Apple digging into iPhone 3GS battery issues, users say

Battery issues with the iPhone 3GS have led Apple to contact some customers to get first-hand reports on what may be causing premature draining, according to users on Apple's forums and the iPhone Blog enthusiast site.

(Credit: The iPhone Blog)

Apple's discussion boards have been buzzing with users complaining about poor battery life with the iPhone 3GS, which was released in June.

In some cases, users on the forums say the battery is draining while the iPhone is on standby. Other users say that after charging the battery overnight, it mysteriously drains after sending a couple of text messages or e-mails. Turning off features like Push Notifications and Bluetooth seem to have no effect for most users reporting problems.

Apple's support team has started contacting some customers who reported their battery problem to AppleCare, according to the enthusiast site and Apple's own forums. AppleCare is apparently asking customers to enable battery-life logging on the iPhone and then sync the logs to a computer. AppleCare is then asking customers to send in the logs, so it can try to figure out what's causing the issue.

The company apparently is telling customers that battery logging does not affect battery life itself, but that the logs do take up hard drive space. Thus, customers should plug the smartphone into a computer to get the logs off the device. This is done automatically when the iPhone is synced to a computer.

Apple representatives weren't immediately available for comment.

[chapindad]

I have seen the same problem on my 3G with the new 3.1 code. Something is draining while in standby mode.

[MyRightEye]

Several times I have seen my battery fall from 100% to 38% or so within an hour. Happened one week ago. Unplugged the iPhone, went to an appointment, pulled it out, 38% left. No heat either though I have a thick Vaja leather case so it would be harder to tell.

[tony holland--2008]

This is happening with my first gen iPhone since upgrading to 3.01.

[wclanders]

I just mentioned this exact thing to a friend this morning. After i installed 3.1 I've noticed a drastic drain on my battery even when i don't use my phone. I used to charge my phone every other days and since 3.1 I've had to charge nightly.

[vandensd]

I had the problems since getting the phone without doing ANY updates. So my problems started since 3.0 and continued to 3.01 and when I updated to 3.1 I did it fresh without restoring from backups. Since going fresh I have not had the issue yet. My problem is similar, in standby when I went to turn the screen on it would take me like 5 or six tried for anything to come up and then my battery would have dropped 10% in just 5 or 10 minutes since last use. I also had a case where it dropped dramatically to 77% and then it later reported it was really at 88%.

[thelemurking]

I have noticed this as well. I ended up buying a dock just to keep it charged at work. Picked up some little Gigaware double dock at Radio Shack that was pretty cheap. Even when Wifi is turned off and the phone is in standby, it still drains quicker than I would like.

Hope they figure out something

[CupertinoBill]

Go figure. I have had the opposite experience. I use mine several times a week as a skycaddie. That is with a GPS golf program. Leave the screen on auto bright and locked on all the time. With 3.1 I can go the full 18 holes, about 4 1/2 hours. With 3.0 I needed to plug in my external battery after about 3 hours. I have Location and 3G on, with wifi and bluetooth off. I have had no battery drain issues, nor has my wife. Maybe I am just lucky.

[jaxstephens]

I'd had my iPhone 3G S since launch day, and it has generally been okay in this regard. However, several times--probably about four or five total--it has seemed to have a full charge that dropped to virtually nothing in no time flat. It happens so rarely that I barely care, though.

[ikramerica--2008]

My guess is the charging software is registering a false full charge, then switching to trickle charge to protect the battery, when in fact the battery is only partially charged.

I've seen this happen on laptops, too.

[sythara]

yes! That is exactly what I was thinking as well.

[Seaspray0]

Even if fixed today, it probably has already impared the lifetime of a battery that is not user changable. Keep the warranty up to date.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Unfortunately Apple isn't under any obligation to honor that warranty in regards to battery life. They can simply say that you had installed applications on the unit that it did not come with out of the box, therefore you are not using it in the manner in which the EULA states. They get off the hook that way.

Check out the EULA for the device and iTunes. It's scary what they can deny claims for.

[sythara]

^ can you blame them?

[mooreoftom]

Actually, Vegaman_Dan, Apple did honor their warranty with me as I had this very issue with my battery. I took it to an Apple store, they hooked my iphone up to one of their macbook pro's and ran special software diagnosing and confirming the battery drain problem. They then replaced it for me on the spot.
You must have thought this article was about the Zune.

[sanjayb]

Sometimes the Vegaman spits out pure BS.

[Evan360]

Exactly why I haven't upgraded to 3.1. 3.0.1 runs just fine, and better yet; doesn't kill my battery

[katiepea]

lol, apple releases a program to run at all times.... apple addresses battery drain with an app that will help you drain it even faster! now thats innovation folks. i'll stick with 3 days of battery life with my blackberry bold

[justinxtreme]

Well actually Evan360 the iPhone OS 3.1 software improves battery life but the only reason I haven't updated is well it's not unlockable and jailbreakable yet (well at least for Windows I don't have a Mac LOL)

I have the iPhone 3GS (White 16GB) and well I'm also like experiencing these problems as soon as I remove it from the plug within a few minutes its at around 70%... Maybe this is because of the processor being active all the time or using alot of power for low powered apps likewise Contacts or when launching a app

Apple should enable a option for users to overclock their processor to the stock clock (for iPhone and iPhone 3G users) and if possible enable a smart power saving technology on the processor so it will downclock itself when not in use or when it's not needed at full power all the time

[rgmenke]

My results are the opposite as well - better battery life. Not dramatically but still better.

[missiong]

I have a 3Gs and battery life is a major concern. The battery drains fairly quickly, so I must always look for opportunities to recharge during the day. Battery life appears less than with my old 3G.

[eagleyesmith]

Ever since I've updated to 3.1 my battery life has just been a complete joke. I posted on the forum on Apples site explaining how my iPhone was fully charged when I updated. I only had and hour and thirty minutes of usage and an hour and 20 minutes of standby time and in that time my battery dropped to 38%. All i was doing was txting, and I read one internet article. Clearly there is a problem and it needs to be fixed. Tired of all these issues w/ the iPhone, really is starting to get to me.

[navy783iphone]

How do you get the battery life log?

[slhill]

I had the same problem with ridiculously short battery life on a brand new 32GB 3GS. When I did a complete restore and setup as new iPhone the problem went away completely.

[Ronlap]

I have a 32gb iPhone 3GS. I don't use push but I have 4 email accounts that are checked every hour. If I am at an all-day offsite I also am using Safari and the stock application heavily so I have to charge the phone at around 4:00. My wife's original 16gb iPhone lasts for 3 days on a charge, also with pull email from one account.

[merseybear]

I solved this same problem by taking out the SIM for a few minutes. It would appear that the SIM had crashed and was constantly communicating with the local cell-mast and therefore draining the battery!