iPhone 4S Battery Life: Best solutions and procedures for 1st time user: 1-Do you have a battery life issue (learn first what the usage time spec is about) 2-What can you try to remedy the situation without reading 500 pages of posts

@Moderators @Apple

I'm sorry to bother you again. This is the second day in a row this guy drStrangePork posts the same thing to this thread, that you moderated yesterday. There are NO LINKS within my thread, simply reference to users who posted such tips. So there cannot be any phishing. He's been posting that post all over the battery life threads in the forum. The guy asks that I would verify the "source" of my info. This is a forum, not a newspaper, and I take care in selecting information that may be useful. None of it can be detrimental. The info I post comes from the threads, which are themselves moderated if not prescreened. This is your job, not his. I've had enough of his ranting paranoia. Insisting that I verify my "source" and profiling the comments is akin to implying that there is no foundation or value to any of the posts, whereas all the info points to Apple's own best practices i.e. resetting the device, reinitializing, controlling backround apps, and many applied things that are akin to the "optimize your settings" that is part of Apple's own documentation i.e. http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html or stuff that your actual staff do or verify in the Apple store. Implying that my information is voluntarily "false" not only defames me and goes against the terms of use (2.2 etc.) but also discredits Apple's own documentation.

I ask that you please remove his post again, or moderate it to leave only the following part:

The original solution still represents a high level of success for users having any battery issues.

• Install 5.0.1 on your iPhone 4s. Some users posting they are still using older versions, bad fake serial numbers, etc.
• Make sure your device can run iOS 5.0.1 and is not altered.
• Make sure you use a new Sim, not some cut down version which many users admit to doing. (Again, worth confirming what people are posting.)
• Reset the device doing a hard reset and software reset.
• Let battery drain and then charge for the full cycle, which is 24 hours.

I think you will find you will get the battery usage that APPLE has stated for the device.

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Furthermore, I would ask that you remind that user of the terms of use of the forums and that you take any appropriate measures to have him cease and desist his slanderous attempts at discrediting the information and myself by the same token. He should be reminded that he is a USER here, and not a moderator.

Please enforce your terms of service promptly.

Thank you for your attention

Have a nice day.

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Comments

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3dmac's comments (yep, people should read that link and the others posted on the first post i.e. battery charge cycles etc.):

You really need to follow apple's recommended battery callibration TODO's they list. This goes for every Lipo based battery. Be it Macbook, ipod, iphone, iPad, OR any WIndows Laptop. These procedures have been req. for yrs.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/

PG# 35 in the manual Chapter 3

enx23's comments (fine tuning low power example and maintenance):

- WIFI is always on

- Bluettoth is off

- cellular-data (a.k.a 3g) is most of the time off (I turn it on only when I need it and immediately I turn off when I do not need it, e.g. browsing when commuting)

- in Notification Center are only Messages, Phone, and Remindes (no Calendar!!!)

- Location services are ON for most of my apps (Camera, Compass, Find Friends, Maps, RunKeeper, Safari, etc.)

- Location Services -> System Services are all off

- Vibrate is on

- Brightness is on 30% (auto-brigthness is off)

- iCloud is off (except Find My iPhone)

- Fetch New Data is Off (for Mail, Contacts, Calendars) and Fetch is set on Manually and both my email accounts are set on Manual

- kill all apps and reboot the phone after all these settings are done

- kill all apps and reboot the phone in the evenings

My best guess what really makes a difference here is:

- "Calendar" not being in the "Notification Center",

- keeping the 3G off when I do not use it

- Location Services -> System Services off

- kill all apps and reboot the phone in the evenings

drStrangeP0rk's comments (Apple's info about unlocked iPhone 4S, not cdma compliant etc. - other users discussed value of using new micro-SIM card and NOT a DIY one, variation with carriers in Europe):

About the Unlocked iPhone

The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a contract commitment. You can activate and use it on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States.* The unlocked iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.

If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the micro-SIM card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.

Check out more about it here (Note for US users.) https://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone/iphone4s and https://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone/iphone4/about_u nlocked

bleepingApple's comments (testing idle scenarios - wifi/3g/airplane mode):

[...]

• Email: 3 accounts 2x POP 1x Exchange [Google, for calendar]
• Push/Fetch: Fetch ON [15mins]; Push OFF

[...]

Airplane Mode: ALL OFF - -0.12%/HR - USAGE 00:19HR - STANDBY 07:59(1APPLE edit: other combinations of 3G data and wifi off yielded considerably higher usage and drain during idle/standby on a 8HR timeframe i.e. 3.4-4.4%/HR drain with 3:08-4:38HRS of usage)[...]

• Clearly the Airplane mode gives me the best stats and the kind of drain I would expect from this phone always, and is roughly as my 3Gs behaves when not in Airplane Mode.
• The control is behaving much as my phone does through my daytime use. It actually doesn't seem to matter if I use the phone a lot, for anything, or just keep in my pocket. I get the same average battery drain [4-7%hr]. It's interesting that this is pretty similar to when I leave it totally alone for 8 hours or so.

The one that surprised me was having Mobile Data AND WiFi off. I really expected that to be similar to Airplane mode, but as you can see it is far from it. What, then, does Airplane mode achieve beyond just preventing WiFi and Mobile Data? I guess it turns the phone into an iPod Touch.

