My iPhone 4S battery life is terrible, Even with iOS 6.1.1

Well written. This is EXACTLY the issue I am experiencing.

Guys,

Question: Why do we see our iPhone 4S' battery is draining too fast after updating to iOS 6.1.1?

Answer: I found out in CNET (http://news.cnet.com/8301-33692_3-57569493-305/iphone-hack-can-bypass-password/) that

Some iOS 6.1 users were seeing batteries drain faster because it was excessively communicating with Exchange servers.

That info is not mine but from CNET.

Sorry about foreign language, but deggie's solution isn't work.

Apple used to make fantastic firmware... till IOS 6 came in. 1st moment of glory: maps. 2nd moment of glory: battery drain problems. What would be the 3rd? Horrible to predict.

About 2 years ago I decided to go Apple. Had bad experience with Android stuffware. Right now - I'm not so sure if it is a good decision to keep with IOS at all. If there is a new Visionary after IOS 5.X - well, let's just say he's no good.

1. Apple maps is constantly being improved, it is the base map that is the issue not the firmware. At least they have my house in their map, Google still hasn't found their way to add it.

2. I'm not having the battery drainage problem, I can go 3 days (on my 3rd right now and at 49%) without charging. I do have BT, location services and push mail on. But I also worked with two local concerns using Exchange/ActivSync Servers and confirmed the calendar loop drain issue. I have also seen one with a runaway iCloud issue (off and back on cured it) and one that we stopped the drain by Restoring it as New and selectively adding back applications. It was a game that was doing it, developer and Apple were notified by the user. If you have not done so already go here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html and post detailed information about what is happening with your iPhone and all steps you have taken. Be part of the solution.

Wow, those are amazing numbers! If you don't mind, could you give me more information about your super-iPhone and the way you use it?

Is it an iPhone 4S? How old is it? And: do you use 3G at all and if so, what for, web browsing, texting mainly? Sorry, I am just very amazed about those numbers when I struggle to get to a 9 to 5 without running my battery...

Thanks!

It is an iPhone 5, got it delivered the first day they came out, use LTE about 75% of the time, I get about 75 to 100 push emails per day, also browse, texting is variable, sometimes 100 per day, sometimes none, maybe 30 minutes per day talking.

Right, so for everyone who is fortuneate NOT to have this issue YET, and I stress the yet word, here are some facts from today inline with other comments. 00:20 this morning, iPhone 4S put on mains charge and once charging, powered off. Left like this on main charge until 09:13. Phone turned on andd left on main charge. Batt level 100%. Phone left like this, with no apps open until 15:30 this afternoon when it was unplugged and put in standby with screen off. One text received and one sent, no calls made. 18:47 batt level at 47%.

So, obviously this is a 'User Error', with excessive use of phone and features, NOT! This is not acceptable. Maybe some of the profits could be redirected towards, a) Customer Services, i.e. Comunicating with customers when there is a known problem, and b) Application IOS, supprt team to actually resolved and create a fix for wharever was, 'changed / modified' by developers. I am actually with a Network provider this week at a senior corperate meeting which just happens to be with Apple. Let's say I am looking forward to it, but hold no mis-guided ideas, that I will get any assistance.

Acknowledgement of an issue, goes a long way to setting expectations with customers.......................

Apple has acknowledged an problem with syncing with Exchange calendars and, today, a security issue regarding bypassing the unlock and said they are working on an update.

It is obvious that something is constantly running on your iPhone that is draining the battery. If you are using an Exchange email account disconnect from the calendar and see if that changes the drain. If you are using iCloud try turning it off and back on.

Call AppleCare and give them the details of your situation.

There are a myriad of things that can cause severe battery draining. There is no magic screen that Apple is looking at that lets them fix the problem.

Well - due to the maps paragraph - "being improved" is the best description about the subject at all. That is what I can agree. Sorry to hear Google hasn't added Your home on their maps, however I'm curious that You found it on low-resolution maps provided by Apple. One is for sure - Apple did get a perfect start with it. It has been loud around the world with complaints. And - just to clarify - I did not mention maps due to battery drain problem.

Coming back to the main issue - I do not use mail in any way. So I do not sync. At all - maybe there has been a problem with Exchange sync, but it does not concern me at all, does it? (*). I have no games installed on iPhone (prefer iPAD for games, multimedia, etc.). Got only facebook and twitter installed (and still I do not suspect any of them causing battery drain). All the applications has been killed for a test (could not kill PHONE, as it persists as system process - including all other system ones). And still - the phone didn't last a day.

Surprise, surprise - an hour ago I got notification about upgrade (6.1.1 - 10B145). I've installed it right away and fully charged my phone. Let's hope battery drain problem would be over. Will know for sure in few hours.

