Is this a data rip-off? - 1MB just for switching network from 3G to 2G on Amaysim

Brainwhacker on 06/06/2014 - 18:32
Last edited 06/06/2014 - 18:36

Just wondering whether someone can shed some light on the above. When not using the internet on my Samsung galaxy S2, I like to switch the network from 3g to 2G, to extend battery life.

While trying to ascertain why there was so high data usage, I discovered that there is a 1MB data deduction each time I switch the network between 3G and 2G. There is no "data usage" Hence there should be no data deduction. Just wondering whether users are aware of this and whether this qualifies as a data session. Iam on Amaysim unlimited with 4GB data - it is nothing like 4GB.

I have also contacted support but don't expect a quick response.

Cheers

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Comments

  • PissLUR on 06/06/2014 - 18:53

    No, its all in the T&C.

    Amaysim (and Vaya) charge data per 1MB and this is the reason why I avoid them!

  • scrimshaw on 06/06/2014 - 19:28

    Yeap. This is because you are charged in MB blocks. Everytime you jump on the 3G network, your phone will download a bit of data and since it is a new session it counts as 1 megabyte transferred on the start of the session.

    Very annoying if you have a very low data quota (less than 1GB) since it goes up very quickly if your phone toggles between 3G and 2G data all the time.

    • billybrown on 06/06/2014 - 19:37

      So what if you have background data disabled and turn your phone on for a second to check the time and turn it off again. During that tiny interval there is probably something connecting to the internet in the background, will you get charged a 1mb block for it?

      Ie every time you look at your phone you will basically be charged 1mb?

      • scrimshaw on 06/06/2014 - 19:46

        Ie every time you look at your phone you will basically be charged 1mb?

        It depends on what apps are running at the time and how often a new session is started. This guy got stung pretty bad by Aldi mobile, and he was using a Task Manager that auto-killed apps, which then restarted again and began a new 3G session. This is why it's a bad idea to auto-kill apps!

        One way to look at it is if your phone is running apps that frequently download data whenever it is woken (my example is the Fancy widgets app, the default action is to Refresh the weather information whenever the phone is woken, with a maximum interval of 20 minutes), then obviously if you wake the phone to check the time or the weather, it may start a new session or continue with an existing session.

        If it starts a new session you'll be billed.

        One way to tell is to use 3G watchdog. There is a setting in Billing Rules called "count in blocks" and you can type in 1024KB as the block size, this might help you keep track of what you're using.

        • Diji1 on 06/06/2014 - 23:49

          This is why it's a bad idea to auto-kill apps! < that and the fact that it actually uses more battery to reload the app into RAM than if the app is left cached (who woulda thought, they actually designed it to save battery that way).

        • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2014 - 01:07

          Task-killer apps weren't always a bad idea.
          Even though it was always better to manually deal with troublesome apps via devices' stock 'task manager' app, in early Android versions (especially in limited-spec devices as they usually were), if you didn't do a little judicious app killing, your phone or tab could virtually grind to a halt. With each device, you learned by trial and error. With certain Android system apps that you couldn't kill, sometimes you just had to reboot the device to free up the RAM usage that had accumulated.

          Upside of early Android versions is that - more often than not - you could leave apps open for as long as you wanted in the background, without the system closing/caching them against your intent and desire for them to stay open.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2014 - 22:24

        Billybrown, assuming your phone is properly sleeping with the screen off and you're not receiving numerous push-notifications throughout the day that may serve to stretch data sessions, just turning the screen on to check the time - even without going past the lockscreen - does, I believe, start an increment-billable data exchange. Unless, of course, you have your 3G data properly turned off in the first place.

        If you're concerned that it may be eating significantly into your data allowance, you could always do the radical experiment of wearing a watch for a couple of months to see if it makes a significant difference.

        Personally - on most days - and before going to all the effort of turning on my phone screen to check the time, I much prefer the convenience of consulting my car's sundial hood ornament (patent-pending).

    • retiredfeline on 06/06/2014 - 19:48

      I don't toggle the Use 2G Networks Only setting, I leave it on 3G. My phone switches between E, G, 3G, H+ depending on the signal strength and I don't see any evidence of session changes.

      Looking at the battery usage histograms on my Kitkat phone, screen is usually the largest power hog, next are voice calls, cell standby only accounted for 3%. Which means it's unnecessary for me to try to "conserve power" by switching to 2G and in fact is counterproductive.

  • mskeggs on 06/06/2014 - 19:56

    Is there an app that downloads a byte every 10 mins or whatever so your session never "stops"?

    • mskeggs on 06/06/2014 - 19:58

      I should say I use Amaysim and find I use about the same data as I did on Telstra. I was worried about the 1mb charging, but I don't seem to be incurring extra fees. Mind you I set the email to poll only once an hour and don't have any 'widgets' and don't let most apps have my location settings, so perhaps I avoid a lot of the frequent small downloads.

    • scrimshaw on 06/06/2014 - 20:01

      Is there an app that downloads a byte every 10 mins or whatever so your session never "stops"?

      This wastes a lot of battery power. If it has to download every 10 mins, your phone may never enter deep sleep mode.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/06/2014 - 22:39

      Mskeggs, going back about 3 years or so, when Optus had 10-yep-10MB rounding on their prepaid plans, I had one of their SIM's in a tablet and fooled around with 'ping' programs to extend data-session times when I chose to keep the screen on for extended periods. It did make a difference, but probably not worth the hassle for 1MB increments.

      Best of the free ping apps in the Playstore is 'Net Ping'. For server-pinging to extend session times, it's nicely configurable, if you want to play around with it.

    • Diji1 on 06/06/2014 - 23:51

      Without having done it I'm pretty sure you could set this up using Tasker.

      • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2014 - 01:20

        I haven't used Tasker at all, but you're probably right.
        If the things I've gathered about it over time are correct, you can also set it up to walk your dog, launch nukes and babysit your children..?

  • Brainwhacker on 07/06/2014 - 21:56

    Thank you all - excellent feedback and info above, after looking at it I tried to change the network settings with mobile data disabled, and there is no 1MB deduction.
    After having a closer look, I found that there is a "background data restricted" option in the pop up menu for data usage in wireless and network settings. After restricting background data and enabling mobile data for internet browsing there is no data usage even if I change the network type between 3G and 2G. This seems to be a new feature.

    Its important for me to switch off 3G on Galaxy S2 otherwise the battery only lasts for a few hours at most. I will try and see if I can use tasker/net ping for a continuous data connection which should allow me to make the most out of the 1MB increments. Also read on whirlpool that apps like viber can keep the connection for weeks, so will give this a try as well
    Link-http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2007176

    • scrimshaw on 07/06/2014 - 23:04
      +1

      Galaxy S2 otherwise the battery only lasts for a few hours at most.

      Time for a new battery methinks. Maybe even chuck Cyanogen Mod on it.

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