Just a few days after the release of Google's latest mobile operating system version, officially called Android Oreo, a major bug has apparently been identified. While no developer or software is really perfect, it is still concerning how such a major problem has slipped through the cracks and made its way into the final version of the operating system. Google had launched several alpha and beta tests for the new Android operating system, which should have identified the problem earlier within the development phase.

Eating up data

According to recently posted findings on forums and sites such as Reddit, the operating system apparently bypasses and neglects the user's Wi-Fi connection and instead eats up the plan's mobile data.

Previous versions automatically stop the usage of mobile data when an active Wi-Fi connection is detected. However, an exploit within the operating system's source code apparently prevents that from happening. This can cause a lot of issues for users who might be shocked at seeing their data allocations fully consumed.

Workaround

At this point, the only way to prevent this from happening is by manually disabling a smartphone's mobile data connection when an active Wi-Fi is available. According to some users who have experienced the problem, not doing so could eat up as much as 6GB of data within a 24-hour timeframe. If left unchecked, this could result in hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in data charges; particularly for users who consume a lot of media such as YouTube videos and music streaming.

This, of course, shouldn't be the case as Android typically favor's Wi-Fi connections over mobile data even if both networks are active. Most users are already accustomed to leaving their mobile data turned on even when a Wi-Fi connection is available.

What is being done

The problem itself was first identified by different security researchers who promptly published their findings online.

The researchers have also already informed Google of the issue, which should result in the release of a patch very soon. Fortunately, the issue is only limited to Google's own Nexus and Pixel devices, which means that not a lot of people have been affected. Google will likely release a fix for the particular problem long before the operating system hits non-Google Android devices. Unfortunately, there is currently still no announced ETA for the arrival of the patch to remedy the mobile data issue.
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