Fitbit Background Data Excessive! Watch your phone's data useage by app!

[GeneDoc]

I just got an alert from my cell phone carrier about burning through my data plan.  On further investigation, my Fitbit app is clobbering my plan with background data access.

In the past 2 weeks:

Foreground = <0.01GB

Background = 3.35GB

Sure as heck I disabled the "allow background data usage" toggle on my phone's settings.

In the Fitbit app, I have "all-day sync" turned off already.  I did have "always connected" selected and frankly don't know if that affects cellular data. I only expect it'll drain the phone and watch batteries a little more.

[Rich_Laue]

I have noticed several of the ionic apps, like weather, nead access to background data. Yes turning all day sync off helps a lot. You could set the app to restrict background data 

I just checked in November mine used 

Foreqround 149 meg

Background 320 meg

December will be the first full month with the ionic and it looks as if the data will be doubled. I'm thinking it is more a case of the apps and other ionic bells and whistles. 

It still amazes me that people still have limited data plans today, even some prepaid plans have unlimited. 

[N8teGee]

That is quite strange, but I've seen someone else post about this on the boards too. I believe they were using a Google Pixel phone, which phone are you using?

Personally I haven't had an issue, my fitbit app has used 42MB since the 06-December, a small amount as you would expect. I do have an unlimited mobile data plan though, so very rarely keep check on app data usage. Just out of interest are you using a 3rd party watch face or any 3rd party apps? These could be responsible for the excessive data usage. 

[SimonRJ]

Just checked mine. 61mb over the past month.  I have all day sync turned on.  

Did you perhaps inadvertently update the watch firmware while on data instead of wifi?

[WavyDavey]

Past 30 days, Fitbit background data 300 MB. Prior 30 days, background data 200 MB.

No 3rd party apps.

All it takes is one weather or stock prices app misbehaving to chew up a data plan. I'd uninstall all 3rd party one by one to find a possible culprit.

[GeneDoc]

For our setup of six devices in our household, Verizon unlimited would increase my bill from $50/month.  Even if I could afford it, do I really "need" to spend the extra money?  I'd like to save that $600/year for other things instead of throwing it into my devices.

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S7.

For Apps, I had installed Stocks (never worked, so removed), New York Times (never worked, so removed), Wallet (never used, so removed), and Yelp (not practical, so removed).  Yes, I have a custom watch face, as I need a display of the seconds for my work.

So, I'd like to keep going with the expense I have on my phone plan and apparently will have to limit my watch software.

[GeneDoc]

Very careful to avoid doing updates only over WiFi.

[Drew_Watkinson]

Does your watch face display the weather?

If so I would set my aim there. 

[GeneDoc]

No weather.  Only date, time, steps, heart rate, calories, and flights of stairs.

[USAF-Larry]

I just checked my HTC One M9 data usage, and since December 2nd (when it reset the counter to begin a new billing month) it has used 234 MB. Of that, the Fitbit app used 15.72 MB.  I have Always Connected enabled, but have All-Day Sync disabled.

[CPTNCC1701D]

I have exactly the same problem as you summarized on my Samsung S7 Edge paired to my Versa. In my case I also noticed that I had ZERO Foreground Data use and a huge amount of Background Data use (2.5GB+).

[Rich_Laue]

I've got everything enabled, these two months include updates to trackers so yes iIexpect the to be a little high. Still considering I average 68 gig a month of cell data, not bad. 

[Amcooper63]

I did not see a solution. Fit Bit is my number one data user most months. I just spent three days listening to I heart radio. Over 300MB for 2 weeks. 

[Rich_Laue]

It sounds like the connection to I heart radio is the data eater .

This month I updated 2 trackers did a factory reset on the ionic and have only used 498m