It strikes me that the cause for me of heavy idle usage and therefore hefty battery drain has some root in the thing acting as, well, a phone. Data methods seem to make little enough difference in my case. [...]

Mobiledev's comments (archived discussion about the difference between "push" and "fetch" mail):

iPhone 3G, Fetch vs. Push - What are the differences?

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Infos

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CarrierIQ saga continues: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/30/2601695/carrier-iq-controversy

Update 13, extract: "Apple is the latest company to distance itself from the Carrier IQ smartphone tracking software. Although references to Carrier IQ were found in iOS, Apple says "most" of its products don't support Carrier IQ as of iOS 5 and it'll completely remove it in a future update. Of course, that leaves us wondering which Apple products continue to support Carrier IQ — especially since the company just launched the iPhone 4 and 4S on Sprint, which called CIQ an "integral part of its service."..."

Apple's "iPhone: Hardware troubleshooting" knowledge base article:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2802 - Reproduced in full for your convenience.

iPhone: Hardware troubleshooting

Symptoms

If you have issues with your iPhone, try these tips first.

Resolution

Note: Installing the latest version of iOS may resolve the issue. Learn how to find out which version of software is installed on your iPhone and update if necessary. If your device has the latest version of software installed, please locate your symptom and continue troubleshooting.

Collapse All Sections | Expand All Sections

Acoustic-speaker/microphone/receiver

Additional Information

Avoiding hearing damage

Permanent hearing loss may occur if the receiver, earbuds, headphones, speakerphone, or earpieces are used at high volume. Set the volume to a safe level. You can adapt over time to a higher volume of sound that may sound normal but can be damaging to your hearing. If you experience ringing in your ears or muffled speech, stop listening and have your hearing checked. The louder the volume, the less time is required before your hearing could be affected. Hearing experts suggest that to protect your hearing:

• Limit the amount of time you use the receiver, earbuds, headphones, speakerphone, or earpieces at high volume.
• Avoid turning up the volume to block out noisy surroundings.
• Turn the volume down if you can't hear people speaking near you.

For information about how to set a maximum volume limit on iPhone, see the iPhone User's Guide.

Do not open iPhone

Never attempt to repair or modify iPhone yourself. Disassembling iPhone, including the removal of external screws, may cause damage that is not covered under the warranty. iPhone does not contain any user-serviceable parts, except for the SIM tray and SIM card on GSM models. Service should only be provided by an authorized service provider.

For more information about repairing or modifying iPhone, see the product information and safety guide for your iPhone.

For interactive help and discussions, use these well known threads or others:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3391947 - iPhone Battery life

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3484755 - [...] improves after 5.0.1 + reset

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3482379 - 5.0.1 makes it worst

Thank you!

Listen to me. I don't take kindly to someone trying to defame me. I don't know if you are Sean OConnell or if you work for him, but nothing of what you've been doing here looks good for your business you refer to in your public profile, "magmatic". It's become clear to me why you have so much interest in people not discussing helpful tips and all. Well, when one's business charges 20$ for removing the Macdefender malware for instance, instead of freely giving a link to Apple's knowledge base article on how to remove it in a few minutes (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4650) it's not surprising he'd prefer users not being empowered by information. You are mistaken if you think you will win this... pal.

1AppleADayNoWay wrote:

For interactive help and discussions, use these well known threads or others:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3391947 - iPhone Battery life

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3484755 - [...] improves after 5.0.1 + reset

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3482379 - 5.0.1 makes it worst

Thank you!

Change the frequency/push-pull settings for your mail setup, delete then add again your accounts, reset it, discharge the phone entirely then recharge it. You will find more interaction in the listed threads than here... the goal here is to provide some problem solving steps, not to discuss your own particular issue with the phone... If no solution will do, have the phone serviced/replaced.

Good luck nevertheless!

1AppleADayNoWay wrote:

Listen to me. I don't take kindly to someone trying to defame me. I don't know if you are Sean OConnell or if you work for him, but nothing of what you've been doing here looks good for your business you refer to in your public profile, "magmatic". It's become clear to me why you have so much interest in people not discussing helpful tips and all. Well, when one's business charges 20$ for removing the Macdefender malware for instance, instead of freely giving a link to Apple's knowledge base article on how to remove it in a few minutes (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4650) it's not surprising he'd prefer users not being empowered by information. You are mistaken if you think you will win this... pal.

Some hypocrite you are drPork. Back then you knew very well that I had meant "what do you stand up for", and it's never been "information" in your case in my opinion. You also know very well that you had posted your rant here and that I had it removed the first time, which is why you see me complaining when you posted a modified version of it again. They decided not to act, and so be it. You see, when you post your junk in a multiuser thread, well, people can take it or leave it, but when you come to this thread I created, it's only me, and you're educated enough to know that the stuff in the thread is right and useful, but you come here to slander and post your libel. Since I wrote that paragraph I'm quoting yesterday, it seems you've changed your style and all of a sudden you speak English properly and post more useful stuff... how strange - to what extent you're been impersonating what here no one will ever be able to tell. But maybe you realized that associating your delusional rant with your business didn't look so good in the end. In the field of computer security, you don't want someone to look over your shoulder and rant about your content or someome who doesn't even remember what he did the day before or plays little sociel engineering games and hides behind a half baked bot instead of using some real knowledge to resolve issues.

