[Problem Identified] LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS, how can I stop it?

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

You can also select Limit mobile data and set a low limit until you get this figured out. Once the limit is hit, mobile data will turn off.

The phone is basically useless currently. Without WIFI or 4g access it is a very dumb phone :-(

I would really like to know why my phone is using 60 GB in 24h on WIFI. I am pretty sure that my provider has some fair use policies that I dont want to exceed
Also I would like to know how my phone could use 3 GB of mobile data seemingly while I was in the office having Wifi access.

 

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

The amount of data is just insane.

Just checked my storage:
I have used 19 of 32 GB storage space in my phone. Hence I guess that I am not downloading anything?
But vice versa, I only have 19 GB of data in the phone to upload. Hence my phone must be retrying something in an infinite MB heavy loop.

I see some reports from users that list their data consumption per android process. How to find that information? Also are their any apps which could list which network IP or domain the phone is talking to?

 

[anon(782252)]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

The phone is basically useless currently. Without WIFI or 4g access it is a very dumb phone :-(

I would really like to know why my phone is using 60 GB in 24h on WIFI. I am pretty sure that my provider has some fair use policies that I dont want to exceed
Also I would like to know how my phone could use 3 GB of mobile data seemingly while I was in the office having Wifi access.

I was just suggesting it so that you don't pay crazy money for mobile data. The goal being to find the problem.

Who is your ISP? If you don't have a cap, no worries on your Wi-Fi use. Worst case you get a warning.

 

[anon(782252)]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

The amount of data is just insane.

Just checked my storage:
I have used 19 of 32 GB storage space in my phone. Hence I guess that I am not downloading anything?
But vice versa, I only have 19 GB of data in the phone to upload. Hence my phone must be retrying something in an infinite MB heavy loop.

I see some reports from users that list their data consumption per android process. How to find that information? Also are their any apps which could list which network IP or domain the phone is talking to?

If you turn off mobile data, force it to use Wi-Fi, you could utilize logging in your router to see where the data traffic is going.

 

[anon(782252)]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

You can globally restrict background data also to try to block Android OS from costing you money while troubleshooting.

 

[belodion]

Do you get the same high data usage with the SIM removed, using the phone on wifi?
Also, have you tried Safe Mode? It's unlikely to make a difference since third-party apps are probably not involved, but may be worth trying as it's so easy to do.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

Do you get the same high data usage with the SIM removed, using the phone on wifi?
Also, have you tried Safe Mode? It's unlikely to make a difference since third-party apps are probably not involved, but may be worth trying as it's so easy to do.

Posted via the Android Central App

I have removed the SIM. Will see what happens. If it stops using data what will this mean?

 

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

There are some more advices in the forum, which recommends uninstalling updates for Google+ and disabling google services.

Does every Google Mail user have also a Google + account. When I go into the app it seems that I am logged in. I tried logging out, but when the app is restarted it still has my Google account logged in. I guess Google really wants us to use Google+

 

[anon(782252)]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

There are some more advices in the forum, which recommends uninstalling updates for Google+ and disabling google services.

Does every Google Mail user have also a Google + account. When I go into the app it seems that I am logged in. I tried logging out, but when the app is restarted it still has my Google account logged in. I guess Google really wants us to use Google+

I use G+ but you shouldn't have to. On my Sprint version, I have the option to disable or uninstall G+. It's not a system app.

 

[sswitzer]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

So two things I learned over at http://androidforums.com/threads/holy-smokes-high-data-usage-by-android-os-solved.490265/

1) There are a few folks saying that Google Backup is causing the issue, and

2) It's possible (apparently) for a data leak from another app to show as "Android OS": "I know that Telegram show reasonable data usage in the settings but the massive data leak shown as "Android OS" should possibly be related to one of Telegram's network sockets. I've filed a bug to Telegram with more technical details: https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/issues/1089 "

 

[Mikey47]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

Have you tried returning the phone and getting a different one? Could it be a defective phone?

 

[belodion]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

I have removed the SIM. Will see what happens. If it stops using data what will this mean?

A bad SIM, or SIM reader in the device. Unlikely, but worth trying.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

Temporary Solution:

1) I uninstalled the updates for the google apps that I do not use and also disabled these apps (Photos, Drive, Docs, Sheets and a few more).

Then I tried removing the SIM and enabled wifi all night. Result - No data use.
This morning i re-inserted the sim and purchased and enabled mobile data and wifi. Result - No data use.

Now I am back in the office wondering whether my problem is fixed or whether it will return.

I cannot stop thinking that the below screenshot is (at least part of) the key. Why you ask. Well, the mediaserver process is no longer shown in my battery overview, which makes me nervous of what will happen next time I use an app that triggers the use of the "mediaserver".

I am not sure which apps use Mediaserver, but I will look into this and try to see if I can somehow trigger it and then confirm whether my data drainage problems are actually fixed.

 

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

The problem is back. Good news however. I can replicate the data drainage.

I started the app Tv2Play, which is a video streaming app for a Danish broadcaster and streamed shortly. I then noticed the following
1) the mediaserver process came alive in the battery section
2) the Andriod OS line in Mobile Data started showing a continously increasing data use (around 5 MB / second)
3) The Tv2Play app reported 0,1 MB use

I tried shifting between Mobile data and Wifi, but this did not stop the data use. It just shifted the stats between mobile and WIFI.

