Apple (AAPL) iPhone 5 review: Data bill when on Wi-Fi

Hundreds of iPhone 5 owners have been complaining in online forums about huge, unexpected data bills during their first few days of owning the phone.

It is occurring mostly for Verizon customers, but some AT&T users are reporting the same issue as well.

Some complain that they have used a full month's worth of data in just a couple of days, even though they were mostly using Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi May Be Burning Up Data

Apple is not commenting on the bug at this point. 

But CNN reports that Apple has just issued a software update to correct a situation where the phone may inadvertently be using Verizon's data network while connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Verizon has issued a statement saying that customers will not be charged for excessive data use while on WiFi, though the statement doesn't specify exactly how they will know which data fees are legitimate, and which are not, at billing time.

CNN quotes a Verizon customer who said his son used 161 MB of data while sitting in a college class and using the school's Wi-Fi network.

Second Major Glitch

This is the second serious glitch involving the new iPhone 5: the first concerns the buggy Apple mapping system , which replaced Google maps.

Apple has already apologized  for the mapping issue, saying it will soon issue a software update to correct that problem.

Verizon urges anyone who notices unusual data fees on the new phone to contact the carrier. It might be a good idea for AT&T users not on the unlimited data plan to check their usage as well.

To read the full CNN report, go to http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/01/technology/iphone-5-data-overage/?source=cnn_bin .

As always, don't waste your money.

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