Also, there's more in this life than security compliance. Such as regulatory. I don't operate in the state of NY so I don't have the time to go there and walk in some state office to look at records, but I reached out to someone I know there who's knowledgeable about this. If I were you I'd make sure my books are in order and that I've properly filed, as the law requires you to. Focus on your business instead of focusing on me. I've grown tired of your little games and if you harass me further with your posts I'll call Apple, and if I'm not satisfied with the answer I get I'll write a full fledged letter to Cupertino direct. My point if eff off.

I hope you get it, this time around.

You're hopeless. You had posted a similar post 24hrs before the one you refer to... like this one https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3482379?answerId=16867185022#16867185022 in the 5.0.1 worse thread - I remember, because it had the OpenID comment in bold and no reference to the 2012budget web site. I also remember because I had noted how cowardly you acted since you removed the OpenID comment when you posted it in the "big thread" https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3391947?answerId=16866695022#16866695022 - simply because buxbuster was frequently posting in that thread and you were in fact talking about his website. I'm sure you fully grasp it all but somehow you insist on playing your little childish game throughout. I've seen through you a long time ago. You can drop the brainwash repeating format, your little procedure is basically one of the first thing documented on the thread. Think of what your alma mater would think of your behavior here. In any case, your posting of the privacy policy is fair enough, so thank you for that. I've disclosed a long time ago that I don't own the iPhone, and that bears no issue on the matter really - I've seen people owning the phone, the iPad, the Macbook Air, and the AppleTV all at the same time and yet be total losers. On the other hand your opinion of Apple's policy is that of a layman, and further you fail to take into account all the content i.e. http://www.apple.com/privacy/ which contains this:

"Service providers

Apple shares personal information with companies who provide services such as information processing, extending credit, fulfilling customer orders, delivering products to you, managing and enhancing customer data, providing customer service, assessing your interest in our products and services, and conducting customer research or satisfaction surveys. These companies are obligated to protect your information and may be located wherever Apple operates."

Best of luck to you too!

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Comments

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IOS 5.0**'s comments (iOS 5.0.x's handling of the yahoo mail account his issue):

[...]The problem for me was a Yahoo email account. For some reason the email account would never disconnect from the 3G antenna and was continually maintaining the link.

After I deleted the account everything worked. I can get 2 days standby and 5 hours of usage with a single charge.[...]

ronsIphone's comments (plug the phone in for heavy use - not bad loll):

[...]

Rule Of Thumb!

If You Are Going to use your phone as a computer or a video game system then I advise you to plug your phone into the wall!

1. If you are out and about , just use it as a phone!

2. Plug it up if u are playing games!

It...... Is........ That....... Simple!

jeremyfromwimbledon's comments (speculates about concurrency of wifi and 3G):

[...]The conclusion I have come to is that fast drain is caused when there is access to a wifi network, ie it does it when i am at home, or in the office, but is fine when i am out of the office and just using the 3G network.[...]

zSkeptic's comments (all around config and maintenance):

[...]The settings that I have turned off but am not sure how much they really impact things are:

No iCloud

No Siri Raise to Speak

No Time Zone Update under system services

No Notification Center

No WiFi Sync

The settings that I have turned off that I believe have helped are:

Emails are set to manual fetch. This was a significant battery drain reduction and as others have noted, I believe this is related to my MS Exchange account. Even with fetch hourly, my phone was was losing 3% ot 7% per hour in stand-by. Only manual fetch has had an impact.

Reminders are turned off on my email accounts. My Yahoo account was automatically creating some weird reminder lists. I still use reminders but they are not tied to my email accounts.

The other thing I am doing is looking for signs of rogue processes that are increasing battery usage. I still see periodic increases in battery usage and believe this is related to O/S bugs and runaway apps (apps that continue to run even after they are closed down). I have a couple of apps that monitor CPU usage, RAM usage and open background processes. If my battery drainage increases after I've closed everything and I see high CPU/RAM activity, I will do one of the following: Shut off the phone, hard reset or soft reset. I think these activities as well as battery drains to zero are different ways of killing uncontrolled processes. One of my traffic apps will continue to use the GPS even after I close out the app. Even turning off the phone does not shut it down. Only a hard reset will kill that particular process. [...]

simeon D W's comments (out of the box first use, updating, new phones shouldn't be benchmarked right out of the box + observations and fun math cutoff):

[...]

if you turn off

1}bluetooth

2}wifi

3}3g connection

4} reduce screen brightness to 40%

5} from new run it till it goes flat and turns off

ignore the 20% level alert

then fully charge the battery using any charger

then only use what you need in the way of features

----

if you intend to update the o/s

reset the phone to factory first

then load the new flash

then soft reset and treat phone as new

if you have updated and have issues

even after soft reset

then hard reset to factory then soft reset it to sync all blocks

then update and soft reset again

do a full cycle charge [...]

