Sudden Huge Data Usage

Wyze App
1

Twice in 5 weeks the Wyze app on my phone used 1 GB of data overnight putting me over my cellular data limit. I have used this app since 2018 and this is the first time this has happened. I was connected to home wifi the entire time and Data Saver is turned on. The Wyze app does not have permission to bypass Data Saver.
App Mobile Usage: Foreground - 1.12 G, Background 8.10 K

Has anyone else experienced this and found a solution?

2

What App version are you on? I am still using Android App version 2.50 with no high mobile data usage problem.

3

Version 3.3.6.626

4

In the Android Location settings, are you giving the Wyze app permission to use your Location?

If so, try turning that permission off.

The Google App is the only app I give permission to use Location.

5

Welcome to the Forum, @double.eagle! :wave:

I haven’t personally seen this, and I don’t know what a solution might be without more information. This is one topic that comes to mind when I read your problem:

I don’t know that a definitive answer was reached in that situation, either, though. The final post indicated that a user plagued with unwanted data usage was just going to turn off mobile data when not in use, but I understand that doing something like that doesn’t really solve the problem and wouldn’t be a reasonable work-around for everyone. :man_shrugging:

6

I didn’t think of that, but no I have that set to ‘not allow’
thank you

7

Thank you. I haven’t added any cameras for quite a while. Although now that you mention that, I think I updated the app in January or early Feb just before the first time this happened. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

8

Here is where you can get older APK files of the Wyze app.

9

I don’t know, but I think that’s a reasonable thing to suspect. I know I’ve seen reports of abnormally high memory usage with some app releases (usually beta releases, I think, though maybe it’s been reported in the production app, as well), but I don’t recall anything like that specific to a recent app update.

If you think that your data use might be related to an update, then I’d probably consider uninstalling and reinstalling the app, because sometimes—especially since Wyze released the v3x app last July—updates have been reported to introduce some problems that have apparently resolved once the user has completely uninstalled and reinstalled the app. Short of that, I’d also consider doing a profile refresh in case something in your local profile is corrupt.

This is how I would get a clean copy of my account profile/settings on Android (click/tap to expand):
  1. Clear the in-app cache: From the Wyze app’s home screen, navigate to Account ➜ App Settings ➜ Cache File Size ➜ Clear.
  2. Navigate back one screen to Account and tap Log Out at the bottom.
  3. Swipe the Wyze app out of the running Android apps.
  4. Long-press on the Wyze app’s launcher icon (on the phone’s home screen or wherever you tap to initially open the app) and then tap App info in the pop-up menu.
  5. Tap Force stop on the App info screen (may need to tap OK to confirm) and then tap Storage & cache.
  6. Tap Clear cache and Clear storage on the Storage screen.
  7. Back up one screen (back to App info) and then tap Open and proceed to log back into your Wyze account/app. (Optionally reboot the phone at this step for good measure and then launch the Wyze app after the fresh boot instead of relaunching it immediately from this screen.)

Note: I don’t know what the options would be for modifying these steps on iOS since I don’t use that platform.

10

Original poster of the older post here (“App data use spike on day activated new camera”). I had shrugged off my experience as a fluke (hasn’t recurred since), but now that the exact same thing has happened to someone else, it’s pretty clear the app is the culprit. Suggests to me app updates aren’t being fully tested, and it’s taking money out of users’ pockets. I recommend setting a mobile data warning on your phone for the max you normally expect to use (mine is set for 400MB for the month).

11

Setting a warning and/or limit isn’t a bad idea. I remembered that the topic evolved after you marked it solved, but the issue with the other user who was primarily reporting abnormal data usage didn’t seem to determine a culprit or produce a resolution beyond turning off data usage for the phone. :man_shrugging:

12

Yes! When it happened a month ago I changed my alert from 500 to 250 MB. Unfortunately (both times), it happened overnight while I slept and it screamed past the alert point to over 1 GB. I’m now keeping the app paused until I want to look at the cams or the detection alerts. Then I pause it again as soon as I’m done. Not very useful and frustrating, but better than paying the mobile provider for exceeding my data limit.