What counts as data usage on the iPhone?

I went from low usage of data on an average to over my limit and I do not know why. How can I tell? Does streaming music count? I have AT&T, so I think I have unlimited texting. Do photos on my phone count? Or just when you send them?

Solution 1:

Everything that is not either a) texting or b) phone calls uses data. (That is to say, everything that sends or receives something.) Streaming music uses a lot of data (streaming video uses even more). Photos only count when you send them or receive them.

Also, note that the phone will use a WiFi network if available instead of the cell network, so that data doesn't count.

Your bill should give you some idea of how your data usage increased; if it doesn't a call to AT&T customer service (or visiting one of their stores) might be helpful.

Solution 2:

To keep track of your mobile data usage you could reset the "Statistics" on the phone on the first day of your billing cycle. To do this go to Settings → General → Usage → Cellular Usage and go to the bottom of the page. There you will see the amount of Cellular Network Data sent and received.