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[...]

if you hard reset any apple product it will default to factory

so you need even i think to add the latest o/s again if you hard reset it

so soft reset after flash and i would if you have issues

hard reset and then soft reset

then add lastest o/s again

soft reset again

and as new phone begin

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i notice looking at some peoples picture of there usage screen shot that you actualy have stats after just a few recharges this isnt right -my iphone after the inital charge got to 20% i plugged in the live phone to the charger and the usage reset to all ----- and a note below says that true stats will return on a full charge

i then just kept it on till it switched off

you need to fully discharge till your phone switches off

AND LEAVE IT OFF

then fully charge it when its off

let it settle for an hour and then power on

this will somewhat fix the cell

after this the display will return as fully charged and give the right stats and then follow advice to only enable what you need to use

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out the box so i expect to cycle the cell before it became more stable anyway!!! this is normal of any product i have with li ion cells - turn off wifi and 3g when i dont need it - the siri thing that cant understand my scots accent anyway so is useless and bluetooth - push i didnt play with as i disabled the network use if you dont need it then and there TURN IT OFF or you should expect hungry horise at your bat - i feel 75% left to go and stats as is , is fine !!! - playing games i would defo stick a cable or bat back on !!! as i asume 3d will burn a few Watts per min atleast!!! - i also enabled auto lock and a pin - and if i put my phone down i always click the power button to suspend it dont wait for the time to expire to shut it off if you dont use it power it down to standby i have moved the brightness to 80% for the duration of this test charge...

http://www.leonaudio.com.au/pwheel.pdf <--- handy chart [1A - indeed will look nice on my refrigerator]

unshaven's comments (general observations, non problematic setup):

[...]Though a pain in the butt, most people have seemed to solve the battery drain issue by setting their phone up "as new". Sure they lost all their data and such by wiping their phone clean, but it only takes an hour or so to get everything back on it. In fact, most of the issues seem to be caused by people who setup their new 4s using a backup from an older iPhone.[...]

Are there defective phones out there....YES. Is there a software problem likely contributing to excessive battery drain, in combination with individual user settings...YES. Could the problems be a manifestation created by people with limited or no experience using smartphones, or what to expect from one?....YES.[...]

The only glitch I noticed was standby time and usage time being identifical. This went away after I rebooted the phone which cleared the internal RAM and iOS buffer.[...]

In all honestly, iPhones blow for integration with exchange server accounts. [...]

Current settings are:

Location services = ON (4 apps)

System services = OFF

WiFi = OFF at work, ON at home

Cellular Data = ON

Notifications = Six apps ON (calendar, mail, messages, viber, phone, weather); all others OFF

Bluetooth = OFF

Mail = One account set to fetch every hour

Facetime = ON

iMessage = ON

Apple Store = logged in all the time

Restrictions = Ping OFF

Siri = ON, raise-to-speak OFF

iCloud = Not setup/not used (i still sync the old fashion way)

ItsAmanda's comments (safari pages in the background):

[...]If any of you are having problems with the usage/standby showing the same time, see if you have any safari pages open and close them, that may solve the problem.

Light23M's comments (wireless router causing wifi drain - not for everyone though):

[...]If you use a [b/g] capable wireless device the battery gets drained alot, but when using a wireless device capable of [n] the battery gets normal behaviour back.[...]

Merlinthemog's comments (testing if router causes drain):

[...]The way to quickly test if it's your router causing the problem is to turn off wifi. If you're getting phantom usage and this fixes it, then I suspect your battery issues may be router related like mine.

Roman 1024's comments (unusual situation of user with NO data plan... and quite good usage specs):

[...]Right now I have 4% battery left after 13 hours usage (mostly listening to iPod plus about 2 hours of reading on Kindle and 2-3 hours on WiFi web browsing) and 2 Days and 17 hours standby.

Cellular phone is on and cellular data turned off all the time, because I don't have data plan. I turn WiFi on only when I am home. Location services are on - but disabled for most of apps. Siri is on, but raise to speak is disabled. Push is off. iCoud and iTunes sync off. Notifications are on, but not for everything.

If I don't touch the phone during day - I lose about 25% of battery per day on standby. On airplane mode I lose about 15% of battery per day on standby. If I turn wifi and cellular data I lose about 33% on standby per day.[...]

ilikebigguts's comments (Build 9A406)

[...]to get that, connect your phone with cable, open itunes, do a backup first! if you have icloud backup enabled, go to iphone configurations, in the icloud menue do a backup, and wait till it finished - after that go back to itunes, click on "restore" and do a factory resett! itunes will automatically load the new iOS 5.0.1 with build 9A406 - if it finished downloading the new iOS, it will do a restore. then you can restore your backup. thats it!

[1A - see http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4148]

drStrangePork's comments (link to understanding sim cards, iTunes version reminder):

[...]Understanding Sim cards

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4994

[...]

Oh, and make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes, that is important.

guizotia's comments (multitasking):

Apps that are in the background are suspended unless they are using audio, location services or VoIP AND have been specifically programmed to request doing this in the background. If they are using a background service they should be doing that and nothing else.

http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/An_Overview_of_iOS_5_iPhone_Multitasking

I can't imagine you have enough apps using background services to make it worth killing them.

miless's comments (automatic downloads):

One more thing to check.... did you enable Automatic Downloads in your App Store setting? I realize this is another potential power sucker when i read about the flaw in this setting in some article today.

RossPhoto's comments (detailing his type of use which yields long usage specs (10.5 hours usage, 2d8hrs standby) i.e. not social networking type, uses computer for intensive use):

I have to state, I'm not a phone addict. I don't sit there are play games, or search the web needlessly. I only use phones when I need to :¬)

I've been routinely checking mail manually about 5-6 times a day. The next test is to put the phone on a 15 minute fetch and see how it compares.

