Iphone 5 Battery Drain ****FIX****!!!!!

Nathan Goldshlag wrote:

Kirk,

You didn't have much cell data, but you could have had lots of wifi data.

Perhaps, but not from actions on my part. If WiFi usage is the case, then it's something in the background.

Perhaps an app with push notifications, perhaps push email.

Not email. I'm completely on manual with email. Could be something else: Just go through each of the applications in the Notification center to see if there is a "push" flag set?

System activity monitor is a paid app that shows your CPU usage percentage - it should be about 2-4% normally. High CPU usage kills your battery.

I'll try to find this in the app store. Actual name is "System Activity Monitor"?

Also I notice you have a very bad cell signal. That may be part of the problem - the radio boosts its power if the cell signal *****.

Good point... but in my experience the older models automatically ignored the cell data path when a WiFi signal was available. Perhaps the 6.x.x iOS missed that?

Hard reboot (both buttons down until apple appears) You can combine this one with the next one.

Already performed this... dozens of times, but can combine with your next steps.

Go to airplane mode, then turn wifi on. This will eliminate the bad cell signal as a problem if it still persists.

As a troublshooting step, sure. Will Airplane allow the use of WiFi? If not, then will have to isolate the WiFi as a culprit too in some way. However, for a long term cure, can't just put the phone in Airplane... need to be able to get calls.

Change all mail to manual

Already done.

Turn off notifications in a binary search manner - this means turn half the apps off, if it persists turn them back on and turn half of the others off, etc. You need to keep careful track. When the problem goes away the last group turned off has the problem app.

Understand the approach, but the specifics need some clarification. By "turn off notifications", do you mean go into Settings / Notifications / In Notification Center and turn half of the apps off? Or do you mean another Settings page?

Minimize location services apps and see if the little arrow thing appears (means something is using it)

Generally, I don't see a location service icon at the top of the phone. But for the troubleshooting step, do you mean go to Settings / Privacy / Location Services and turn the "Location Services" switch off?

Troubleshooting like this is difficult and takes patience and time. But I believe you will find your answer.

I'm a badger when it comes to troubleshooting systems (just not an expert at iOS), so I can approach this systematically.

THanks for all the suggestions. Appreciate it.

Kirk

Nathan Goldshlag wrote:

And try using a minimal number of applications for a while.

I've already been doing that. At the beginning of the day I turn off all the apps that that are running. Do the same around noon. Same when I get home.

Kirk

I'm not using any apps.just web browser or calls.

Kirk,

This is better taken offline. Email me at nateg at pobox.com

Nate

iphone 5 os had a bug in the original version software that came with it, and updating would not fix it. What worked for me….

•Plug iphone into your computer

•go to itunes

•select your iphone

•click on Back up now

•click on Restore Iphone (it will delete all iphone os software and install new full os software which is the latest full version)

•Then click restore from your backup so it transfers over your apps and settings.

Now.....make sure ONLY the apps you want to notify you are turned on, turn off the others so they stop checking and use battery. Go to settings>>Notifications>>go through every app to make sure if you really want that app to keep checking for notifications or not. Turn it to OFF if not (takes up battery)

2nd make sure only the apps that you want navigation to work with are on, turn off the others. Go to settings>>general>>restrictions>>location services>> turn off all apps that you don't need or want to use GPS for your location (takes up battery). Many apps are just being nosy on your where abouts, turn those off. Only keep on the ones that you really need on like Google maps, Find my iphone, find my friends, these apps really are the important ones to help you find your way, someone or something from your location.

Before I fixed my iphone 5 I was only getting 4 hours of usage from a full charge, it was TERRIBLE! Now after I did all the above I get a full day without charging my iphone. So it was definitely a software issue and I am THRILLED with my Iphone 5 now. The battery is actually very good. You just have to restore/reinstall a clean version of the software and turn off the app notifications and GPS that you don't need all the time so they don't run in the background and use your battery .

Hope this helps

I think I've tried virtually every "fix" on this and other threads, restored as new for each update, etc. currently:

I reduced my emails to 2, a yahoo and exchange account, and set both to fetch at one hour intervals, reduced my screen brightness to 1/3 or less and I'm still only getting 4-5 hours of usage on WiFi/LTE. When I first got this phone (a launch 32gb version) I would get 4-5 hours on cell and 7-9 hours on wifi.

No overheating, no usage matching standby time, just crapply battery life...i've drained it to shut off, several times in a row...

I think i've pretty much ruled everything out except for hardware/bad batthery as I'm reluctant to have it replaced (even though I buy AppleCare+ for all my iDevices).

