# i hate f'in data-how much do i need?



## sudsy9977 (Jan 14, 2013)

ok so ***...how do i know how much data i use per month on my cell phone...i am trying to switch to verizons new share everything plan....the mr is gonna be using most of the data....the only thing ill be using is the occasional visit to kkf and some gps navigation when i am lost or have to go on a delivery for work......she gets all emails and does stuff for work on her phone but any reasonable way of guessing?....ryan


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## Zwiefel (Jan 14, 2013)

My service provider will show you much you have consumed on your phone throughout the month from their website. That's probably the best way to figure out your historical usage.

Barring that, you should be able to call customer service and get them to tell you...you should try to get a number for each of the last 12 months as odds are your usage varies in some seasonal way.


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## sudsy9977 (Jan 14, 2013)

ok cool . i just looked up her account and she has an average of 63.07 mb with a peak of 81.82mb for the last six months.......so assuming i have no idea how much i use...i only use the phone to browse the internet and gps......how much would i need.....how much is a gigabyte of usage.....like what causes the most usage of data that people use?....downloading music, internet, etc?....ryan


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## ThEoRy (Jan 14, 2013)

Streaming of any kind, facebook or any connected apps, gps all use quite a bit. I'm over 8gb a month alone. My wife hits about 2gb. We're still grandfathered in to unlimited data though. :cool2:


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## Zwiefel (Jan 14, 2013)

Streaming video, downloading music, and downloading apps are the most data intensive activities I can think of. GPS shouldn't use very much, neither does browsing unless you do an awful lot of it.

sounds like you use less than her, so just double her peak. That would be about 170MB. 1 GB = 1024MB. I would think a GB/month would easily cover even the worst case scenario for you...that's more than 5X your peak combined usage. You could probably get by with 500MB, if that's an option and the difference in price makes sense to you.

Does that help?


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## ThEoRy (Jan 14, 2013)

I think 2gb is the lowest tier.


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## sudsy9977 (Jan 14, 2013)

yeah 2gb is the lowest shared data plan they offer.....theory..*** do u do on your phone!.....how the heck do u use that much data?.....she is always checking email, going on faebook etc.....and i use it less so i guess 2gb should be good...i hate verizon but i think i might actually switch back...it'll be the same price were paying now with better service for me...upgraded phones.....and shell be happy....ryan


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## franzb69 (Jan 14, 2013)

times like these makes me thank my all our local service providers still give us unlimited data all the time.


doesn't t-mobile provide unlimited data?


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## Zwiefel (Jan 14, 2013)

I think kids tend to be the data hogs...endless music, movies, games (downloads).

My wife and I use about 700MB/Month on average. Mine varies quite a bit depending on whether I'm travelling for work as that affects how much time I spend near wifi hotspots.


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## sudsy9977 (Jan 15, 2013)

Well the mrs is actually grandfathered in to unlimited data but actually it seems like she doesn't use any.....ihave a prepaid phone....it's like 40 bucks a month....she wants to get iPhones for both of us....don't want it but she really wants one....I figure she already pays like 40 bucks for data....and like 45 for her phone.....


If I just get two 40 dollar plans and pay for the 2 gb of data I won't really be loosing any money so I might just go that route.....I know with an iPhone shell probably be using more data though.....that's my guess at least


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## apicius9 (Jan 15, 2013)

I just upgraded to the latest Iphone and the kid who set me up with the new phone almost had a heart attack when I mentioned I considered giving up my unlimited plan because I use so little of it, I would get away cheaper with another plan... Not sure how Verizon does it, but with AT&T you can choose a low plan and then pay another $15/GB if you get over tyour limit, and you can change the data amount any time without affecting the contract - probably only upward changes, I assume, haven't asked. That said, Unless you use the phone as a radio or movie player a lot, 2GB should be fine. I use mine a lot for emails, quick web checks etc. and usually max out at 500MB/month.

Stefan


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## Zwiefel (Jan 15, 2013)

I think walmart is going to start offering a pre-paid iphone....might be worth investigating.


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## Notaskinnychef (Jan 15, 2013)

I got the app called "3g watchdog" and it monitors it. You punch in your plan and when each month rolls over and it can alarm you are you get close to your limits, even stopping you if you enable that option. I haven't ever got close since I have a GB on mine and I wifi a lot, but its a good back up, plus its a free app


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## Johnny.B.Good (Jan 15, 2013)

I upgraded to an iPhone about a year ago, and am sorry I waited as long I did. I use it much more than I thought I would. I think the best thing about the iPhone is iMessage, which I guarantee you will use with your wife all the time. I have the least expensive data plan Verizon offers, and never go over my allotment (not sure I even come close). I rarely just browse the web on my phone (screen is too small to not annoy me a little), but do it on occasion if I'm trapped somewhere and have a few minutes to kill. I think I spend $20-25 a month more than I did before I had the iPhone, and to me it's clearly worth it. Do I need to see the weather forecast and sports scores all the time? No. Do I like that I can? Yes. I have uploaded more pictures to this forum because I have an iPhone, because it's just so easy to do.


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## ThEoRy (Jan 15, 2013)

I stream music a lot through Google Music, YouTube videos, email constantly for work and home, facebook and instagram too. Also I use my phone as a mobile hot spot for tethering my tablet.

That's like worst case scenario. Usually between 2-6 gb sometimes 8.


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## labor of love (Jan 15, 2013)

i use the google music app to stream whatever i want to listen to from my itunes account on my iphone(ive got well over 100 gigs in my itunes). its a cool app to have, especially if you have an 8 or 16 gig iphone. but the app uses up alot of data quickly.


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## Zwiefel (Jan 15, 2013)

ThEoRy said:


> Also I use my phone as a mobile hot spot for tethering my tablet.



Good point Rick. Forgot about tethering (not an option on my carrier)...that can be a HUGE source of data usage, and I think it's kinda hard to see/gauge until you get the first bill.


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## Lucretia (Jan 15, 2013)

You guys make me feel like such a luddite. I have a little dinosaur of a phone & only use it to make calls & send texts. The price is about to go up--it'll be $7/month. Outrageous! It's been $5/mo for years!


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