The 4G data usage noted on my account wasn’t anything major, mind you—just a few kilobytes here, a few megabytes there, often in the middle of the night when my iPhone was asleep on my bedside table, and well within range of my Wi-Fi base station.

Small though they are, though, those odd bits of cellular data usage can really start to add up, particularly when you’ve signed up for a “capped” 4G data plan.

Meanwhile, some iPhone 5 users have complained of even larger chunks of rogue cellular data usage on their accounts—as much as a gigabyte a day, even when they hadn’t strayed far from Wi-Fi.

A quick, over-the-air update of the Verizon iPhone 5’s carrier settings should plug its mobile data leak.

The answer, as it turns out, is yes.

Apple has issued a support notice warning that “under certain circumstances,” the iPhone 5 “may” consume Verizon cellular data even when it’s sypposed to be using Wi-Fi data instead.

The fix? An “over-the-air” update to the iPhone’s carrier settings, which takes just a few taps and only a few minutes of your time.

Here’s how to grab the update:

• Tap the Settings app on your iPhone 5’s home screen, then tap General, About.
• An alert titled “Carrier Settings Updated” will pop up on the screen. Tap the “OK” button.
• Next, power off your iPhone: press and hold the “sleep/wake” button that sits on the top edge of your handset until the “slide to power off” slider appears, swipe the slider control from left to right, then wait for the spinning wheel in the middle of the screen to disappear.
• Press the “sleep/wake” button again; the Apple logo should appear, and you should see your iPhone lock screen a few seconds later.
• Last but not least, double-check that the updated carrier settings were properly installed. Tap Settings, General, About, then make sure the “Carrier” entry reads “Verizon 13.1.”

I just applied to carrier update myself, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for any unusual 4G data usage on my iPhone over the next few days—as should you.

And if you’re still seeing random cellular data charges while your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi, contact Verizon and let them know, pronto.

Bonus tip

 
You can check your cellular data usage on Verizon by visiting your online Verizon Wireless account, then selecting “My Usage” under the “My Bill” menu heading.

There’s also a “My Verizon” app that’ll let you view your data usage and monthly charges directly from your iPhone.

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here!

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Indeed, it’s amazing how quickly my eyes got used to the taller, four-inch display on the iPhone 5—so much so, in fact, that my old iPhone 4 screen now looks stubby and cramped in comparison.

Unfortunately, just a handful of apps have been optimized to take advantage of the extra space—well, besides the core iPhone apps from Apple, that is.

A bigger screen means more “pins” to peruse in the Pinterest iPhone app.

The rest are plunked in the middle of the screen, with black bars above and beneath. Sure, they still work perfectly fine, but what a waste of space!

So, which super-sized apps should you try when you’re showing off your new iPhone to your friends? Here are seven of my favorites—and yes, they’re all free.

1. Facebook

Facebook recently rebuilt its iPhone app from the ground up to juice its performance, and a just-released update zooms the interface to fill the entire iPhone 5 screen—perfect for browsing all those status updates and baby photos in your news feed.

Download: Facebook

2. Flipboard

This eye-catching “social magazine” takes headlines and photos from your favorite sites and social networks and turns them into gorgeous, flippable pages. Already one of the most impressive iPhone apps in the App Store, Flipboard looks even better now that it’s been optimized for the bigger iPhone 5 display.

Download: Flipboard

3. Pinterest

You still can’t “pin” anything from the Pinterest iPhone app like you can on the iPad, but Pinterest on the iPhone makes for a great way to browse the latest pinned goodies from your fellow Pinteresters—and on the iPhone 5, you’ll see even more pins in a single glance.

Download: Pinterest

4. Brushes 3

Unleash your inner artist with this free painting app, which lets you paint on a virtual, widescreen canvas with 14 different brush shapes. Customize your brushes, “record” your brush strokes and play them back later, or share your creations via Facebook or Twitter.

The addictive “Bejeweled Blitz” looks even more beguiling on the four-inch iPhone 5 display.

Download: Brushes 3

5. Pocket

Sit back, relax, and lose yourself in a lengthy online article with Pocket, an app that takes long text stories from the web, and saves them on your iPhone, all formatted for easy reading. Yes, the new-and-improved “Reading List” feature in Safari will also save web pages on your iPhone, but the iPhone 5-ready Pocket app does Reading List one better by letting you flip through pages like a book, just like on a Kindle.

