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iPhone 4s Battery Life?

My iPhone 4s battery seems terrible! Almost equivalent to my 3GS and it's terrible battery life. When I got my iPhone yesterday and restored from backup I noticed nothing really changed with minimal usage and standby! Is this normal or should I consider setting it up as a new phone because maybe something is running in the background that's causing it to drop a percentage every few minutes under light usage? Input would be great!

Posted on Oct 15, 2011 7:14 AM

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12,787 replies

Jun 2, 2012 8:34 PM in response to Scarface.

I think I found the answer to the baterry drain. I been testing setting y setting to see whats causing the poor battery of my iPhones. I been testing my iPhone for a week now and two days ago I turn off the cel network search settings under Location Services and my battery was able to hold for a full day and a half and 7 h off heavy usage (email, texting, phone calls, Facebook, twitter). The main thing was that under standby there was almost no battery drain. I think that this setting was causing my phone to die by 5 pm every day. (I start my day at 6am). Now I'm able to last until the next day with out charging it!


This is what I did a week ago


1. reset the phone to factory settings with the computer ( I had to download the iOS since I did the last update via OTA)

2. Setup 2 exchange accounts with PUSH, and iCloud with PUSH, iTunes match

3. Turn off ping

4. Turn off all system service in location services, exept compass calibration ( I use it with waze).

5. My apps locations services I left on the ones I know I use


Let me know how it goes!

Jun 4, 2012 3:24 AM in response to Scarface.

I've tried so many different suggestions and still have terrible battery life. I even went to the Genius Bar and they swapped it for a 'new' iPhone (which looked suspiciously refurbished). This one is even worse! Like they swapped it for one somebody had already brought back!


I went to sleep last night with around 55%(ish) battery life, woke up to 4%! This was after a full charge over night the day before. iPhone wasn't even used yesterday, yet the usage says 14 hours use since last full charge.


Now I'm no Carol Vorderman, but from 9am to 9pm isn't 14 hours and in that time it drained the other 45%, it then lost 41% doing sod all last night. Add this to the fact I didn't even use this phone yesterday (I also have a blackberry - which I used to curse its battery life but lasts 3 days) then you have to wonder on the credibility of the usage stats. At the Genius Bar, they had my stats on their iPad. Completely different to the stats on my iPhone yet they said it was normal.


Awaiting a call from Apple later today, gave them my BlackBerry number just in case...

Jun 4, 2012 5:20 AM in response to frazer2000

Why is this terrible?


  1. You are on pace for over 40 hours of standby
  2. You have no providioned SIM installed (SOS only) so your phone is constantly searching for a signal, which further drains the battery.

Not suree you have any problem at all.

frazer2000 wrote:


My new battery life after a fresh restore and charge :/ this is terrible-


User uploaded file

Jun 4, 2012 6:23 AM in response to frazer2000

Hmmmmm...... I doubt your Macbook will last 40hrs on a charge.


If you are in a poor reception area, battery life will suffer as a result.


To be honest, most of the folks in here reporting problems would be thrilled to get 40 hours out of a charge. There are loads of good suggestions in this thread on how to maximize battery life, but to be frank, unless you start to severely restrict the functionality of the iPhone, you aren't going to do much better than you are now.

Jun 4, 2012 8:25 AM in response to cls24

MY LOG:


iPhone 4s Battery Statistics:

(keep in mind: 1-2 bar(s) of cell signal in my area, where I was all day)


Settings:*

3G always on when available

Wi-Fi always on

*-"Ask to join" on

System services: everything off except "Cell Network Search"

Notifications: manual

Location services: on

*-On for: GifBoom, Siri, Waze, Find my iPhone, & FaceBook when needed

Sounds: Silent, vibrate: on

*-ringer, vibrate: off

Brightness: about 2/5 on the bar

*-Auto-brightness: on

Siri: on

*-Raise to speak: off

Cellular data: on

Bluetooth: off

Auto-lock: 1 minute

Restrictions: Ping, off

iCloud: everything off except Find my iPhone

Mail (5 accounts): all fetch manually

Fetch new data: off



No Airplane Mode

12:32AM: took off charger

12:32AM: slid to power off

12:33AM: turned back on

12:34AM-12:56AM:General usage (checked mail twice, sent 2 FB IM's, refreshed Twitter once, talked on The Spot most of this timeframe. *No music, texts, calls, etc.)

12:57AM: Getting tired, so now will put headphones in and music on (Rdio app) until I fall asleep (which I never do, but for the sake of this test I am.) *Still 100% as of 1:01AM. *Been 28 minutes according to my Usage, which would normally have 8% drained by now 'cause usually I lose 10% per 30mins. *So this is great!


1:03AM: music playing, head on pillow, shutting eyes now. (I'm hoping to fall asleep, then wake up around 9AM with music still playing to see drain results.)


6:12AM: 72% left. *Music listened from 1:03AM-6:12AM (5 hours, 9mins.) *Music now off.


So far:

-Usage: 5hrs, 41mins

-Standby: 5hrs, 41mins


6:15AM-6:25AM: General usage (refreshed Twitter & FB twice, as well as The Spot once. Checked mail. Checked MacForums to see if anyone replied to my reply in a post. *Checked The Spot again. And again, but this time someone messaged me & I messaged back, so in conversation currently.


