[RoseBud68]

If this has been posted before then Mods please delete.
There has to be some sort of explanation as I don't think it could be this bad.

Dear Apple, Please Make My iPhone 4S Battery Life Suck Less | TechCrunch

I think I figured out what the “S” stands for in the iPhone 4S. Now, to be clear, I love my new iPhone 4S. I talk to it even when there isn’t a human on the other end of the line. Sometimes it talks back. But one thing that literally sucks about my iPhone 4S is its battery life. And I’m not the only one complaining.

Today, my iPhone died after about 8 hours—not even enough to get me through a full day without recharging (and this is typical). This was not 8 hours of constant use (unless you count the constant pinging of notifications, which may be the culprit). It was 8 hours total from the time I unplugged it in the morning and took it with me until the screen went black at around 4 PM. According to the specs, the iPhone 4S is supposed to get 200 hours of standby time, 8 hours of talk time, and “up to 6 hours” of Internet use on 3g. During the day, I made half a dozen calls less than 5 minutes each, used the Internet for an hour on the train (email, Twitter, light Web browsing), and then maybe another 90 minutes throughout the day.

So that comes to a total of 2.5 hours of Internet usage and 30 minutes of phone calls. The rest, in my mind, is all standby. Except maybe it isn’t since the phone is constantly bleeping with notifications and emails. And that may very well be the problem. There are many theories out there, but the ones which ring true to me are that notifications and location-based apps are the big battery drains.

The iPhone 4S has a really great new notification center where you can see recent notifications from all your apps with an always available pull-down screen. I have about a dozen apps that feed into that notification center, including Facebook, Twitter, Yammer, Skype, Google+, Foursquare Instagram and text messages. I have an equal number with location-based services turned on. Sure, I could turn these off and I probably will. But what’s the point of having a state of the art mobile computer in your pocket if you have to disable its best features?

No, what I’d like instead is for Apple to fix this mess. I don’t know how, perhaps through an update or new rules imposed on app developers. Maybe limit the number of times an app can ask for a location update when it is dormant. Or if notifications are the problem, make it easier to manage which notification you get by app. I don’t need to know every time somebody likes one of my Instagram photos or tries to add me as a friend on Facebook or Foursquare. I could cut out more than half of my notifications—and maybe a big chunk of the battery drain—if there were better granular controls to mute the noise. Better yet if there is a technical solution Apple can impose and I don’t have to do anything.

Battery life is one of those things you don’t notice until you don’t have it anymore. And I’m noticing it big time.

[Accidental Post]

No sweat but Apple is preparing to fix the battery issue:

Apple, iPhone and iPad News | ModMyi - Apple Reportedly Working to Remedy Degraded iPhone 4S Battery Life

[taajir]

Thnx hope the fix works

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[joe_fresh]

I have found that if you have your wifi turned on and not in range of any wifi spots that it is searching for one and that will drain your battery faster

[Rickroller]

Welcome to the world of dual core and notifications

Perhaps this is why they never went with a bigger screen this time around..because that would have impeded battery life even more.

[Accidental Post]

Rick I read an article that Apple now has a boatload of engineers working on that exact issue. Some thing like a thousand engineers working on the A6 processor....

[Rickroller]

Rick I read an article that Apple now has a boatload of engineers working on that exact issue. Some thing like a thousand engineers working on the A6 processor....

I'm sure if there is anyone who can figure out how to get good battery life out of 4"+ beasts..it will be Apple. Although Android has come along way in that department (for some manufacturers anyhow).

[phonejunky]

Welcome to the world of dual core and notifications

Perhaps this is why they never went with a bigger screen this time around..because that would have impeded battery life even more.

The screen size is because of the experience they want the end user to have not because of battery life. Easily can type with one hand and convenient to put in your pocket. Nothing to do with battery life.

[Rickroller]

The screen size is because of the experience they want the end user to have not because of battery life. Easily can type with one hand and convenient to put in your pocket. Nothing to do with battery life.

Soo..that line of thinking then tells me that Apple will never introduce a different size phone (or screen) then?

I don't think so (personally)..I think there was alot of truth to the "leaked" prototypes that showed a 4" screen which would have fit onto the same size as they are running. Just by cutting out a lot of the "border" and whatnot around the phone..they could've increased the screen size without changing the physical size of the phone.

I'm not saying they didn't go with a larger screen ONLY because of battery life..but I think it might have had something to do with it (just my opinion).

