5.0.1 update--even worse battery life

After upgrading to 5.0.1 my iPhone is draining the battery even faster! Anyone else seeing this problem?

Posted on Nov 10, 2011 11:39 PM

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1,434 replies

Nov 17, 2011 10:07 AM in response to Spaztastiq

I don't accept that any iPhone 4s user should have to go through pretzel logic to correct an issue that Apple caused (it doesnt work anyway). Especially when I payed for my phone out of contract ($700 for me having to troubleshoot Apple's issues?). This phone HAS good battery life, mine was just fine before the iOS 5.0.1 update. The battery life is crap now, and as a result I have shut off most every service my phone has including the 24.95 iTunes match that I was so geeked for.


Bump. Same boat, and all that.

Nov 17, 2011 10:32 AM in response to TEfromboron

I've conducted a brief test for anyone interested. To set the baseline, yesterday I totally reset my phone by doing a hard reset and configuring as a new phone. Before the reset my 4S battery depleated at a rate of about 10% per hour in standby. I work in an area where the phone gets no reception, and during this time my battery drain was worst; the test was conducted where there is no reception.


Note, this is mostly directed to Apple - they actually read these things - but hopefully others will find the comparison useful.


Today, after hard reset, I ran the iPod via bluetooth and tested battery performance. Here are the results - fairly reasonable and comparable to the iPhone 4 I had before this 4S (iPhone 4 ran iOs 5.0):


Tested phone: 4S running iOS 5.0.1

Conditions: no signal, using iPod via bluetooth to a Motorola S9-HD


usage when NOT in airplane mode:

Cumulative usage: 57 min

Cumulative standby: 2 hr 41 min

battery: 100% to 86% = 14% drop => 0.25% drop per minute


usage when IS in airplane mode:

Cumulative usage: 2 hr 30 min

Cumulative standby: 5 hr 15 min

battery: 86% to 65% = 21% drop => 0.23% drop per minute

Nov 17, 2011 11:05 AM in response to art_in_motion

I updated my 4s this morning to the new OS via my WiFi. Having 99% charge left at 06:00 didn't think much about it. Got work and checked my phone at 08:30 and was at 80%. Seriously?!?!?!?! It was fine before it was upgraded to 5.1. That's the fix? And from what I'm reading I can not restore it back to 5.0? When is the fix for the fix coming out? I have turned off all the usually suspects and still drains the battery. Also no 3G data access via AT&T but my work blackberry works just fine. Very very disappointed...

Nov 17, 2011 11:28 AM in response to art_in_motion

just got my iphone4s 2 days ago. updated to 5.0.1 immediately. i've also followed many tips like minimizing notifications, location services, turn off push email, etc. this morning it was 100% fully charged. but right now without much usage or talk time its down to 65%. as i just watch the screen it went from 67 to 65 % in less than a minute. looks like serious battery issue on iphone4S

Nov 17, 2011 12:00 PM in response to TEfromboron

Hi everyone,


after reading all the tips I tried the following, and it seems to work fine for me:


  • I switch of wifi (wifi also causes a huge battery drain on my ipod). I have a fine 3G offer from my provider, so in the end I don't really need the wifi to be switched on all the time, and if I need it, I can of course still switch it on again
  • I deleted all the apps that I don't really need (games I was curious for but in the end I never play). However, I kept like 20 apps that I do like, so I still hold a lot of them
  • I switched off the option of sending data analyses to Apple (indeed I found that tons of those analyses have been sent to Apple in a short time)
  • I switched off location services (all of them)
  • After making a call I push the top button to put my Iphone into sleep mode (I mean, I don't just put it aside, but really put it into sleep mode)
  • I close all the apps running in the background that I don't need (a game I was playing a few days ago, Ibooks while I'm not reading any Ibooks at all, etc)
  • Finally I switched off all notifications that I don't really find useful (especially the Facebook one). After all some of those notifications started to irritate me as my Iphone didn't stop showing me messages while I prefer to concentrate on what I am working on during the day. If I'm curious what happens on Facebook, I check Facebook, that's it. I don't want to be annoyed with it the whole day long.


It are just a few minor things, and the Iphone stays a magnific phone withouth all those things activated. While I really was having the battery drain problem before, this helped. I use my Iphone intensively, and the battery now went down with 25% over 12 hours - which I find acceptable. Knowing that I won't use it when I sleep, this way a full battery recharge should take me through 2,5 days.


I will now switch on some things that I switched off before to see how the battery behaves. I will keep all of you updated.


Enjoy your Iphones!


Peter

Nov 17, 2011 12:08 PM in response to pitchymaroc

Sure thing, pitchymaroc. I really didn't have much hope. And didn't expect something so simple to help at all. I have not changed any other settings or usage patterns. I know this might seem really dumb. But I almost never turn off my iPhone. And I realized that I hadn't done a manual restart since upgrading to 5.0.1...didn't think it was necessary since the phone turned off and restarted in the upgrade process.


Here's the restart I'm talking about:


http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/assistant/phone/#section_1

Nov 17, 2011 12:24 PM in response to pitchymaroc

Well pitchymaroc.. the reason i bought this phone is to use those features. I travel a lot, need location services to find restaurants, directions. need wifi turned on so that i can connect to wifi if available and save on my data plan. Need push notification because again since i am travelling a lot need weather alerts and flight timings.


If you are really not going to use those features, then why buy an iphone, rather go with a simple candybar Nokia model and that should serve the purpose.


I have been and always will be an Apple fan. I am frustrated by the fact that they give such a solid device but failed, atleast this time with ios5.0.1, miserably. My 4s was fine before the upgrade to 5.0.


A comparable Android phone with all those features turned on has a better battery life than 4S after ios 5.0.1 upgarde. So if Android can, why cant iPhone?

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5.0.1 update--even worse battery life

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