All those problems with evaporating iPhone batteries? Looks like it’s not the hardware’s fault — Apple’s ‘fessing up to a buggy iOS 5 release that’s sucking more juice than it should, The Loop reports.
Apple confirmed the problem in a message to The Loop, stating “A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices. We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.”
Looks to us like it’s more than “a small number of customers”, but either way, we hope the battery-fixing update arrives ASAP. I’ve got so many stupid Siri video ideas I need to execute! Until then, try our battery tips. [The Loop]
Jobby
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:33 AMThis wouldn’t have happened if olmate was still kicking!
Nate
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:22 PMYou’re right, steve would never have admitted there was a fault. he would have just said you’re using it wrong, or carry a charger with you
Just This Guy ...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 2:07 PMAgree completely.
Apple do seem quite reluctant to admit faults only to be found out afterwards anyway.
Most other vendors will usually say nothing at all rather than deny any problem, so not much better I suppose. Better, but not much.
Makes you wonder about quality checking or lack thereof.
Thruppence
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:23 PMReluctant? What? Are you serious? What did they just do or don’t you speaky the Eeeenglish?
Steve
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:41 PMHe’s talking about their usual MO which is to “deny everything.” The IP4′s reception issue was consistently denied, and eventually blame was foisted on users for holding it wrong (despite Apple advertising saying otherwise). Even after the bumpers were sent out, they still never admitted to it, and deflected by saying only a ‘very small percentage’ of devices were affected, rather than a systemic problem.
Obviously they’ve changed their PR this time around by actually acknowledging it.
Nads
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 12:08 PMWhen did Apple “deny it”. What they did was stay silent for a short amount of time untill they had a resolution.
Roland
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:47 AMat least it’s not batterygate :-P
Peter
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:53 AMAccording to The Register, an Apple support thread has surpassed 2moro posts on the issue. May as well be
Drongo
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:58 AMwhat is 2moro? Or are you saying that the complaints are coming in so fast that they are outpacing time itself and we are seeing 2moros complaints coming in today?
Peter
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:30 PM3k+
Blame Swype.
light487
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:06 AMWell.. if the cause is iOS 5, and all the iPhone 4S’s came with iOS 5 and they sold 4 million handsets in 3 days.. plus all the people who would have upgraded to iOS 5 by now.. how can they ethically make a statement of a “small number”.. that’s ludicrous.. sure they did quantify the statement with “customers who reported” but really.. *shakes head*
And.. a few weeks?? Seems to suggest a premature release of the iOS version that was pushed forward so that the 4S could be released.
No more arguements of “the reason I pay more for Apple products is due to quality assurance and control”.. sorry but this is proof in the pudding that that is a falacy, as I have always believed.
Joel
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:16 AMYeah they should definitely test it on >4 million handsets behind closed doors just to make sure there’s no issues.
People always think it’s a lie when they say “a small number of people”. Take every person that had this problem (seriously had it, not a few battery% difference), and hold that against every device now running iOS5.
The most vocal people are always the ones that have the problem. The many more millions without the problem have no reason to say anything.
Not to mention, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they buy Apple products because of “quality assurance and control”.
olearymo
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:18 AM+1 Joel. good to see someone with a brain weigh in on this issue.
Obviously...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:59 PM“good to see someone with a brain weigh in on this issue” he says to a person defending Apple.
Not sure if joking or just stupid…
olearymo
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:44 PMyou’re probably both
Just This Guy ...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 2:10 PM“Not to mention, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they buy Apple products because of “quality assurance and control”.”
Err, you must be listening to a whole different bunch of Apple users to the one’s that post on these very topics.
It’s one of the biggest reasons they give for their unfailing loyalty.
Lillee
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:30 PMNo the silent majority are exactly that, silent. They aren’t the tech geeks that frequent any sort of website to complain about a problem. If it is indeed a software problem it is prevalent in ALL phones, whether people realise it or not And even if they do, we don’t hear from a vast majority of them, it does not mean the problem does not exist.
Are you saying that some of the 4 million people have different software to others? I don’t think so. It’s there, they admit it, but only a few fanboy/techies/geeks whatever you want to call them have bothered to complain about it on an obscure thread on Apple’s website.
Joel
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 5:08 PMSorry but that is incorrect. Look at all the tech people on Gizmodo who have said they do not have the problem. I know at least four other people that use iOS5 (myself included) that have had no problem at all with the battery. It’s very evident that it isn’t affecting everyone.
Is the problematic code still there? Sure. But does it show itself on every phone? No, no it does not. Don’t ask me why it doesn’t because I have no idea, but it doesn’t.