[avt123]

There were reports of many parts that were not going to be ready for the "iPhone 5". I have a feeling the screen was one of them.

[Judson50]

So I've read a lot of articles on line. I am planning on leaving BlackBerry (9700 - which gets me 1.5 days of heavy use in battery life) to the iPhone 4s.

After reading everything from Apple, to Engadget and all over the web and diagnostics, I wanted to get your opinion on my theory.

My Theory - this is a software issue not a hardware issue. Thus a new OS update would/could be a dramatic fix.

The other thing, 4 million iPhones sold in the first weekend and there aren't 4 million upset customers so there seems to be a battery issue in just some, not all; thus, could there be a defective batch of poorly written software?

Just wanted your thoughts,

[avt123]

So I've read a lot of articles on line. I am planning on leaving BlackBerry (9700 - which gets me 1.5 days of heavy use in battery life) to the iPhone 4s.

After reading everything from Apple, to Engadget and all over the web and diagnostics, I wanted to get your opinion on my theory.

My Theory - this is a software issue not a hardware issue. Thus a new OS update would/could be a dramatic fix.

The other thing, 4 million iPhones sold in the first weekend and there aren't 4 million upset customers so there seems to be a battery issue in just some, not all; thus, could there be a defective batch of poorly written software?

Just wanted your thoughts,

It all depends on how you use your device. Like how many apps you have running, how many cloud services you have syncing and how much you are going to use Siri.

If it is a software bug, I am sure Apple will fix it. My friend has a 4S and he gets a full day with very heavy use (works for a marketing firm in NYC).

If 4 million people we experiencing this, i am sure there would be an outrage. Same goes for antenna-gate.

[Judson50]

It all depends on how you use your device. Like how many apps you have running, how many cloud services you have syncing and how much you are going to use Siri.

If it is a software bug, I am sure Apple will fix it. My friend has a 4S and he gets a full day with very heavy use (works for a marketing firm in NYC).

If 4 million people we experiencing this, i am sure there would be an outrage. Same goes for antenna-gate.

So if I have 4 email accounts, 3 twitter accounts, facebook and lots of web surfing - does that measure up your buddy's?

[avt123]

So if I have 4 email accounts, 3 twitter accounts, facebook and lots of web surfing - does that measure up your buddy's?

I don't use facebook or twitter, I stream Pandora practically all day (which is more battery intensive than multiple twitter and facebook accounts), have BeeJive (AIM and Gtalk accounts, at least 100 IMs), play Words/Hanging with friends with over 10 different people and send at least 150+ SMS/iMessage a day. And I do at least 2-3 hours of web browsing.

You should be fine.

And yes, my buddy actually has more email accounts than you and everything you just listed.

[Skateman1972]

Here u find the latest news on the Iphone 4S battery problems. Yes they do have problems!!

Apple engineers contacting iPhone 4S owners to solve battery life puzzle | Technology | guardian.co.uk

When a BB phone has some kind of issue everyone is screaming and crying..but hey, where are u guys and girls now???

[moiselles]

I charge mine once a day. Same as with my BB 9800 and it out performs my 9800. I'm not complaining.

[joe_fresh]

i usually stick mine on to charge around 3, because when i get home from work i like to relax and have a cold one while surfing around on my phone instead of dragging the laptop out ... i have a kid that likes to push buttons lol

[kbz1960]

I have to think the iphone not having a battery you can pull out and change to a charged battery has to be a down fall. Can you change the battery in an android? There are times when applying juice just can't be done or leaving it plugged in isn't an option either because you can't be where it is plugged in and charging.

[Rickroller]

I have to think the iphone not having a battery you can pull out and change to a charged battery has to be a down fall. Can you change the battery in an android? There are times when applying juice just can't be done or leaving it plugged in isn't an option either because you can't be where it is plugged in and charging.

Yes..you can change batteries in Androids. You can buy OEM batteries, or extended batteries..some that are bigger but still fit with your original battery cover, and some that are much bigger and come with a modified battery cover.

[reeneebob]

It has to be something hardware related - my 4 on OS 5 has the same excellent battery it always did. I don't know if the dual core isnt as efficient in standby or what but I still get 14- 20 hrs on moderate to heavy use, 3 days on light use.

[kevs]

I had an issue the first day or so where I had nothing running but a clock app and left it unplugged from the charger overnight for 4.5 hours (I've got children). I dropped from 100% to 30% in that small window. All apps were closed, wifi off, Bluetooth off. I was livid.