One exchange account, which I only use to synch Google Calendar. Two mail accounts; business (IMAP) and Gmail (native).

No cloud services/storage bar Find my iPhone and contact synch (handy). It's no hassle to synch with iTunes to manage music and photos.

Nope, no notifications set for social apps.

Using services when needed means 3G and Wi-Fi. Although in my latest test, Wi-Fi was left on all the time (in my home, strong signal). I have forced the use of the 2G network by putting the iPhone in a metal bin (hah!) while making a call to voicemail. I do this because my 3G signal at home is poor (1-2 bars), and drains the battery. Hence I'd like that 3G toggle :¬)

Out of the 7 hours, I'd say 2 was on safari, possibly less. As I said, I'm at my Mac all day, and I only use the browser for testing or when downstairs (I also opt for the iPad to browse the net when at home).[...]

miless's comments (commenting on x0x's - variation on restores from varying host machines using iTunes - [use latest iTunes, and try on different machines!]):

< I used an other PC, installed itunes and made an update with a downloaded ipsw.

My Battery is really ok since this.

I have actually an uptime more than 1 Day an 60% of battery.

Maybe theres some crap on our PC/Itunes?>

This opens up another mystery... mine had trouble when i was sync-ing with itunes on my windows notebook. I restored everything, and decided to sync it with itunes on my newer macbook instead... and the trouble went away.

Any stats here about possibility of corrupted iTunes on Windows machine vs Mac which causes the drain?

1AppleADayNoWay's comments (feeling safe and confident):

[...]

What makes people vulnerable is that they look at their phone as they pass strangers on the sidewalk so they could be knocked out at any time without ever realizing what hit them in the first place. Human beings are vulnerable - proper physical training helps counter that sensation. What helps further is being fully conscious of your surroundings at all time, half relaxed yet half tensed, ready for anything, and looking people in the eye to predict behavior and project strenght and assurance. The ability to run for a quarter mile may also help. Depending on your height, I would advise either tae-kwon-do or jujitsu training. Aim for the groin, throat, eyes and grab ears, hair, learn how to twist fingers and so forth...[1A - I would add, try to set off car alarms to attract attention]

E_hollaway's comments (notification streamlining):

[...]

When you have notifications on for everything it means your phone is constantly checking for email, Facebook, twitter, messages in every game or app you own etc. it takes a toll on battery life. The instant I changed all my notifications to only check every 2 hours for the few things I look at like email twitter and Facebook the change happened instantly.[...]

Tamarillo's comments (departed after returning his phone, but in memory of his famous joke):

Please also lower the volume and talk faster - this also saves energy :-)

jwdean's comments (hard reset, restore [to complement last post about him - unusual, as a colleague of his is having no issue with exchange using the same server... so is it data like contacts and such??]):

[...]

Do a Hard Reset (warning - this will reset your phone and all of your settings):

1 - Hold the sleep/wake (top) button and the Home button for 8 seconds until the Apple logo fades away

2 - Open iTunes an plug in the phone while holding the Home button down until iTunes "sees" your phone.

3 - Restore the phone in iTunes by clicking the Restore button (don't restore your phone from a back-up).

Once I completed this, I fully charged the phone before changing any settings and left it for an hour. It was still at 100%. I reconfigured my settings, then I added my email accounts one at a time and left it for about an hour or so after added each account. I added a personal (POP) account, then a gmail account and still after a few hours my battery life was at 99%. Then I added my Exchange account, and within minutes my phone started to heat up and the battery life started to plummet.

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Announcement

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-=iPhone 4S displays 'No Service' or 'No SIM Card Installed'=-

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4148 - 5.0.1 Build 9A406

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This will be my last posting in the thread. Hope it was useful. I think it contains sufficient information and ideas for new users who still have battery performance issues to try out things and learn about the features and specifications and get more value out of the phone or finally identify that they have a problematic phone that needs servicing. You're most welcome if you want to maintain the thread as the issue is still ongoing for some users. I've mostly used the "big thread" identified on page 1 as source for all this. Thanks to all for their ideas and helpful contributions...

I wish you Happy Holidays,

And a good iPhone! 😉

In my final post for the foreseable future (yeah, I've said that before), I've decided to extract comments made by "Sticktron" from the "5.0.1 update--even worst battery life" and "iPhone 4S battery life" (aka the "big" one) around Nov 17 2011. The reason for doing that is that this guy is basically the only dev I saw shedding some light on the "issue", plus his style is quite entertaining. It also remind us that nothing is ever clear cut in this world and that often issues arise out of a balancing act more so than from a black or white "bug" context. Of course, I personally believe there might be with iOS 5+4S a series of issues which vary in degree of importance, from ignorance of the specifications to hyped marketing and poor support tools to some limited hardware issues, badly developed apps in the store and carrier side considerations. It is unclear which issues have been fixed at this point and if Apple can ever deliver fully on the device for every user considering all usage scenarios in the user base and the sync ecosystem etc. Most likely we'll never know. Anyways, here goes Sticktron's tale, as one could put it:

_________________________________________________________

(https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3482379?start=825)

^^^^ This. QFT.

There is no Software, or Hardware bug, or defect,

Simply a matter of You Can't Power a Cell radio, wifi radio, GPS, and continuously running uploads (iCloud Photo Sync... ) using a battery lighter than a big Nut,

and expect to get any kind of substantial life out of it.

