Keep track of your call and data usage throughout your monthly billing cycle for Virgin iPhone post-paid cap plans using Mobile Usage! You can also monitor pre-paid usage as of version 1.2!

UPDATE 20/10/09: Version 1.4 has been submitted to Apple for review. This update addresses issues relating to Pre-Paid data usage calculation for users that are on extra Data Plans. It also includes the most requested feature: an option to auto-refresh your usage information when the application launches. The new version will be available on the App Store as soon as Apple approve the update.

UPDATE 15/09/09: Update is now available on the App Store!

UPDATE 01/09/09: Virgin Mobile Usage 1.3.1 has been submitted to Apple for review. Once the update is approved, it will be available for download via the App Store.

UPDATE 31/08/09: Virgin have recently changed their website and it has affected the parsing of call usage and account/plan information. I am working on an update to fix this and will update this website with any new information, so please bookmark this page and visit it every so often. The fix will appear in the upcoming version 1.3.1.

UPDATE: Mobile Usage for Optus is now avaiable!

What is Mobile Usage?

Mobile Usage is a native iPhone application that queries the Virgin Mobile (www.virginmobile.com.au) servers for your call usage and data usage information on your behalf. This data is analysed/summarised and then displayed in a concise format that allows you to easily monitor spending on your Virgin iPhone plan.

Mobile Usage reports usage for Virgin Mobile's iPhone post-paid cap plans. It has been developed and tested with the 'Free 2 V' plans and has been also known to work with 'Topless' plans. It should work for all plans that display data in a similar format on the website.

Note that the usage data reflects the cap plan usage and not any extra charges by the carrier for special numbers. As Virgin Mobile does not report these charges until you actually recieve your bill, they will not be shown on Mobile Usage. [Thanks Mario Mairou for pointing this out]

Why use Mobile Usage?

Buying an expensive cap plan and not knowing how much you have left can be frustrating. Virgin Mobile have solved this problem by allowing you to log in to their website and view your current usage, but you need to enter your phone number and shuffle around to get to the useful information every single time. Enter Mobile Usage: fast and simple access to the information you want!

Why not simply use the website?

This application is for people that don't like using the website directly. Here are some of my reasons:

If you like using the website directly, then this app is probably not for you :)

Why not simply use a proxy?

Free proxies exist that can do the job of Mobile Usage. It's actually a pretty good solution to the problem. A proxy downloads the call usage information on your behalf and parses the useful information for you to see. The only downside to a proxy is that it requires your PIN to be made available for them. This PIN can get stored in HTTP access logs and in caches, meaning that the people that run the proxy know your PIN. If you are not security concious and don't want to pony up the $2.49 for this application, I would recommend this solution.

On the other hand, the Mobile Usage application does not act as a proxy and does not require the mobile Safari browser. Mobile Usage is a thick client that is able to make the requests directly to the Virgin Mobile servers on your behalf. Your PIN never gets sent to us. Ever. Nothing gets sent to us! Not even your phone number. All requests are made directly to the Virgin Mobile servers. All analysis/summary results are displayed on your iPhone screen. No middle-man.

Ok, so I want Mobile Usage, how do I use it?

When you load up the application for the first time, you will be presented with this screen:

Enter your phone number and 6 digit PIN. These details will be used to log in (authenticate) with the Virgin Mobile servers. Once you click "Done" you will see the main screen.

Click the refresh button to download your mobile usage information. That's all there is to it!

How does it work?

Mobile Usage automates the repetitive tasks:

1. Authenticating with the Virgin Mobile servers

2. Downloading call usage information

3. Downloading data usage infromation

The data obtained by the application is raw HTML served from Virgin Mobile. The application analyses the information and displays the three usage meters on your screen.

What do the messages on the status bar mean?

You may encounter any of the following messages:

Authenticating with Virgin server The application is logging you in to the Virgin Mobile servers.
Downloading call usage information The application is retrieving and parsing the call usage page from Virgin Mobile servers.
Downloading data usage information The application is retrieving and parsing the data usage page from Virgin Mobile servers.
Incorrect login details provided The application tried to log you in to the Virgin Mobile servers but failed authentication. You need to click the "Info" button and make sure the mobile number and PIN you have entered is correct.
Could not connect to Virgin servers The application could not make a connection to the Virgin Mobile servers. Try again when you have better reception/internet connectivity.
Connection to Virgin servers failed The application made a connection to the Virgin Mobile servers but it dropped out. Try again when you have better reception/internet connectivity.
Last Updated The date and time at which the application successfully received call and data usage information from the Virgin Mobile servers. This does not reflect the date and time at which Virgin Mobile updated your call usage information on their website, ie. there can be a lag for Virgin Mobile to update your usage information on their website. Please keep this in mind if you are approaching the limits of your cap.

Contact

Found a bug? Got suggestions for new features? Have a specific question about the application?

Feel free to email me at: iphone [AT] shihab.com.au

Want Mobile Usage for Vodafone or Telstra? Flick me an email if you are interested in helping out future development. You could be entitled to a free copy if the app sees fruition!

Disclaimer

The following disclaimer is in addition to the standard EULA for iPhone applications. The EULA prevails to the extent of any inconsistency.

The seller and the Mobile Usage application are not affiliated/endorsed by Virgin or Virgin Mobile.

Mobile Usage makes requests DIRECTLY to the Virgin Mobile servers (www.virginmobile.com.au) to obtain your mobile usage data on your behalf. It does not monitor your call usage as you go on your phone. In simple, technical terms, it is a thick HTTP client that analyses your data to produce a summary.

The seller DOES NOT warrant or represent that the mobile usage information the Mobile Usage application displays is correct or accurate. If you need strict monitoring of your call spending then please DO NOT use this application. Rather, use the Virgin Mobile website or contact Virgin Mobile directly. This application is a means of convenience, so DO NOT critically rely on it for accurate information. If you notice that Mobile Usage is producing incorrect results, please contact us regarding the bug and we will attempt to resolve it in a future version of Mobile Usage.

Mobile Usage will CEASE TO FUNCTION properly if Virgin Mobile change the structure of the HTML documents produced by it's web servers or if their servers are down. We have no control over the Virgin Mobile servers. If you notice that Mobile Usage is producing incorrect results, please contact us regarding the bug and we will attempt to resolve it in a future version of Mobile Usage.