Download: Pocket

6. Hipmunk

Here’s an iPhone travel app with a difference. Instead of just spitting out a list of available flights, Hipmunk (pictured above) creates a color-coded chart that lets you compare departure and arrival times, as well as pinpoint flight with on-board Wi-Fi. And thanks to the iPhone 5’s longer screen, you’ll be able to view up to 10 flights at a glance.

Download: Hipmunk

7. Bejeweled Blitz

The addictive, ever-popular “match-3” puzzler is now enhanced for the bigger iPhone 5 display. The game itself is free, but expect to pay extra for score-boosting power-ups.

Download: Bejeweled Blitz

Got more app suggestions for the new iPhone? Post ’em in the comments below!

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Hi Sue! You’re not the only one who’s asked me whether the iPhone 5 would finally let you talk and surf—or talk and perform mobile hotspot duties—on Verizon Wireless.

Related: What’s a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot?

After all, iPhone users on AT&T have been able to simultaneously talk and surf over the carrier’s cellular network for years. Indeed, AT&T often uses that very selling point to keep its customers from switching to Verizon.

So, did Verizon get its talk-and-surf act together now that the iPhone 5 is on the way?

Well, bad news: the new iPhone still won’t let you make calls and use cellular data at the same time on Verizon Wireless—nor on Sprint, for that matter.

And since mobile hotspots depend on cellular data, the same limitation applies to the iPhone 5’s built-in mobile Wi-Fi hotspot feature.

(The iPhone’s hotspot will essentially go on “pause” until you hang up on a voice call.)

Now, what gives? Doesn’t the new iPhone support those speedy, new-fangled 4G LTE networks, and wouldn’t that make a difference?

First, a little background—and yes, get ready for a little jargon.

There are two main types of cellular voice networks in operation around the world: CDMA (short for “code division multiple access”) and GSM (“Global System for Mobile Communications”).

Among their many differences, GSM networks let you talk and surf at the same time, while garden-variety CDMA networks will shut off cellular data whenever a voice call comes in.

The type of voice network your iPhone uses depends on your carrier. Here in the U.S., for example, AT&T is a GSM carrier, while Sprint and Verizon Wireless both use CDMA networks.

Of course, there’s a new wrinkle this year. The iPhone 5 is the first iPhone to support LTE—short for “Long Term Evolution,” a super-fast 4G (or “fourth-generation”) data network that rivals cable modems in terms of speed.

Despite their CDMA and GSM differences, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon all have their own 4G LTE networks.

But here’s the thing: shy of a special network upgrade (and no, none of the big three U.S. carriers has deployed the upgrade yet), LTE networks only handle data, not voice calls.

That means (according to the New York Times) if you’re surfing over 4G LTE when a call comes in, your iPhone will need to switch to an older 3G (or even 2G) network to take the call.

Since older GSM networks can handle both voice and data at the same time, you’ll still be able to surf while you talk on the AT&T iPhone.

On Verizon and Sprint iPhones, however, downshifting to an older 3G CDMA network means voice only, no data—and that includes cellular data for the iPhone’s built-in mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.

OK, but why couldn’t the Verizon (or Sprint) iPhone 5 just keep using the LTE data network for data while you’re on a call, just like some Android phones can?

As the Times reports, the new iPhone would need an additional antenna to use LTE data while you’re talking over Verizon’s or Sprint’s respective CDMA networks, and it appears Apple decided to skip the extra antenna in order to streamline the iPhone 5’s internal design.

Hope that helps, Sue, and sorry to disappoint.

Bonus tip

While neither the Verizon nor Sprint versions of the iPhone 5 will let you talk and surf over cellular networks, you will be able to talk and surf if your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. That’s a moot point when it comes to the iPhone’s mobile hotspot feature, however.

Have more iPhone 5 or mobile hotspot questions? Let me know!

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So, annoyed that your good-as-new iPhone already looks obsolete next to the just-announced iPhone 5 and its jumbo-sized touchscreen? 

Well, good news: your old iPhone is about to get a fresh coat of paint.

