Data Usage exceeded although Monthly useage still showed some remaning

[JustWilliam]

My Wifes phone has a 500MB monthly data allowance. The day before the end of her usage month she got a text message indicateing her allowance was all used up and her phone stopped getting any more data, however the O2 app and Account on the O2 website showed (still shows) that her monthly usage for the now completed month was only 394.8MB.

Why when she had only used 394.8MB was the monthly allowance of 500MB deemed to have been exceeded?

Either the App and Website show invalid data, or the process that triggers the text and blocks the account is using the wrong data.

Which is wrong & Why ?

What is the point of trying to monitor ones usage if the monitor doesn't work?

I had a long chat with someone from O2 but don't think they understood the issue.

Any assistance appreciated.

[gmarkj]

I use 3G Watchdog which shows up and down traffic, plus a handy little bar showing usage against elapsed time in the period.
It also shows the apps and services that use the most.
And it's free!

[Glory1]

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@MI5 wrote:
Data is constantly going both ways. Granted, much more is download but there will always be uploaded data as your device talks to the sites you are connected to.

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Got it, thanks @MI5. 

[Glory1]

Thanks for the info @gmarkj I'm going to look for that app and download it. Interesting to compare it to my phone's data usage.

[anticpated]

Yep. It's just a reference point.

[Glory1]

3G Watchdog is brilliant @gmarkj. Thanks for the info, maybe now O2 and I will agree on what data I actually use. And Wifi.

[anticpated]

If your wife was uploading or sharing larger files like images then it's likely to be the cause. A good way to stop unexpected data shortages is set up software warnings.

In hindsight, we all overlook the smaller details when we use things and the reason behind their working is hidden.