battery drain 4.3.4

Hello,

I am experiencing same battery life issue since I bought my iPhone 3GS, second hand, but directly after an Apple Care Exchange. The battery is new.

The device is still using 4.3.3, and after 2 weeks of intense testing, I found the issue.

It is tricky, and can explain why so many people are experiencing the same issue (something using the iPhone in Background: usage time=1minute every minute, using about 20% per hours, thus giving 5 hours of battery life).

- iPhone 3GS 32GB

- French operator SFR, no data package

using it as a dummy phone, not really smart, for sure ... but it avoid having to carry an iPod and a phone ...

- 3G off

- localization off

- notification off

- spotlight off (disable everything)

- wifi off except when needed

- imap manually

And now the problem: when I use Exchange to sync Contacts, and only contact !

Each time I am using the addressbook (simple browsing), without any data access (wifi off), something starts to sync, and seems not to have any time-out !

I donwloaded systat lite, and no process is running when it happens (except iPhone and settings).

When the battery is draining, I just need to put Exchange/contacts sync to 0, and it suddently stops !!!

It is reproductable: 100%

Exchange is not the problem, if I am using Exchange for mails/calendars, no problem!

Only Contacts sync is buggy when Internet is not available !

For sure a time-out is lacking somewhere, and no one at Apple is using an iPhone like me, as a simple iPod phone !!!

Just to specify, I am using a Google Apps account (standard), not sure the issue exists using standard Gmail accounts.

since I move Contacts sync to iTunes (using sync) I have no problem anymore (but birthdate are not synced !!!)

It is less casual, sync is not done online (wifi on), I need to manually sync the phone on iTunes...

Google releases a sync update:

http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2011/07/google-apps-directory-sync-update. html

http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?answer=1263028

I'll have a try to see if the problem is solved, before moving to iOS 4.3.4.

Hopes this will helps.

Indeed, many people are complaing about battery life and Exchange, but no one gives its real use:

- which exchange provider ?

- Which Cellular operator ?

- which access method (IMAP, exchange ?)

- what is used for mail/calendar/contacts/notes ?

I can say that:

iOS 4.3.3/Exchange _contacts_ sync with Google Apps/no data package: boom !

Since then, battery lasts between 3 to 5 days depending phone usage and/or internet using at home using wifi.

Fred

Ive been having the same problem...

If anyone has found a solution please let us know. It would be really helpful.

Hundreds, if not thousands, have found a solution. Use the Search box at the top of this page. Just search for "battery problem", as it happens with all versions, and not always only after an upgrade.

I am having the same problem and I know one of you said that it may be a hardware problem. Well my iphone is only a 2 weeks old I don't think that is what it is. It must be a bug in the update which Apple needs to check. I had my phone charging till 9:30 am by 11:30am it was at 80% which it never dropped on me that fast since I have had it. My battery usually reaches 80% at around 3 or 4pm

It is not a bug in the update. Battery problems come up all the time, both with any update and between updates. If you search back in the forum you will see complaints of sudden battery problems every time there has been an update in the past 4 years, and just as frequently sudden battery problems occur far from any update. Here's one example: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3041668?answerId=15643695022#15643695022

This referred specifically to 4.2.1, but similar strings of threads can be found for every version ever released.

What is causing it is some app that is continuously sending, or trying to send data. You have to find the app that is doing it. A couple of things that MAY fix it:

• Run the battery down all the way until the phone shuts off, then charge with the wall charger for 4 hours.
• If you have Cellular Data off, turn it on to clear the transmit queue.
• If you have Push email accounts turn them off or delete them, reboot, then add them back.

Restoring the phone as a New phone will almost always fix it, but that will result in the loss of app data.

Restoring the phone is not a solution. That's like saying, reformatting your hard drive is the solution to the problems your computer is having. Nobody should have to resort to restoring their device and having to transfer everything, customizing their screens, and losing some if not most of the app data you have such as settings to the apps et al. There is a problem and the solution is NOT restoring,. That is simply a "work-around" and a band-aid remedy. The problem still remains and it needs to be fixed permanently (not return).

Which is why I said "last resort". I've actually never encountered a case where a restore as new was required, but some people do it as a shortcut. The correct solution is to find out which app is using data and stop it. Because sudden battery problems are always the result of a data transmission problem. There is nothing else in the phone that can consume that much energy.

There are useful tips like "find the app that is causing the battery to drain" - but how do I do that? What is the mechanism - in low tech speak - for finding out how much power an app is using? All of a sudden and for no apparent reason my battery has drained rapidly and I cannot blame an upgrade as I did that a while ago and would have noticed before. So there must be something using the power differently. Does the WiFi source make a difference fo you know?

This is a compendium of things to try. As battery drain is a symptom, not the problem, it has many possible causes. Each of these has worked for some users. Test after each step, and stop when you find one that fixes it.

• Settings/General/Reset - Reset Network Settings (you will hve to re-enter WiFi passwords, but will not lose anything else).
• Settings/General/Reset - Reset all settings (likewise)
• Run the battery all the way down until the phone shuts off, then charge for 4 hours with the wall charger.
• If you keep cellular data OFF try turning it on for a while. This will clear any messages queued at a low level in the protocol.
• If you have a Push email account go to Settings/Mail,Contacts,Calendar, tap on the account name, then turn off the 3 switches for mail, contacts, and calendar. Back out of Settings to the top level. Open Mail, then Contacts, then Calendar to clear the queues. Reboot the phone (hold HOME and SLEEP until an Apple logo appears). Go back to settings and turn them on. Wait an hour or so before testing so the application data can refrest.
• Disable Game Center, Ping and Store (Settings/Restrictions). If this fixes it try turning them back on.
• Turn off Notifications and reboot. If this fixes it turn Notifications back on, and turn off individual apps until you find the culprit.
• Restore the phone as new, without reloading your backup. If this fixes it conneect the phone to iTunes, right click on it in the left panel, and choose Restore. If the problem comes back you have a corrupt backup.

There are probably more, but these are the ones I recall having seen posted. Personally I have only had the push email and game center problems.

Regarding your WiFi question, WiFi uses less power than 3G when actually sending and receiving, but more when idle.

Thank you, I will try them in turn and see what happens.

Very good advice Lawrence 🙂

My iPhone experienced battery drain after the 4.3.3 update. I would charge 100% in the morning and 5 hours later it was dead. I don't think my phone was going into Standby Mode. I thought 4.3.4 would fix the problem, but it didn't touch it. I tried every recommendation in this thread and others except restoring the phone. With no options left, I restored the phone via iTunes this morning. My first try didn't fix the problem because I didn't restore the phone as new. Once I restored the phone as new, the problem was fixed. My battery was at 100% at 9 AM this morning and 7 hours later it's only down to 96%. Before the fix my battery would have been in the red by now.

Hi sunshinemom,

Well Done... Glad it's all sorted for you...

A Restore as New is the Only Way to go if you have Persistent Problems... 🙂

Congratulations... Well Done... Glad it's Working for you... 🙂