(*) - I've left just a brief thought for an end. Let's assume, that Exchange sync (circular loop or whatsoever) became a problem and caused battery drain. Lots of forums mentioned it, so let's assume that in fact it became very true. As the example - let's take a very serious businessman, who owns IPHONE, because it's got most convenient and stable OS installed. Also looks nice and is very easy in use. He's got also Exchange server in sync with all of the options - calendar, contacts, reminders and so on. It comes to 6.1 upgrade and later on - perfect IPHONE, whicn normally lasted few days without charging - does not last several hours including voice talks. He calls Apple, registers issue and then - there is a solution for him: unsync Your callendar for 10 seconds. Ok - highly hilarious solutions, but let's do it. Apple's confidence: -10. But it does not help at all. He calls Apple again, registers the issue and after few hours - there is another solutions for him: DELETE the Exchange account, reboot phone and add it once again. Apple's confidence: -50. Let's assume the he added again the Exchange account and sync'ed. Well - some settings found road to **** - for example - custom ringtones bound with the contacts.

Is this the way for the future? Or maybe test team got week off? Or maybe strange marketing behavior? Exchange option is not provided by 3rd party application, I believe it is the core functionality. Developed and performed at Apple.

Having gone through this with 2 sites disconnecting from the calendar sync breaks the loop and the battery drain ceases. Option after that is to quit syncing with the calendar, not a good option for anyone, not reject nor withdraw non-standard invitations and wait for Apple's update. When you are trying to write software that is quite complex and integrates with other software and networks that are outside of your control these things can happen. Which more and more things moved to the cloud it probably is the wave of the future.

Maybe I am misinterpreting your final sentences but Exchange is not an Apple product nor developed by them.

I suppose the point is Exchange issue has not been resolved in 6.1.1 so it could still be a cause of the issue. For the record, it didnt start in 6.1 or 6.1.1. Maybe the current calendar issue started in 6.1 (not addressed yet in 6.1.1) but Exchange issues of runaway activity has been around for a long time even before iOS 6.0.

With that said there are always issues updating from one iOS to the next for some folks causing battery issues. Typically its a bad install (maybe using OTA updating) or a hung app,email,calendar etc that causes the issue.

A good option that is known to resolve these particular issues are after you perform the update if you start having excessive drain, close all open apps and perform a settings>reset>reset all settings. When the device reboots select "set up as new". This does not erase your device or your apps and data but simply clears any corrupt settings or network activity. Once you run thru the wizard your apps will all be there. You will need to add back any wifi networks and custom wall paper but the rest of your stuff will remain intact.

If the above still does not help a restore from iTunes is recommended using the full firmware download verses the OTA delta. If you do that process you can opt to setup and sync your stuff back instead of restoring a backup (that can put the corrupt stuff back) or if you do restore a backup then perform the reset all settings as mentioned above after you restore your backup

Last option is to perform a DFU restore. That is a low level complete install on new firmware (iOS) back to the device. You can google that to see the process. You need to get the ipsw file and browse to that to do the restore.

BTW these are user forums not Apple support. Most here have either experienced the issues or have some knowledge regarding them. We are not Apple appologists trying to provide misleading advice but rather trying to provide solutions based on experience or research regarding a particular issue. I hope this is helpful information.

Past instances of runaway Exchange activity in the past were usually due to a password disagreement and a simple deletion of the account and then re-entering it could fix the problem. This is a new issue with Exchange that began with 6.1 and have to do with declining non-standard invitation requests. It has been identified by Apple and they are working on an update. 6.1.1 is a specific minor upgrade for the iPhone 4s and did not introduce this particular issue.

Problem solved:

Simply shut the power off to your iPhone and leave it off! Overheating and battery drain resolved!

Thanks Tim Cook!

I'm sorry, but where you keep your eyes? You dont see that most of people understand that some had a strange Exchange accs and apple try to solve that by last minor update. BUT our problem dont have any similar to this. Ok. U want me to turn off my icloud acc and Exchange acc? You are blind? I dont have any exchange acc and i tryed to off my icloud acc. And that dont work. What do you take me for, an idiot? How you explain, that on 6.1 i didnt have any problem (keep on mind that i dont have any exchande acc) and after 6.1.1 fix (fix, lol) i get? All my life i think that FIX is something that making smthing working right way if that going wrong, isnt it? Anyway, dont tell me about im idiot anymore and i cant make my phone working right way. I can tell you that THIS battery drain dont have any connection with strange loop Exchange activity.

4 deggie: i cant believe that nobody go to apple and they dont have any device with that problem. Usually, phone is hot near cpu. So, will you tell me bout 'trying to write software that is quite complex and integrates with other software and networks that are outside of your control these things can happen' any time? oh, lol. Don't make an elephant from a fly. Find, what use cpu is so simple. Or if that strange cloud activity - find what make extra traffic realy easy task. Anyway, i think u can understan what i mean