How to Check AT&T Data Usage (and See Which App Used It)
Dial *3282# or use the myAT&T app to check AT&T data usage, set usage alerts, track hotspot data, and see which app on your phone used it.
4 min readUpdated
The short answer
Dial *3282# (*DATA#) from your AT&T phone and you get a text with your usage for the current bill cycle. You can also check in the myAT&T app or by signing in to your account at att.com.
AT&T tells you how much each line used. To see which app on the phone used it, you need the phone's own settings.
Dial *DATA# (*3282#)
- 1From the AT&T phone you want to check, dial *3282# and press call.
- 2Wait for a text message with your data and messaging usage since your last bill.
For the reply in Spanish, AT&T lists *3285#.
Check in the myAT&T app or online
Sign in to the myAT&T app or to your account at att.com and open your wireless usage. You will see a data usage graph for the current bill cycle. AT&T says the primary account holder can also select View usage by category under the graph.
To see one line on a shared plan:
- 1Go to your wireless usage page and sign in if asked.
- 2Select the wireless number you want to check.
- 3Open the Data tab to see how much data that line has used.
How AT&T usage alerts work
AT&T sends data usage alerts by text as you approach the data limits on your plan. You can turn each alert on or off yourself:
- 1Sign in to your account profile at att.com.
- 2Select Communications.
- 3Switch each alert on or off, choose where you want to be told, and select Save.
On plans with a set amount of high-speed or shared data, alerts come at set points before and at the limit, and on shared plans each phone that shares the data gets the alert. The exact points depend on your plan, so check yours in the account.
Hotspot data
AT&T says every device connected to your mobile hotspot uses your plan's data. Unlimited plans that include hotspot data give each line its own hotspot amount, and speeds slow once it is used up. To check, open your wireless usage, select the line and look at the Data tab.
What you won't see is which laptop or tablet on the hotspot used the data. To find that, check the devices themselves. Which Device Is Using All My Wi-Fi Data? How to Find Out explains how.
Why AT&T's number and your phone's number differ
- Different start dates. AT&T counts from your bill date. Your phone counts from whatever cycle or reset date it has.
- Different measuring points. The phone measures what it sent and received. Google notes that some carriers measure usage differently.
- Background use on Wi-Fi. AT&T points out that some apps may use mobile data even when the phone is on Wi-Fi.
AT&T's number is what your plan uses. Your phone's number is what tells you where the data went.
See which app used your data
On iPhone: open Settings > Cellular and scroll to the app list. Reset the statistics on your AT&T bill date so the total lines up. Full steps are in How to Check Data Usage on iPhone.
On Android: open Settings > Network & internet, tap your SIM, then App data usage (on Samsung, Settings > Connections > Data usage). Set the cycle start to your bill date.
On another carrier? See How to Check Verizon Data Usage (and See Which App Used It) or How to Check T-Mobile Data Usage (and See Which App Used It).
Summary
- Dial *3282# (*DATA#) for a text with your usage since your last bill.
- The myAT&T app and att.com show usage for each line in the current bill cycle.
- Turn alerts on or off in your account profile under Communications.
- Hotspot data comes out of your plan's data and shows up under the line, not the device that used it.
- For a per-app list, use your phone's settings.