Besides the iPhone 5 and its snazzy four-inch display, Apple has another trick up its sleeves: a brand-new version of “iOS,” the software that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Slated to arrive on September 19, iOS version 6 (or “iOS 6” for short) packs in a slew of must-have features, including a revamped Maps application, easier Photo Stream and Facebook sharing, on-the-go FaceTime calling, and a long-overdue “do not disturb” mode.

(And yes, your iPhone will alert you when the “over-the-air” update is ready to download.)

Best of all, you don’t need an iPhone 5 (which is set to go on sale September 21, by the way) to take advantage of the goodies in iOS 6.

Indeed, most of the new iOS 6 features will work on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and even the three-year-old iPhone 3GS, not to mention last year’s iPod Touch and the two most recent iPads. (Yep, lots of confusing makes and models, I know…)

I’ll have in-depth coverage and tips on many of the new iOS 6 features in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, though, let’s take a quick tour of the highlights, starting with…

1. New and improved Maps app with turn-by-turn driving directions

Apple has rebuilt the iPhone’s Maps app from the ground up, adding nifty new features like eye-popping 3D “flyovers” of major metropolitan areas, smoother map scrolling, and real-time traffic alerts.

In addition to turn-by-turn car navigation, the new Maps app in iOS 6 also features real-time traffic alerts.

Best of all, through, the native Maps app is finally getting true, turn-by-turn navigation complete with spoken directions, just like on the latest Android phones.

The catch? Turn-by-turn directions and 3D “flyovers” will only work on last year’s iPhone 4S and the new iPhone, not the iPhone 4, 3GS or any other prior iPhone models.

Update: Hate the new iOS 6 Maps app? You’re not the only one, and even Apple has apologized for its patchy, glitchy map data. Luckily, there is a way to get Google Maps back on your iPhone.

2. A full-screen version of the Safari web browser

Want web pages on your iPhone to fill the entire display? With iOS 6 on board, you’ll be able to tap a new “full screen” icon when you’re holding your iPhone in a “landscape” orientation. Nice.

3. A “do not disturb” mode for calls, notifications and alerts

Want a little peace and quiet? A new “do not disturb” mode will shush all those insistent beeps, ring tones, banners and other alerts from the iPhone’s Notification Center, perfect for keeping your iPhone quiet at the movies or while you’re trying to get some shut-eye.

Just activate the iPhone’s new “do not disturb” mode to take a break from beeps, buzzes, and other alerts.

You’ll also be able to set the “do not disturb” mode to turn itself off and on automatically at certain times of the day, as well as designate specific contacts who will always be able to get through, no matter what.

4. Photo Stream sharing

Want to show off the latest snapshots in your iPhone’s Photo Stream? The latest version of iOS makes it much easier to share Photo Stream pictures with fellow iPhone and iPad users: just tap the photos you want to share and choose some names in your contact book.

You’ll also be able to share Photo Stream photos over the web, or comment on the Photo Stream images that your pals have shared with you.

5. Vastly-improved Facebook sharing

Annoyed that you can’t post your latest snapshots to Facebook without opening the Facebook app or composing an email? Well, thanks to iOS 6, you’ll be able to post photos directly from the iPhone’s camera application or your photo albums.

You’ll also be able to sync the profile photos and personal info of your Facebook pals with the iPhone’s contact book, as well as add Facebook birthdays and other events to the calendar.

6. Decline calls with a text message

With iOS 6 on your iPhone, you’ll be able to send a text message at the same time you’re declining a call.

Android phone users have long had the ability to decline a call and send a text message to the caller at the same time—and now iPhone users will have the same nifty feature, plus the option of getting a reminder after turning down a call.

7. FaceTime over cellular data

Until now, FaceTime video chat on the iPhone and iPad has been restricted to Wi-Fi only. Starting with the release of the new iOS software, however, you’ll be able to make FaceTime calls over cellular 3G and 4G data networks on the new iPhone, the iPhone 4S, and the new iPad.

Unfortunately, owners of the iPhone 4 or earlier iPhones will still be stuck with Wi-Fi when it comes to FaceTime.

Also, don’t forget that mobile data isn’t free, and that some carriers (such as AT&T) may demand you switch to a new plan before making mobile FaceTime calls.

Looking for more iPhone tips? Click here!

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