Tethering mobile and data usage?

[kendo]

Question
If you tether a iPad to your smartphone will it use the same amount of data usage as if you were online just with you're phone.I had a disagreement with a friend over this last night opinions please.

Kendo.

[buksida]

Yes, tethering just shares the connection to the tablet so it'll use just as much data (probably a bit more since everything on the Pad will try and update itself as soon as it goes online).

[kendo]

So if you where on the move driving to many locations would data roaming affect this as well

Kendo.

[buksida]

Not really, it would just bounce to the next strongest transmitter signal and carry on downloading, roaming charges jump when you change countries.

[kendo]

Ok yes one feature of IOS7 is that all apps will now update automatically so if you switch you're iPad on then tether it it will cane your usage if it starts to update all the apps.

Kendo.

[BOZ]

But it only updates the apps that have updates available.... So the usage will fluctuate accordingly.....

[VincentD]

I've set my mobile so that it will only update apps if connected to wifi. It will not update if I'm using my data connection. Don't know if this applies to a tethered device, though.

[Gregjam]

Not totally unrelated but.... I have just got one of the AIS pocket wifi devices so that when friends or family visit from abroad they can keep their phone on but link via wifi to use Skype for calls etc without incurring the huge roaming charges but also remain contactable on their normal number and not have to use a second phone with a local sim. I have yet to see how cost effective this is but it also saves me getting data on mine and the wife's phones.

In relation to the tethering I would think this would expose me to more data usage as it is a wifi connection and will thus be carefully watching my usage.

[Pleng]

I've set my mobile so that it will only update apps if connected to wifi. It will not update if I'm using my data connection. Don't know if this applies to a tethered device, though.

If your tethering using the portable wifi hotspot method then your phone will update apps when connected to the portable hotspot. There is no way for the phone to know that the device it's connected to is using mobile data.