iPhone 4 and 4S

[Mobytoss]

Hi guys, so I'm aware that Siri actually relies entirely on the internet to analyse your voice snippets, but as far as I'm aware it's mostly just uploading the sound files that really taxes the connect so what I wanna know, preferably from the officials if possible is: does outgoing/uploaded data count towards our internet limits? 

Thanks

[chrisdeeming1]

Any data connection regardless of its function is going to count towards limits.

However, I'm interested how much so I'm going to check.

[Mobytoss]

Not necessarily, data caps on normal internet contracts always only refer to download data, not upload data. Since it's presented on the contract the same way as an internet contract, I presumed it was download data only too - at least, I'm hoping this is a sign it's the same, if not, Siri is extremely expensive to use as it's quite data-heavy upstream

[chrisdeeming1]

I've just done 3 Siri commands, all pretty basic:

1) Set alarm tomorrow at 8:30AM
2) What alarms do I have set
3) What is the square root of 25

After each of these nothing changed much in my data usage, until the 3rd one. Then my Sent usage went from 14.1MB to 14.2MB.

This indicates that around 100KB of data was sent, an average of 33KB for each Siri command.

I assume a similar amount of data was sent back so we could assume that each Siri command is around 70KB.

That means on a 750MB data allowance you could send around 11,000 basic voice commands.

This also suggests to me that actually the entire sound file isn't sent across the internet, but perhaps some sort of processed footprint data.

[chrisdeeming1]

Yeah you might be right there, perhaps it does only include downloaded data, in which case I'm half right... but anything sent by Siri has to have a response which I would assume is near enough equal to that which is sent.

But even so, if it is equal to that which is sent, and we only pay for that which we receive then actually there's enough capacity in the allowance I mentioned above for 22,000 Siri commands.

This doesn't concern me.

[mitchja]

---

Mobytoss wrote:

Not necessarily, data caps on normal internet contracts always only refer to download data, not upload data. Since it's presented on the contract the same way as an internet contract, I presumed it was download data only too - at least, I'm hoping this is a sign it's the same, if not, Siri is extremely expensive to use as it's quite data-heavy upstream

---

Both downloading and uploading do count towards your data usage (as with broadband packages).  The data is just added together for billing purposes.

[Mobytoss]

Chris: I checked out how Siri works and the response from the Siri servers is a simple text command (less data than a very bare website) so the download data is no problem unless you used it for absolutely everything perhaps, which is why I was curious

Mitch: I've never had a broadband contract that has included upload, but I can imagine it's more important to phone companies, so I'm double checking. 

[Bindi_Baji · Accepted solution]

Definitely upload and download.

My Vodafone account states I've used 7Mb so far. (Never used internet until I recieved my iPHone on Friday)

Checking to usage on the handset it states 1.9Mb upload, 5.5Mb download = 7.4Mb

[Simon]

Hi Mobytoss

Both uploads and downloads do count towards your data limits, and using Siri will count towards your allowance.  For the first three months on any new smartphone contract we're offering Data Test Drive so you can use as much data as you like. In the third month we'll text you to let you know how much data you've been using and recommend a data package for you based on your usage.

Thanks

Simon