Apple Continuing to Investigate iOS 5 Battery Issues

Yesterday, Apple released iOS 5.0.1, the first update to the company's latest iOS 5.0 mobile operating system and one designed in large part to address complaints of battery life issues. But even with the update, a number of users are still reporting significant issues with battery life on their iOS devices.

ios5
Apple has now provided a statement to AllThingsD indicating that it is continuing to investigate the battery life complaints in an attempt to determine what is causing the problems.

The recent iOS software update addressed many of the battery issues that some customers experienced on their iOS 5 devices,” the company said in a statement. “We continue to investigate a few remaining issues.”

Apple has not committed yet to a near-term iOS update to address any additional issues, but is presumably already working on a follow-up update incorporating fixes for any other problems it discovers.

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Will Reportedly Be More Cautious About Announcing New Features Well in Advance

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:50 pm PDT by
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. The pair of reporters revealed this noteworthy tidbit towards the bottom of a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today. This alleged change in strategy comes after Apple was forced to delay its more...
iPhone Siri Glow

Apple Will Reportedly Let iPhone Users in the EU Switch Away From Siri

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:31 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to give users in the EU the ability to set a default voice assistant other than Siri, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. In a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today, Gurman and Bennett said Apple plans to introduce this change across multiple software platforms, which likely means the iPhone, iPad, and Mac at a minimum. ...

Top Rated Comments

FrizzleFryBen Avatar
177 months ago
I like the slightly more disclosive apple.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jamieserg Avatar
177 months ago
I like the slightly more disclosive apple.

I was thinking that myself. It's nice to know even a little information and at least you know they're working on it rather than being silent.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCCL Avatar
177 months ago
That is what it's supposed to lose. At that rate, you'd get at least 10 hours of battery life when it's being used, and even more if it's on standby.

That's not what you're supposed to get at all.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stella Avatar
177 months ago
Try recalibrating your battery first and then see if there's any improvement after 5.01.

I'm quite liking the SJ post era - not to say the SJ rein was bad, because it wasn't, it was good, of course. But, SJ would have just said "There's no battery issue".. and Apple would have been digging itself out of a hole by now.

In short: Apple communication has improved.

My 4s is losing about 5 percent an hour on standby. Is this normal?
Depends: What services do you have running? i.e., location service will kill your battery. What is your cell reception like?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
netnothing Avatar
177 months ago
Based on the Apple provided numbers, here's what you 4S owners should (roughly) be seeing for battery drain under ideal conditions:

Talk time - 8 hours on 3G
Loss per hour: 12.5%
Loss in 30 minutes: 6%
Loss per minute: 0.2%

Standby time - 200 hours
Loss per hour: 0.5%

Internet use - up to 6 hours on 3G
Loss per hour: 17%
Loss in 30 minutes: 8%
Loss per minute: 0.3%

Internet use - up to 9 hours on WiFi
Loss per hour: 11%
Loss in 30 minutes: 5%
Loss per minute: 0.2%

Video playback - up to 10 hours
Loss per hour: 10%
Loss in 30 minutes: 5%
Loss per minute: 0.2%

Audio playback - up to 40 hours
Loss per hour: 2.5%
Loss in 30 minutes: 1.2%
Loss per minute: 0.04%

(numbers rounded)

Let me followup with the standby time number......I for example on my iPhone 4 on 5.0.1 charged to 100% last night before bed. Woke up this morning still at 100%. So standby should generally be a slow drain, depending of course on what you have running.

-Kevin
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bjb.butler Avatar
177 months ago
That is what it's supposed to lose. At that rate, you'd get at least 10 hours of battery life when it's being used, and even more if it's on standby.
What? He said he loses 5%~10% an hour on standby. That means, on average, his battery, on standby would go from full to empty in ~13 hours. How is that what it's "supposed" to lose? Apple claims up to 200 hours of standby time. He gets 13 :cool:

10% is wayyy to high to be losing on standby, unless he is in a poor signal area. I have 4~5 bars on Sprint, and my 4S has NEVER lost more than 5% while I sleep (6~8hrs).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)