Thorbjørn
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:20 AMMaybe it’s a bug that only affects the battery if you use your phone in a certain way.
I bought the 4S on release day and I haven’t experienced a simple problem with short battery life… Or at least, if I have been affected by this bug, then it hasn’t been notably bad and I can only look forward to an awesome battery life.
One little bug shouldn’t ruin the whole idea of iOS and the App Store. I still think the iPhone is the safe choice for the not-so-tech-savvy majority. Sure you might be locked in with not as much customization, but most people wouldn’t mind that as long as it works (most of the time). It’s not like Windows, Android etc. hasn’t had any problems themselves.
Obviously I can’t speak for everyone about the battery life thing. But I haven’t heard a single person complain about it. I didn’t even know about it until Gizmodo started raving on about how to save your crappy 4S battery.
Anyway. I’m tired of the whole fanboy and anti fanboy thing that’s been going on. I know it won’t stop. My personal view on the thing is that I went with iPhone as my first smartphone and I loved that phone, so I don’t see a reason to switch. I’d like to try Android, cause maybe it’ll suit my needs better, but I don’t want to risk buying one and then be locked in with a phone that I don’t like for the next 2 years. That’s why I got the 4S.
Guess who
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 2:36 PMI have upgraded my iPhone 4 to iOS 5 a few weeks ago. Can’t see any problems with the battery life.
Thruppence
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:25 PM“Shakes head” I presume you mean ‘shaking the head’ that will make you go blind. Mummy did warn you, didn’t she?
Kroo
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:11 PMIts not an endemic problem. I don’t have any such problem, or 4 others with iPhone 4s or the 10 others I asked with iPhone 4, and 4 others with 3Gs. You only here from people with problems, not the majority that don’t have the problem. I always recommend setting up a new phone, as a new phone, not from a backup. I love how those who don’t use an iPhone just just on the bandwagon, every circus needs a clown or fifty.
JonBOY
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:11 AM‘a small number of customers’ my eye!
If the it’s a guy in the OS and every iPhone 4S has the same hardware (with exception of memory size) and OS, then how is it not effecting every iPhone 4S sold?
My iPhone 4S battery performance is certainly much worse than my iPhone 4.
Joel
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:17 AMMy dad’s 4S drained from 100% to 0% in less than a day with minimum usage, I told him to restore it and now it lasts a couple of days.
Don’t know what’s causing it but it’s definitely hit and miss, not every phone.
wsDK_II
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:38 AMtoo bad, you should have had him bring it into my store so i can charge for that service :(
Joel
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:05 PMFail troll fails.
Go away.
wsDK_II
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:24 PMnope
Jack
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:30 PMYou are a pathetic troll. Aren’t you the same guy who posted some crap about having a nextbyte store and how you like to rip off customers and are anti apple outside the store?
wsDK_II
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:24 PMyep
Nick
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:36 PMYou should probably start posting under a new handle, wsDK, because no one takes your bullshit seriously anymore.
If you’re so “anti-Apple”, then why are you so heavily invested in Apple? Gtfo please.
Obviously...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:51 PMMaybe he’s heavily invested in Apple because it’s easy to make money from the idiots that purchase their crap? God knows they’re always willing to pay more for less.
wsDK_II
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:23 PMyep :)
Kroo
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:19 PMUnlike the fandroids who are tight assed nerds who only use samsung phones coz they give them away and won’t buy anything from the android store, which is why android devs aren’t making any money. Enjoy your ice-cream lunch, oh sorry sandwich, oh you can’t have that unless you buy the newest phone. LOL!!!!!!
Guess who
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 2:38 PMThere are many people out there that earn a crapload of money and buy apple because they have enough cash and they like the product. They earn more money than you so who is an idiot?
Lillee
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:45 PMI’ve seen so many comments like this. It’s not that simple. If it is a software issue then it is prevalent in all phones. Just because your phone lasts longer than your dad’s doesn’t mean it is not a problem in your phone. There are too many variables to take into account.
Then there is the issue of IOS5. Who’s to say that IOS5 that was loaded on the first iphone 4S manufactured in August (guessing that that’s when they would have started in order to complete 4 million units) is the exact same OS code for code as a phone manufactured on October 3rd (day before release) or later in fact. Just because the “version” reported is the same, doesn’t mean jack. OS is a BIG piece of software and contain 10′s of thousands of variables.