6:26AM: Not really sure if I'm getting more usage or not now. *I think the 100%-99% decrease just lasted a lot longer than before.


Note: Current apps in background ("tasks open"): Rdio (not playing music), The Spot, FaceBook, Mail, Safari, Settings, Twitter, & Notes.

6:27AM: The Spot.

6:31AM: Added song to library on Rdio

6:33AM: Closed Settings

6:34AM-6:36AM: Checked 3 mailboxes

6:37AM: Checked Usage again. 6 hours, 4mins for usage & standby.

6:38AM: Closed Settings (deleted off task manager.)

6:40AM: On Rdio, going to listen to & find some music.

6:41AM: Music now on. *Checked FB & Twitter until next log.

6:46AM: Checked App Store for any updates. *Exited.

6:51AM: Been 39mins and I've lost 10%. *Usually is 30mins per 10%. *Idk...I'll wait another 10% & see how long that takes.

6:52AM: The Spot.

6:56AM: Checked Usage. *6 hours, 23mins for usage & standby. *Exited.

6:57AM: Checked FB & Twitter.

6:59AM: The Spot.

7:03AM: Pee break, lol, letting music still play in background, but everything else minimized (not exited.)

7:07AM: Got drink & said "bye" to sisters who are still in school :P

7:07AM: Music still playing.

7:11AM: Tweeted.

7:12AM: Uploaded 2 photos I already had onto FB.

7:16AM: Messaged on The Spot.

7:18AM: Checked E-Mail. *Had an E-Mail.

7:21AM: Music been playing. *Trying to wait another 2% drain to update you all on the stats.

7:24AM: Was in standby for 3mins w/ music playing.

7:27AM: Ok, 2% drained. Stats below:


51% @ 7:28AM

Usage: 6 hours, 54mins

Standby: 6 hours, 54mins


I kinda do the whole rapper thing, so I'll leave my iPhone on standby for a little while with music paused until I finish a song (writing verses, rapping, editing, mixing.) *Then I wanna sit in sun, so I'll have music on a while after that, hopefully.


9:10AM: Used Safari about 10mins. 40% left. Back on standby now.

9:22AM: Got text, replied. *Prolly gonna have a mini-conversation now.

10:46AM: Finished recording music. *Now playing music (not my own) on iPhone.

10:47AM: 30% left. Usage: 8 hours, 2mins

Standby: 10 hours, 15mins

10:48AM: FaceBook, Twitter, & The Spot now.

11:11AM: Refreshed MacForums page on Safari.

11:15AM: 20% battery. *Had 30% 23mins ago :/*

Usage: 8 hours, 30mins

Standby: 10 hours, 43mins


Apps used:

FaceBook

The Spot (music-related app)

Twitter

Rdio (music streaming app)

Mail

Safari

Notes (what I'm typing this in)

App Store

Photos

Settings



If we were to assume 1hr lasts me that last 20%, then I can conclude I'd have used 9 hours, 35mins used, 11 hours, 20mins standby(?). Is that decent? Could it be improved?

Jun 5, 2012 5:38 AM in response to Community User

Yes, that is rather good for a very heavy user. Note that all the battery drain things have to be added up, and consider the 'standby' time as 'background use', and don't forget to add that into the total battery drain. EVERYTHING you do on the phone takes battery power, and if you are doing more than one thing at a time, then those must be added together, and then the standby added to that.

Jun 5, 2012 6:06 AM in response to rphunte42

I back up & restored from iCloud anyway :p Then calibrated. I'm getting basically the same battery I had as in that log above, though I'm in process of making another log since restore.

Jun 5, 2012 2:15 PM in response to Community User

I found a possible cause / solution - in my case one of my contacts was failing to sync with iCloud, so the contacts app kept trying again and again. The phone even got too hot to comfortably keep in my pocket.


Solution for me:


  1. Exported all my iPhone contacts using My Contacts Backup.
  2. Deleted all contacts from iPhone and iCloud.
  3. Broke the synchronisation link.
  4. Re-imported the backed up contacts to the iPhone.
  5. Recreated the iCloud synchronisation link.


See by blog page for full details & symptoms http://www.gee-family.eu/richard/archives/2012/06/iphone-battery-problem.html


Hope this helps some folks.

Jun 6, 2012 6:21 AM in response to Scarface.

I don't get it. You buy the phone to use it. When you use the device it consumes battery... All electronics do this. Putting the phone into airplane mode (turning it into an iPod touch) isn't a solution. Poor network service consumes more battery. More data usage consumes more battery. Using the camera, reading eBooks, listening to music... all these things will consume the phone's battery. That's what it is for. So what if you charge it every night? I've had to charge my phone every night since I've had a smartphone. That's with BB, Windows, (old windows mobile), Android and the iPhone.


My suggestion: stop stressing the battery so much and enjoy the device by using it.


If the phone is drastically bleeding battery then take it to Apple and have it replaced.


This isn't meant to be a rant but after 830+ pages of the same topic and arguments about what's good or not the situation is getting a bit ridiculous. That there is not Apple's fault.

iPhone 4s Battery Life?

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