iOS 6 bug that might have caused data overages was fixed in iOS 6.0.1

There is no question that the Apple iPhone 5 has had its share of problems, and as it turns out, it was matched by a bug in iOS 6 that might have resulted in users of the platform having to pay for going over their data cap, or having been throttled. The problem lies with the AV Framework which resulted in multiple downloads of podcasts or audio streams and those extra downloads might have put the user, as they say in the NBA, over the limit.

Spikes in bandwidth used and in the number of hits of certain podcasts hinted at a problem

The good news is that the chaps at Cupertino were right on top of this one and iOS 6.0.1 eliminated the problem. The only way this remains bad news is if you haven't yet updated your iDevice to the latest build of Apple's mobile OS. In that case, you need to update immediately to make sure that you are not incorrectly billed or throttled.

Apple's own podcasts have been incorrectly downloaded multiple times and apps that use the streaming audio player have had this same problem. A connection error leads the app to think that the stream has stopped when in reality, it hasn't, and the app starts streaming over from the beginning. A playback of a single 30MB episode resulted in the use of over 100MB of data. Using triple the amount of data than expected will end up with your monthly data plan sucking cash right out of your wallet. Again, it doesn't have to be this way. Just update to iOS 6.0.1 and save your hard-earned cash.

The video below shows the stock podcast player in iOS 6 playing "This Week in Tech". The podcast is loaded up at the 36 second mark and starts over from the beginning. If this happened to you, or is still happening to you on iOS 6, drop us a note in the comment box below!