At the end of the day HOW DO YOU KNOW? answer: We don’t. You can only speculate and by saying general things like “So it’s only happening on some phones” is pure speculation. We are talking 4,000,000 units here with 4,000,000 environmental, manufacturing, software and usage variables to take into account.
Tim
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:46 PM… You went from an iPhone 4 to a 4s? …o.o; that’s a bit pointless…
BenDTU
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:20 AMBut Gizmodo! This is the problem you told us Apple didn’t know how to fix! :P
Ash
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:25 AMEveryone here at work who’s installed iOS5 on their iPhone 4 (not S) have also experieced a battery drain.
Owning an android but not being a fanboi, I appreciate that Apple have at least the balls to admit there is a problem, and do what they can asap to address it, unlike Google who take forever to do something about any Android issue (yes I understand about the different custom UI’s from manufacturers, the different hardware and screens and the fragmentation of the OS, but still, not good enough and VERY VERY SLOW).
moloko
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:24 PMYes if Steve was still around it would be “What battery problem?, What are are talking about? There is no battery problem with the phone it’s just the way your holding it. Atleast Apple are sort of moving in the right direction with it’s cutomers, not treating them like absolute idiots.
Joel
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:40 PMWithout starting another troll war. Since when was Steve Jobs ever like that?
People complained about the iPhone 4 and they had a whole program to replace or refund phones and gave free cases out to everyone..
Obviously...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:52 PMWow they offered a standard replace/refund service…that’s AMAZING!
Oh and free cases? That’s lovely of them to compensate with cases they’d purchase in bulk for a few cents each.
Joel
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:14 PMSeriously, can someone ban wsDK_II from commenting?
Obviously...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:16 PMThat won’t exactly stop me from posting since I’m not wsDK_II…
wsDK_II
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:23 PMthat is not me posting
Lillee
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:33 PMpwned, just sayin
Deshan
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:32 PM@moloko and @obviously… and at all apple haters.
if you hate apple so much, why do you even bother commenting on this article? it shouldnt affect you because you wouldnt own a apple device?
and so what if apple gave cases that cost them a few cents? at least they offered it…
when my android devices (Samsung GS2, HTC sensation and arc) started draining battery i simply went back to apple and ive been happy ever since. i will not be going back to android, id rather a 3310 nokia over it.
Obviously...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:40 PMWhy bother? Because it’s always amusing to see what the fanboys have to say.
Guess who
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 2:44 PMThe only thing I see is stupid apple haters trying to justify their lack of life and apple hating for no reason. People like it, people buy it as simple as that. You can’t stop them from doing that. By posting hating comments here you show that you are ether jealous or immature or both.
Obviously...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 2:51 PMAnd all I see are fanboys trying to justify their purchases and love of Apple with stupid exaggerations of what Apple offer and do. And no I can’t stop them from buying Apple products but I can mock them for it.
And on a quiet afternoon at work, where there is little to do other than dabble in flash games and browse websites, why not partake in some mockery?
Guess who
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 3:00 PMJust mocking ppl makes you happy? I stopped doing that when I got 15.
The only apple product that I bought is iPhone 4 and I love it. iPad is meh so I’m waiting for Samsung to release their new galaxy tab. I’m not a fanboy, just a person who buys whichever is better. But people like you just make me laugh because you are just blindly hating like an immature kid.
Obviously...
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 3:21 PMI don’t blindly hate Apple at all. I dislike them for their unscrupulous business methods when it comes to competing with other companies, I dislike them for their constant attempts at messing with regular people over non-existant matters http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055869/German-cafe-Apfelkind-logo-dispute-Apple.html I dislike their false advertising, I dislike their constant claims about innovation when using tech developed by other companies and firms.
Oh and mocking is something you stopped doing when you were 15? Grats. I’ll stick with the crowd that continue to mock (with the likes of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, SNL, Monty Python and countless other comedians, writers and such)
Joel
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 5:17 PMComedians do things to make others laugh, not to make themselves laugh and feel better in their own sorry lives.. just saying.
Kroo
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:28 PMI just laugh in the knowledge you use a crappy android phone. Your punishment for being a troll, is being a fandroid. Enjoy your fragmentation!! ha ha hahaaa!!
Mitch
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:35 PMYeah, Apple more-or-less solved the situation by offering cases and refunds etc, but it was a while between customers complaining, and them announcing that program to solve it, and what did they keep saying in that time?
BenDTU
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 4:55 PMThe difference here is those people you listed are witty and entertaining. Blindly bashing Apple isn’t.
Matt L
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:47 PMThey never suggested they found THE problem, instead, they found other issues that are also draining battery