Restoring/Resetting/all-these-voodoo-fixes are Placebos...

[CrazyMFGenius moreTruthPlease:YES];

Fine,

#DEFINE A @"a lithium battery does function like a niCad battery does" // #LookItUp) /// camelCase is mine

#DEFINE B @"removing suspended Apps from the Switcher will SLOW your device DOWN" // gotta wake up, reload from sloooow flashRAM

#DEFINE C @"Backing up your every move via net connection, 24/7, is a phenomenal advancement, but it's Expensive"

// one more and I'm out

+ (void)IWantToSaveBattery:(BOOL)doYou {

if (doYou) { // and you should, do

[Human taptheShinyOnOffButtonsWithBesideThemAndPurpleArrowsBecauseTheyAreHoldingOpenAl lTjreeRadiosAndByDivineASSERTIONareNotAllowedToTurnOffUntilThatAssertionsLiftme n tByItsMaker];

}

// phew

}

PS I dev from my phone, have a hackintosh in my room I use to root, and upgrade (and Jam over iTunes with my Wii RockBand DrumKit (all praise Team GarageBand@APPLE.

[...]

PPSS 5.0.1's intent was only to patch 0xCharlie out (for a second).

Wait until next week for 5.0.2, which address the balance of fetch vs uice 8)

[...]

(that won't compile btw, some typos and "private" Frameworks missing

[...]

// that was Cocoa talk, pronounced "SmallTalk".. simple, human, impossible for a five yor old Not to follow

// also i carry 3 iPhones, an iPod and an iPad (and a classic, for posterity)

// attached to my body with Duct tape... cuz That's how we(Devs) roll!

// (and cuz each new #RealPocketPCFinally is **** cheaper than the last one I got,

See where this might be heading? Here this might be Heading, ere this might be Headin, re this might be Headi,

,

shoot crashed SpringBoard (but she's back up! In record time)

//// (commented aside comment: iOS architects cry little pretty white shiny bitten Apple apples,

Every time they see Another retard (mis)understanding TheWork(tm)

[...]

Smule's MagicPiano is an example of the kind of BadWork you need to check for right now..

By some craft of occult magic, Smule manages to keep LS running even when MP isn't

I didn't even know that was possible, Smile guys,

Thanks for not bothering to even take One Look to see if the code you (irresponsibly)published would live onto Drain Batteries across the Globe.

See, it's not even Apples fault.

ProTip: check for purple arrows on occasion, 99% of apps on the market were poorly written cash grabs,

Whereas a mobile SooperDooperSuperComputer is EXTREMELY sensitive to memory and power consumption.

Apple QA failed to notice, so actually it IS Apples fault: you want strict Approval, it's on You to Protect Me,

Not me to have to look for purple arrows,

And nearly have a heart attack when upon sshing into my 4S to work on NonJailbreakMe.com,

And see 2000 messages from atc Warning me about radio assertion.

Turn off iTunes Sync and iCloud Sync and **** iAd Location Service, that should NEBER be on.

Then observe in Glory as you read that the Assertion has even lifted.

Rejoice, and enjoy the full battery life you expect out an Apple product,

For now, well, until dec.

_________________________________________________________

(https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3482379?start=765)

200 replies since I posted the exact problem and temp solution,

And people are Still posting tht their phone is faulty?

Nobody read anymore?

It is not a Hardware, not a Software problem,

It's a service problem.

iOS 5 makes Much heavier use of radios, thanks to great innovations like iCloud,

However, it's NEW, and Apple is still working out real world 100million user type testing,

They can't do that in the Lab, too many strange humans with strange use patterns.

For now, you can fix the drain by disabling features (you don't use) that use the radios too much.

iCloud Backup, certain unneeded Location services, etc.

Honestly, there is No Need for further discussion.

This case has been solved, now we wait for 5.0.2 (maybe next week, soon).

PRoTip: No Genius works at a Retail store, that's for everyone else 😉

[...]

Also, I graphed the Battery drain rate before and after I toggled each feature.

The OS thinks it has Way more juice than it does, because the estimations aren't able to estimate well enough your web service usage.

This is a sketch of said drawing...

http://t.co/TBccNYMz

As you can see, with everything on, a 283hour difference.

With iCloud and some Location services off,

I went on to use the 4S for another 80 minutes of medium use, only 20% drain.

_________________________________________________________

(https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3482379?start=540)

On the Nature of the Constantly Draining Battery in iOS 5 & iOS 5.0.1

There is a bug in <snipped> causing the daemon for AirTraffic to inadvertantly fail to release an assertion check (checking re: AirTraffic connection), thereby not allowing the radios to turn off, thus the quickly draining my battery.

Please fix this ASAP.

Note: Fixing it myself gave me 10 hours of use throughout the day today, working (I haven't been to my desk all day--yay for iOS)

[...]

Seriously?

Apple is ALL ABOUT making electronics as easy as ****.

That's Apple's Prime Directive, their <raison d'etre> so to speak.

You forget that a Computer that works perfectly for everyone is IMPOSSIBLE.

At least given our current understanding of the Universe.

There are literally BILLIONS and BILLIONS AND BILLIONS

of little electronic messages being communicated over an intricate network

of pathways SO TINY that a Lab has to be built

SO SPECIALIZED that there are only like 3 in the world.