I then tried keeping it plugged in the next night with wifi and Bluetooth on, but no clock (even though the power source was there). The next day I was at 100% @ 8 am and 75% @ 3 pm. I felt better.

Still not entirely convinced that I found the formula for MY phone's battery, but I'm not complaining as long as it's doing okay (per my expectations).

Who knows, maybe there'll be a fix to this with the next OS update like some have mentioned...

[soccernamlak]

It has to be something hardware related - my 4 on OS 5 has the same excellent battery it always did. I don't know if the dual core isnt as efficient in standby or what but I still get 14- 20 hrs on moderate to heavy use, 3 days on light use.

From my understanding, I thought it was more software related, as iP4 users with OS5 (some anyway) were reporting worse battery life and drainage issues.

The interesting thing here to note is that its only happening to a select number of phones regarding serious drainage issues with the battery.

I think Apple is doing the right thing with usage logs from the support forums: very hard to judge "good" and "bad" battery life when we all charge and use our phones different ways.

Edit: As a side note, My phone dropped 4% standby in a 8 hour window overnight with Wi-Fi/3G on (no other changes in location services), which equates to the magical 200 hour standby Apple says is possible with this phone. During the day, I usually use it semi-frequently (FaceBook, twitter, 8 email accounts push/fetch at 30 min, wi-fi on, safari) and can go from about 8AM to ~5PM with a 30-40% battery drop, so I'm not having any issues personally.

[soccernamlak]

I have to think the iphone not having a battery you can pull out and change to a charged battery has to be a down fall. Can you change the battery in an android? There are times when applying juice just can't be done or leaving it plugged in isn't an option either because you can't be where it is plugged in and charging.

Not a downfall, just a choice and something you plan for, in my opinion. They make extended battery packs that double up as cases if you choose, or worse case, you use those portable external power source / chargers that plug into the bottom of your phone. Perhaps slightly larger to carry around than an extra battery, but it's still possible to bring your phone to areas without a wired power source and be able to run multiple power cycles.

Again though, it's compromise and choice when buying a phone. If you're like me where I'm around some sort of wired electrical connection almost 24/7, then having a charger in by book-bag (which I carry with me anyways) is not a hassle, so whether or not I have a removable battery is moot; a reason I have no issues with my MacBook Pro.

However, if you are the type of person who doesn't have the option or access to wired electrical connections (especially for extended periods of times), or just likes the freedom to switch out batteries at will, then having the option to change your battery on the go is something you need in your phone and therefore will also help you select the best phone for you.

I had an issue the first day or so where I had nothing running but a clock app and left it unplugged from the charger overnight for 4.5 hours (I've got children). I dropped from 100% to 30% in that small window. All apps were closed, wifi off, Bluetooth off. I was livid.

I then tried keeping it plugged in the next night with wifi and Bluetooth on, but no clock (even though the power source was there). The next day I was at 100% @ 8 am and 75% @ 3 pm. I felt better.

Still not entirely convinced that I found the formula for MY phone's battery, but I'm not complaining as long as it's doing okay (per my expectations).

Who knows, maybe there'll be a fix to this with the next OS update like some have mentioned...

Try it overnight again with Wi-Fi on, Bluetooth off, Wireless on, and no apps opened. Your alarm will still be working in the background and if you ever need to check the time, you can just look at the lock screen. See what the percent drop is over the amont of hours you've slept. Then, do some basic math (100%/percent drop * hours slept) to get your standby time. Realistically in an 8 hour night I would expect 5%, maybe 8%, of a drop in battery life (equating to 160 hr / 100 hour standby time). If your phone is doing worse than that (think 10% or greater), you might be one of those having issues.

Whether it's hardware, software, or both I think remains underdetermined (especially with iP4 and iP4S owners both reporting contrasting results even within the same group with iOS5).

[lax42]

I have no idea what I did but for about 2 weeks I only got like 5 hours and 45 min. Everyday but yesterday my battery lasted 8 hours and today I'm at 50% right now since unplugging at 10 am

[belfastdispatcher]

Here u find the latest news on the Iphone 4S battery problems. Yes they do have problems!!

Apple engineers contacting iPhone 4S owners to solve battery life puzzle | Technology | guardian.co.uk

When a BB phone has some kind of issue everyone is screaming and crying..but hey, where are u guys and girls now???

There's an update on that article blaming the auto time zone settings, it looks like it uses gps location for it, why it's beyond me as the carrier network can already do that. Turning it off and I bet people will be late for work when their alarm will ring an hour late again like the last time.