I realised that the app was still running in the background and hence might be buffering. I closed the app by swiping right in the task manager and to my surprise the data drain continued!!!! I then restarted my phone and the drain was gone.

Update:
The data drain seems to be related to poor error handling in the app. More specifically the broadcaster offers several channels in the app and sometimes when I try to open a channel an error will occur. I just succesfully launched the app and a channel and then left the app in the multitasking background. Result, no data use! This leads me to conclude that as soon as a channel fails to launch the drain starts in the background.

 

[TNCattleDog]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

Did a bunch of googling to try to figure this one out....

Are you streaming music?

David

Edit: Ahahhhaaaaa!!! Just saw your post above.

 

[anon(782252)]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

The problem is back. Good news however. I can replicate the data drainage.

I started the app Tv2Play, which is a video streaming app for a Danish broadcaster and streamed shortly. I then noticed the following
1) the mediaserver process came alive in the battery section
2) the Andriod OS line in Mobile Data started showing a continously increasing data use (around 5 MB / second)
3) The Tv2Play app reported 0,1 MB use

I tried shifting between Mobile data and Wifi, but this did not stop the data use. It just shifted the stats between mobile and WIFI.

I realised that the app was still running in the background and hence might be buffering. I closed the app by swiping right in the task manager and to my surprise the data drain continued!!!! I then restarted my phone and the drain was gone.

So it sounds like a data leak by that app which makes Android OS the catch all for the data use.

Have you tried using Access Lock to restrict permissions of the app? Specifically restricting Keep Awake might keep it from running in the background.

Also, have you tried restricting background data from the app?

 

[KPMcClave]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

So two things I learned over at http://androidforums.com/threads/holy-smokes-high-data-usage-by-android-os-solved.490265/

1) There are a few folks saying that Google Backup is causing the issue, and

2) It's possible (apparently) for a data leak from another app to show as "Android OS": "I know that Telegram show reasonable data usage in the settings but the massive data leak shown as "Android OS" should possibly be related to one of Telegram's network sockets. I've filed a bug to Telegram with more technical details: https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/issues/1089 "

2) is similar to what I experienced with battery drain and the Fenix Twitter app. The app's own stats seemed fine, but Andorid OS was showing way too high keep awake times every charge. After uninstalling Fenix (after a lot of tweaking, trial and error), the keep awake times in Android OS have been more reasonable.

It's very frustrating that issues get hidden in a rollup like that.

 

[KPMcClave]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

The problem is back. Good news however. I can replicate the data drainage.

I started the app Tv2Play, which is a video streaming app for a Danish broadcaster and streamed shortly. I then noticed the following
1) the mediaserver process came alive in the battery section
2) the Andriod OS line in Mobile Data started showing a continously increasing data use (around 5 MB / second)
3) The Tv2Play app reported 0,1 MB use

I tried shifting between Mobile data and Wifi, but this did not stop the data use. It just shifted the stats between mobile and WIFI.

I realised that the app was still running in the background and hence might be buffering. I closed the app by swiping right in the task manager and to my surprise the data drain continued!!!! I then restarted my phone and the drain was gone.

Update:
The data drain seems to be related to poor error handling in the app. More specifically the broadcaster offers several channels in the app and sometimes when I try to open a channel an error will occur. I just succesfully launched the app and a channel and then left the app in the multitasking background. Result, no data use! This leads me to conclude that as soon as a channel fails to launch the drain starts in the background.

I used Wakelock Detector on my rooted LG G Pad 8.3 (at a time when I hadn't gotten it to work on my G4 yet...there isa thread in these forums with instructions FYI) and found my own local TV news app was waking my phone 8x more than the next app in the list (I think my e-mail app). I immediatly uninstalled that app from the tablet and from my G4.

Only marginally related to your own issue perhaps, but maybe these media apps should be generally watched with more scrutiny when we have issues.

 

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

I used Wakelock Detector on my rooted LG G Pad 8.3 (at a time when I hadn't gotten it to work on my G4 yet...there isa thread in these forums with instructions FYI) and found my own local TV news app was waking my phone 8x more than the next app in the list (I think my e-mail app). I immediatly uninstalled that app from the tablet and from my G4.

Only marginally related to your own issue perhaps, but maybe these media apps should be generally watched with more scrutiny when we have issues.

This app looks very interesting! However it does not seem like the G4 can be rooted yet?
No, Root Is Not Coming To The LG G4 Just Yet - XDA Forums

 

[allanolsendk]

Re: LG G4 Data Drain from Android OS

So it sounds like a data leak by that app which makes Android OS the catch all for the data use.

Have you tried using Access Lock to restrict permissions of the app? Specifically restricting Keep Awake might keep it from running in the background.

Also, have you tried restricting background data from the app?

I tried the Access Lock. After some trial and error I found out that the name of Access Lock was localised in my phone. Apparantly the process names are generated in the first install (DK language) and is not affected by me changing language settings in order to post more meaningful screenshots in US forums

In Access Lock I see the TV2Play app, which has 4 options. Bluetooth, Keep awake, Sound focus and location. The Keep Awake item is showing "Never Used". In fact this is true for all, except the Sound Focus.

Hence I guess that Mediaserver is the process that I would like to change settings for. Unfortunatally, this process/app is not in the Access Lock list. And then again, when the mediaserver starts the inifinite loop, then it runs all the time - I guess this is not Keep Awake?