Huge Google News bug lands Android owners with £300 charges – turn THIS setting off now
Anyone with an Android phone should check their data usage immediately
ANDROID phone owners are being warned over a serious Google News bug that appears to be using up huge amounts of data.
Customers say they've received huge bills from their network providers asking for hundreds of pounds to pay for the data.
Google News data bug explained – what's happening?
A thread on Google's official support forum (spotted by ) has more than a hundred replies about the gaffe.
Users noticed unusually large amounts of mobile data being hoovered up – and pointed to the official Google News app as the culprit.
"I woke up and Google News used 7.65GB of background data overnight," said one confused user.
"I was connected to WiFi but the signal was weak so it's possible it was connecting/disconnecting. Even still...have no idea how Google News would have a way to use that much in such a short time unless there was a problem."
One user named James wrote: "I'd like to add my same experience to this list. 1.6GB of my background data on my cell data in less than an hour on September 12."
Google News data charges – how much are users being overcharged?
Some users say the data was gobbled up using mobile data even with "Download via Wi-Fi" turned on.
This is a serious issue: most customers won't pay extra for Wi-Fi- downloads, but mobile networks can charge huge fees for excessive cellular downloads.
Users reported receiving significant bills as a result of Google's apparent design blunder.
"I've had the same problem last week here in the UK and have reported this to O2 as they have billed me £194 for excess data usage," said Barrie Smith, from the UK.
"Google you need to contact all service providers and sort out this appalling error and refund all those affected."
Another Brit named M Zhang said: "My mobile's wifi is broken and I rely on mobile data for everything.
"This app used up my monthly data allowance and all my credit! It costs me approximately £12. Google should definitely compensate the users."
The highest bill reported was a staggering $385 – that's nearly £300 in British sterling.
An American user named David was hit with an enormous bill due to significant Google News downloads while he was sleeping.
"Anyone involved in this mess should be ashamed of themselves for designing such a piece of garbage," David wrote.
"I'm now out almost $300 because the news app was downloading 1 gig every 20 minutes while I was asleep. Seriously, what team of incompetent monkeys did you have designing this app?"
How to check data usage on your phone
To see how much data you're using, follow these steps...
For Android:
- Go to Settings
- Tap Apps and notifications
- Tap Data Usage
- You can check your usage, and turn background data off
For iPhone:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap Mobile Data
- Scroll down to Mobile Data
- You can see which apps are using mobile data, and toggle them on or off
According to recent uSwitch data, an average 18- to 34-year-old in the UK burns through 3.6GB of data each month.
But annoyed Android phone owners say Google News is using several times that amount in a single night.
Google News data charges – does Google know, and is there a fix?
A Google spokesperson told The Sun: "We apologise for the inconvenience this issue has caused to our users.
"We are looking into this and how to remedy the problem," they added.
A Google rep also admitted the team was aware of the issue on the support forums.
Google's Lisa Wang wrote: "Thanks so much for reporting this issue to us – we understand the importance of getting it resolved as soon as possible.
"The relevant teams are currently investigating and working towards a fix, and we'll be posting updates directly to this thread."
However this reply was posted in early September, and users are still complaining about the problem.
How to dispute data charges
Here's official advice from Which?...
- "Get in touch with your service provider, explaining which charges you think are incorrect and why."
- "Send a written copy too, highlighting the disputed charges and why you think they’re wrong."
- "If you capped your mobile usage as part of your mobile phone contract, you may have the right to refuse to pay the sum over and above the cap."
- "Charging you for anything over and above the agreed cap could be a breach of contract."
- You can start a bill complaint using the Which? 'dispute a bill' tool
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Until a fix is issued, the safest route is to turn background data usage off on your phone.
To do this, go to Settings > Apps and notifications > Data usage > Allow background data usage.
Have you noticed any weird data usage on your Android phone lately? Let us know in the comments!
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