And that's just for one component out of thousands 😉

_________________________________________________________

(https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3391947?start=5550)

Hi guys,

I posted this in the other big threads,mi hope we all chill a bit.

The 4S battery (all our batteries) are best in class. This is Not a battery problem. It's a logistical problem.

iOS 5 has crazy exciting new features (iCloud, iTunes sync, Siri, etc.) but these all take radio power, which is the most draining of all the iPhone parts, including the display.

For a reference, LocationServices, using assisted-GPS, requires that your Cell, WiFi, and GPS radios all work together to provide you with the most accurate results possible inAny condition. GPS uses AS MUCH juice as playing a 3D game.

So, in Summary...

There is nothing to gain by stalking these forums (and filling my inbox with hundreds of emails a day).

Apple just needs a bit of time to work out a more efficient Balance between web services and Physical limitations of the Universe.

We are pushing unknown territory here, forefront and all that...

[...]

Oops forgot the best part....

Since I first confirmed the source of the issue (on Sunday), my 4S has been keeping pace with my iPad, othe iPhone, etc.

Turn off one or two constant radio users, for now, until next week when Apple tries to address this themselves with 5.0.2

[...]

PS just be happy you hav Apple products, and not an Android, they're obsolete the moment the come out tha box,

Users Just Don't Get Updates. Blame the carriers, thank Apple for having the balls to say "**** you, well just build a nationwide WiFi network, cut you out, Jobs rolled like that 😉

[...]

It's not negotiable.

That's the plain truth.

You can confirm it for yourself.

I wrote a quick graph of drain rate, toggled the features, watched the Rate change by a factor of Ten.

Examine your logs, watchvAirTraffic, it holds an assertion that a connection must be intact. atc checks this once a minute. My logs were being FILLED with thousands of debug messages from atc. Turn off iCloud, iTunes synce, temporarily, you can Readvalong as the OS lifts the assertion and the connections are allowed to close.

[...]

I use my 4S all day. I Dev on it. Make jailbreak tweaks, store Apps, I hack, I research, YouTube, drop dope rhymes on twitter, all day long. And it doesn't die.

You came here for an answer,mi gave you the answer. P,ease wait, there is NOTHING wrong with your phone.

[...]

No, we use advanced tools to build profiles of tons of use cases, measure their drain rate, then maths tell you all that info.

It can be done in minutes. However, you cannotvSimply test for what random people do with such a complex and varied system. You do need some time in the wild. You won't have to wait long, and your battery usage can be lowered for now, you probably won't miss it.

_________________________________________________________

(https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3391947?start=5640)

Wow, amazing. I know people are trying to help out, but you Aren't Helping by giving blatantly erroneous help,

(looking at you, Dr. ePhil)

Go read page one of the doc on ios multitasking policy,

Come back,

Apologize.

No joke.

ProTip: iOS (has always) only "run" one App at-a-time,

That's why it's sooo bloody efficient. It's a one-window system.

NonWindows(tm)

That thing Tha pops up when you double-tap Home is ***NOT*** windows task manager.

It's a list of Apps you were RECENTLY using....

They now live in a country called InActive RAMia,

Where there is only a trickle of electricity (thank you mDRAM),

Where they Wait to be Summoned back to Please their Masters.

The population of InActive RAMia is easily queried by any number of free Apps,

The Country is nice, don't get me wrong, but when you are living there, you can be evicted at Any Time (killed even),

whenever a citizen of the vastly superior kingdom of Active RAMasia requests more land,

Citizens of poor I.R. get murked

tl;dr

id iOS = one-App- / one-Window- at-a-time Design;

iOS += convenient way to get back to recent windows // (that *were* running) ((App Switcher))

iOS just got too ******* confusing for 99.999% of people to understand,

Trust a pro, listen,

wait for apples rebalancing of cloud service fetch timing.

_________________________________________________________

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3391947?start=5790

5.0.2 is in beta on my phone.

It's coming out next week.

Congratulations all Readers, Comprehenders, and Those who took a half hour to fin the answers

Posted waaaaaau back on Sunday, many times, I tries

To help, but people here seem to want to self diagnose an disxuss and rumurate,

This "Community" has proven obsolete this week,

Apple has to implement a Developer Avatat/Badge, and top post voted posts.

For this who missed my 8 posts, funny stories about RAMasia and Divine Assertions,

diagnosis, screenshots... It's all here, in all the big threads.

Took 10 minutes to isolated that the issue was not an issue,

But a Logistical Physical one.

Fixed amount of juice vs 10-to-infinity potential Radio asserters,

Look through Settings,

Turn off Purple Arrrows because they are on

Turn of network-based services.

// get a baseline using a free App

Turn on hat you actually use.

// I dont use iAD tracking, nor should anyone.

// I don't NEED iCloud to sync 3gb of media tonight while I sleep,

I don't NEED those pics on my desktop anyway.

BOOM,

result

GPS really uses cell &amp; wifi as well, for eg.

Your iPhone reports that GPS uses equivalent to A5 power,

Which is 100x more than not.

My battery rocks all day, I use it as my PC all day,

I hack that ***,

And she loves me. Nothing crashes ever, except #ReallyBadApps

I always have >320 MB of available RAM (when not in an App).

Shut **** Down, I jus broke it down,

E-v-n-E-z-rrrrr

[...]

