiFI hotspot & am downloading an update - hopefully this will be GDR2. I almost applied for MTN's itemized billing (for R25/month) to try to track where the airtime is going, but if GDR2 can show me what is using the airtime, that will solve that problem.

My friend didn't install too many apps, but WhatsApp, WeChat and the Weather tile could be using data all the time.

I'm new to Windows phone - we both had BlackBerries for a few years & never ran out of airtime.
 
DaveSemm said:
I'm new to Windows phone - we both had BlackBerries for a few years & never ran out of airtime.
Click to expand...

Think this might be an issue of sorts. Most modern phones are always "connected" so even when you aren't actively using them they are polling data.
Try change the update schedule of the weather app to 12 hours and see if that helps.

Also check under Settings -> Swipe to the Right -> Background Tasks and see whats running under here.
 
Not sure how the MTN airtime works, but make sure you have a data bundle loaded. Normal airtime will evaporate like nothing on a smartphone (out of bundle rates).
 
grim said:
OS updates will only happen over cellular if you go into phone update and force it, so it won't be that.

Probably some app running in the background.

If the phone has been updated to GDR2 it should have DataSense installed which will give a break down of what is using data and how much, this is unless MTN has requested that it be removed from being installed on their phones.
Click to expand...

I updated, and confirmed that it is update 2 (which I assume is the same as GDR2), but it does not have DataSense. After a bit of research, I found out that DataSense doesn't get installed on all phones.

I also found out that I can update over and over - it always says that an update is available, downloads it, installs it, reboots, etc., and finally says it is done, but the OS version doesn't change and there are no new features. A bit more research and I found an Australian web site that confirms that this happens with the HTC 8x.
 
The contract includes 100 minutes airtime and 100MB data. As soon as the data is used up, it uses airtime for data. MTN have confirmed that all the airtime was used for data. The data is apparently getting used by apps checking for updates. I'm working out now how to stop this.
 
DaveSemm said:
I updated, and confirmed that it is update 2 (which I assume is the same as GDR2), but it does not have DataSense. After a bit of research, I found out that DataSense doesn't get installed on all phones.

I also found out that I can update over and over - it always says that an update is available, downloads it, installs it, reboots, etc., and finally says it is done, but the OS version doesn't change and there are no new features. A bit more research and I found an Australian web site that confirms that this happens with the HTC 8x.
Click to expand...

The other updates are probably language packs for the keyboards you have selected under Settings -> Keyboard

Also Firmware and OS updates can be separate updates
 
Thanks for that info. I checked the list, and have now blocked HTC, Weather, weChat and WhatsApp. The only other app is facebook which cannot be blocked.

Is there any way to configure the phone so that it does not use airtime when data is finished? It uses up 100MB data in 2 weeks of fairly light use, but then burns up R25 airtime in an hour or 2 with the phone not being used at all.
 
I did an update now for the 3rd time and see it has changed the OS to version 8.0.10501.127, from 8.0.10327.77.
I think this is GDR3. It is still without DataView.
 
DataView has appeared! I've set it up to block when the limit is reached. I assume this means it will not switch to airtime when it is used up. I'll play around with it and see how it goes.

Thanks everyone for all the useful info!
 
Good luck! I'm sure you'll enjoy WP8 once the initial teething problems with the data usage are sorted out.
 
DaveSemm said:
I did an update now for the 3rd time and see it has changed the OS to version 8.0.10501.127, from 8.0.10327.77.
I think this is GDR3. It is still without DataView.
Click to expand...

Does it have Screen Rotation under settings now?

If it does it is GDR3
 
I find that my 920 people hub and system in datasense seem to use a lot of data. not sure how one can limit it, unless one does not link to your facebook account, or maybe have few friends:) less syncing ...
Seems to use minimum of 100mb a month, but have wireless when at home, so not sure what the total data usage would be on 3G only.
Recommend a 300MB bundle just to get by with my wireless at home.
 
My iPhone 5 also is a data hog. I read an article the other day that claims that some smartphones communicate up to 350,000 times every 24 hours to 350 servers globally, without the user's knowledge or consent. Maybe our phones leak while in our pockets?
 
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