Any other suggestions?

@rfry09 Did you try restoring as New instead of putting your backup in. Try that 1st so there are no apps installed, see if that works, if it does work then the problem is one of your apps, if so you have to trouble shoot which app is causing the battery problem by installing one at a time with a test inbetween each one. If that does not work then I would certinenly say it's your iphone's hardware, take it to any Apple store in your area (no matter where you bought it) and they will replace it at no cost.

Yes, as I stated in my post I restored as new several times and am running with a bare minimum of very popoular apps, Facebook, Twitter etc. Have not tried going app by app by app, as I have neither the time or patience for that (frankly, we shouldn't have to do any of this for what we pay for these devices...)

I've taken it in to the Genuis bar before, and will do so again this week.

rfry09,

I get about 6 hours usage and have never gotten more than that with any iPhone - orig, 3GS, 4, 5. I view that as fine.

An app that misbehaves can drain your battery - that is just the way it is. If you don't want to try to identify that app then you will have a problem.

Nathan,

do I have to wipe everything first? Could I shut all apps from the multitask window and then reboot the device to test them out?

I ask because I have tried doing that, and not opening anything but the stock apple apps, to no avail or improvement, and wonder if that validates that its a hardware issue.

rfry09,

Look at your notifications and location services. Are any of your apps using those that don't really need it? That can be a source of battery drain. I don't think you need to wipe everything if you have already done that. But from your posts I am not sure you really have a problem.

Nate

Thanks, I previously turned off notifications to all but essentials, anid turned off virtually all location services, and as I've said before,I'm now running fetch once per hour (which for me is borderline useless).

As to whether 6 hours is appropriate, if my battery life had not been significantly higher when I first got the phone (7-8 hours if primiarily on wifi, 4-5 hours if prImarily on cell) and if my phone were not returning wildly different and inconsisten results day to day, I would not be concerned. And if apple did not claim significantly better battery life, whic is supported by anecdotal evidence on this support forum ad other forums, I would not waste my time thinking about any of this...

But I thank you for your thoughts and suggestions!

Nate: I restored as new and downloaded my apps from the App Store (as opposed to sync'ing from iTunes via my PC) and reinstalled them one by one (although I'm now using barely 1/4 of the apps I used before), but I've seen no improvement in battery life. I get 5.5-6 hours max usage via my daily routine which is virually all wi-fi data, except for my short commute to/from work.

You stated that you were not sure that I was having a problem, indicating that you only ever got about 6 hours usagefrom your iPhone 5 and its predecessors. But Apple claims that the iPhone 5 is good for 8-10 of usage (under tightly controlled testing environments, I realize that) and other users on this forum and others have posted screen shots claiming, 8, 9 even 10 hours of usage on a single charge. And some claim that they did not get to those usage numbers by using their iPhone for ipod music play or streaming audio (i.e. screen off usage). How do you personally reconcile that?

I can live with 5.5-6 hours of usage on a charge, that gets me through most days without a problem, but on a heavy day on the road, without wifi, where my battery life (on cell) drops to 3.5-4 hours of usage i cannot make it through without a charge and when that happens, I have no place to plug in, that's when the issue of Apple's claimed battery life and other user's claims of 8-10 hours of usage bothers me....

All that said, I still have not gone into the Apple Store and demanded a replacement phone...

rfry09,

How many hours standby do you have when you have 6 hours usage? I typically have more than a 2:1 ratio, so 6 hours would mean the whole day. If you have less than a 2:1 ratio then something is using your CPU.

Nate

Hi,

Nobody knows the secret energy drain on the update, not even the engineers but I discovered

this helps maintain battery juice with the 613 update. Hope it helps.

I upgraded to 613 last week from 511 and have found that the battery drain issue is real. I waited to upgrade for several reasons, but wanted better security. So, my 3gs phone drains in about 3 hours and like everyone else who has been advised,resetting this and that and turning off this and that is not a solution. I did discover though, while sitting through a 6 hour mariner game against the white soxyesterday, 16 innnings ! and mariners lost; was that If I set my : reset network settings", then it drains a charge at 1 % every 5 min, ratherthan 1 % per minute. This is with the screen saver turned off. If i black it out, it lastlonger; however, let me start using it again, and the drain is faster but not at 1% perminute. This being said, I called apple today, gave a report and hopefully they'llfix it. Its definetly a network software program issue. At least I found a temp solutionto maintain my battery life, somewhat. No iphone upgrade for me, will have to switch off if they cant solve this. Hope this helps.