Only one app is running, ever.

That is NOT Windows Task Manager, you are reading it wrong.

[...]

And,

Check me out I'm legit.

Also I used Twitter to directly message Smule,

Letting them know that Magic Piano was somehow holding open a LocationServices connection,

Before you even RAN it!

That's the Worst and sloppiest and most irresponisible and unprofessional and lacking any effort at QA.

[...]

And still no update

Not even hey thanks sorry fixed

_________________________________________________________

Good luck with your iPhone and take care all!!

1AppleADayNoWay

---------------------------------------------------------------

Comments

---------------------------------------------------------------

zSceptic's comments (Exchange scenario etc.):

Here are a few additional observations:

• At work during the weekday, my phone will use 2% to 3% per hour in stand-by. I believe this is caused by a combination of heavy email traffic and being connected to the 3G network. My work email is through MS Exchange and I have it set to fetch every 30 minutes. My email volume ranges from 80 to 150 emails per day.
• On 2 different occassions, I set my phone to airplane mode and came close to the .5% drain per hour in stand-by. This leads me to believe that my battery is functioning correctly and that when I am connected to a network there are processes in the background that increase battery usage. Many people have suggested that the phone is very inefficient with exchange.
• [...]
• I have seen a couple of apps continue to run in the background after they were closed. This was evident through a processor/memory monitor and in the case of my traffic app, the location services indicator remained on after the app was closed. This would be a situation where a reset or battery drain would kill the rogue process.
• As other people have pointed out, the battery indicator is by no means a precision meter. In the past, I have read that it is very difficult to produce a cost effective way to accurately measure battery capacity.

[...]Like many Smart Phones, the iPhone eats up a lot of juice with 3G usage and I think most of the battery problems are related to settings, OS bugs, app bugs, inaccurate battery meter, inefficient antenna design and unrealistic user expectations.[...]

miless's comments (periodic shutoff to kill rogue apps):

[...]But i do notice some odd behaviour sometimes. When i found such behaviour, i simply switch off the phone, and on again to clear the cache. Not often... maybe once a week.

3dmac's comments (check out if contacts are in a sync loop):

This can be seen only when you open contacts or phone. You will see the busy icon spinning. This was a current occurance glitch. To clear the loop, turn off contacts iCloud sync, select Not to keep contacts on phone. This should clear all contacts on the phone (your back up is still on iCloud). Now close all apps, shut phone off and do a HARD RESET (press/ hold the power and Home button, let the open Apple screen flash 2 times then let go) Phoe will reboot. When up turn on iCloud contacts sync with backup save to phone. Your contacts will be reloaded and the loop drain will stop.

chazzmichaelmichaels's comments ("just in time" iCloud use pending more features):

Here is what i did. I turned off iCloud. I completely deleted my account. I erased all email accounts and DID NOT re-install. I also turned off wifi (I only turn it on when I need it). [...]

I will now activate iCloud once a week to back up until Apple allows the ability to create a backup schedule so that it is not constanty syncing.

I also have location services turned off for everything accept siri and maps. and i remove all apps from the multitasking bar when i am done using them.

shaddyz's comments (America's productivity, solved by having all the info on one page 😉):

[...]

Get back to work, no wonder America's productivity has dropped, if people spent as much time working as they did wasting time, in over 430 pages of "Hey all this works" — "Oh wait, no it doesn't"... trying to fix something they'll never be able to, we'd be much better off.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Comments

---------------------------------------------------------------

FiniteAffinity's comments (sim cards)

Some batches of iPhone 4S seem to have SIM readers that have compatibility issues with certain SIM cards (here in the UK, specifically TMobile - I have verified that O2UK and Three UK SIMs work fine in an "affected" phone, and the battery drain STOPS).

My advice if you have the battery drain problem, is first check if your problem is SIM related or not.

The best way to do this, is see if the draining stops with the SIM removed, or with a SIM from another provider inserted (I know this isn't always feasible), but keep wifi enabled etc, to allow other processes to keep running. If the draining stops, this suggests a SIM related problem.

[...]

One more test - if you have the "SIM Applications" menu available, under "Settings"->"Phone", then see if any of these work properly, or if they simply light up blue and do nothing when you press them. If they do nothing like this, you definitely have the SIM reader incompatibility problem. This can also manifest itself by causing the phone to hang when you input your SIM PIN number. All related to the same problem.

Kobester's comments (systematically closing "background" apps):

[...]

1) Unlock your phone (go to home screen)

2) Press the home button twice and you will see "task manager" with all the applications running (if you have never done this --> you will see that pretty much all the application you have ever used are running in the background)

3) Press on any of them and hold until icons start shaking (like you are moving the icons around in the home screen)

4) once they start moving you will see Red band circle thingy on top left of the application

5) go through each of them and start killing them

6) Turn off your phone completely and turn it back on!

[...]

3dmac's comments (reminder about mail auto-syncing in re: dropbox):

[...]

Any constant AUTO syncing with an email account will incur heavy batt use due to extended 3g data signal usage. Less with wifi but still will drain. Having these type set to MANUAL push will stop this.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Announcement

---------------------------------------------------------------

On the 28th of November, Apple started seeding iOS 5.1 to developers:

http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/28/apple-releases-ios-5-1-beta-for-iphone-ipod-touch- and-ipads-to-developers/