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Jobs unaware of iOS 4 battery drain issues?

updated 09:40 am EDT, Thu July 8, 2010

CEO dismisses problem with upgraded devices

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is either unaware of battery drain caused by upgrading older handhelds to iOS 4, or dismissive of it, information from a Norwegian journalist suggests. Jarle Aasland explains that he recently sent e-mail to Jobs complaining about the battery performance of his iPhone 3GS. "Any reason battery performance on a 3GS running iOS4 should be worse than it was running OS3?" Aasland wrote. "Nope," reads Jobs' reply.

Numerous complaints have been made at Apple's support forums so far, which should suggest that at least some at the company are familiar with problems in the new firmware. No particular activity seems to be linked to high battery drain; killing background processes has no special effect. Even turning off GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth may leave a device with less than a day of standby power.

by MacNN Staff

(38)

TAGS :

iPhone, troubleshooting, Steve Jobs, Apple, iPhone 3GS, iOS

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hayesk
Professional Poster

Joined: Sep 1999

+16

07/08, 09:47am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Good answer

All of these emails direct to Steve Jobs are getting silly. If my car starts making a funny noise, I take it to a mechanic and have it looked at. I don't email the CEO of the manufacturer and ask him why.

Why do people feel compelled to write to Steve Jobs over these technical issues?

ruel24
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2009

+4

07/08, 09:55am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
I have noticed it too...

I have an iPod Touch 2nd gen, and I upgraded to iOS4 and noticed my battery drains noticeably faster. So, I believe the emailer might be onto something.

Parky
Mac Elite

Joined: Oct 1999

+12

07/08, 10:01am | report spam | close Reply |
Because...

"Why do people feel compelled to write to Steve Jobs over these technical issues?

Because the silly man answers, if he did not answer then there would be no point asking.

rexray
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2002

+6

07/08, 10:10am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
I am not seeing it

I have been running iOS4 on my 3Gs since the day it came out, and if anything, my battery life is better than it was before. I have been very happy with it: it is fast, smooth and much nicer with the multitasking. My only complaint so far is that not all apps have been updated for compatibility with background processing.

Pilsner6910
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2010

+6

07/08, 10:25am | report spam | close Reply |
ugh

OMG there are bugs with everything and its not just Apple. the media has blown this way out of proportion and people are trying to take advantage of the new iPhones little issues.

Why hasnt the new Xbox360 made so much media buzz even thou im already reading reports of it having the same RRoD issue? seriously, MS has been putting out subpar products for decades

i have a 3G iPhone and installed iOS4, i knew the draw backs and risks. I liked it overall but it slowed ny iPhone a bit and decided to revert back to OS 3. no big issue and i cant wait to get the new iPhone

Keep up the good work Steve, I back you all the way!!!!

slider
Mac Elite

Joined: Oct 1999

+4

07/08, 10:27am | report spam | close Reply |
RE: I am not seeing it

I'm not seeing a difference of battery charge on my iPhone 3GS either and iOS 4 runs great on it.

What I find comical is how much is read into SJ's one word reply.

It's possible that if your battery on your 3GS was at that point where it needed to be replaced anyway - remember, this varies from user to use based on usage - maybe iOS 4 pushed it over the edge.

I pre-ordered my iPhone last year, so I've had it for over a year now. I find it hard to believe these a battery drain issue on only some of the 3GS iPhones and not others, ergo, replace your battery and see what that does for you.

nedcook
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2000

+2

07/08, 10:33am | report spam | close Reply |
My iPod Touch 2G has this issue

Sometimes I go to bed with my iPod showing a full charge. Next morning, after doing nothing all night, when I go to use the iPod it gives me a low battery warning. Plus, the battery just generally depletes more than it used to. No big deal since I am always near power and can charge it, but still it's a fact that this has happened since the upgrade.

JohnD
Dedicated MacNNer

Joined: Jan 2001

+2

07/08, 10:41am | report spam | (2 replies) close Reply |
Cut in half

Battery life on my 3GS has roughly been reduced to one full day of usage with IOS4 compared to 2 days with 3.1.3

c4rlob
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: May 2009

+2

07/08, 10:47am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
I am seeing quicker drain on my 3GS

I barely use any apps via multi-tasking and I'm noticing my battery drains quicker than it did before the iOS4 update. But I also noticed that several native Apple apps - Camera, Mail, even Settings – respond slower or freeze on a regular basis. Something that almost never happened before iOS4. Clearly something is wrong; perhaps it's the multi-tasking everyone has been begging for, or maybe it's just a glitch in the software or firmware; or the coexistence of apps updated for iOS4 and those not updated.

dogzilla
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: Sep 1999

0

07/08, 10:57am | report spam | close Reply |
Not seeing it on a 3G

Yeah, I upgraded to iOS4 on my 3G the day it was available. Don't have any objective data, but subjectively, battery life is equal or perhaps very slightly better. Same is true of my wife's 3G.

I suspect this is a case of bandwagonism, at least as far as the 3G model is concerned. 3Gs may be a different beast since it supports more features of iOS4, but I remain strongly skeptical of that claim without objective data.

ruel24
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2009

0

07/08, 11:28am | report spam | close Reply |
Not bandwagon at all

Like I said, I see it on my iPod Touch gen 2. My iPod used to have incredible battery life. Now, it's rather normal. Not that it's worse than other gadgets, but just not near as good as it was before.

DiabloConQueso
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2008

+1

07/08, 11:35am | report spam | close Reply |
Just my $0.02

I experienced poor battery life and overall sluggish performance on my 8GB 3G when I upgraded from iPhone OS 3 to iOS 4.

To remedy, I simply performed a "Restore" operation of iOS 4 (opting NOT to restore from any backups). Sure, it wiped the phone to a vanilla state, and I had to reload all my apps and organize all my screens again, but performance increased noticeably (severely cut down on the lagginess, app pauses, and typing interruptions) and battery life was better.

I chalked this up to having performed what amounts to an "upgrade install" from iPhone OS 3 to iOS 4 (retaining all my apps and data, etc.) rather than a "clean install" of restoring the phone to a vanilla iOS 4 state.

iOS 4 does drain my battery slightly quicker -- I may only go a day and a half on a full charge where in the past I could get two full days out of it.

I tried all the "double-hard-reboot" snake-oil, voodoo fixes before I resorted to a full and complete restore, and it took time to re-setup all my apps and what-not, but the benefits surely outweighed the drawbacks considerably. My 3G is usable again with iOS 4.

charlituna
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2009

-1

07/08, 11:39am | report spam | close Reply |
how old are these devices

and I don't mean what model I mean literally how old. Because a 3gs bought on launch day is a year old. Batteries don't last forever, although many nongeeks seem to think they do. After about 300 or so cycles you're going to notice a drop in performance. It might just been dumb luck that some of these folks noticed the drop as they were upgrading

bdmarsh
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2006

-1

07/08, 11:49am | report spam | close Reply |
my iPhone 3G battery life normal

I'm getting almost exactly the same battery life as with iPhone OS 3.1.3

facebook_Thomas
Via Facebook

Joined: Jul 2010

-1

07/08, 11:51am | report spam | close Reply |
My 3GS is better now

My battery has improved with IOS4. I used to only get 4 hours straight usage before it needed to be charged. Now after 4 hours I still have 25% battery left!

Now that 4 hours is off an on usage all day so I have a bit more battery left at the end of a day then I use to.

Remember that gps and music can now run in the background if you are not careful they will drain the battery.

aristotles
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: Jul 2004

-1

07/08, 11:51am | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Poor battery life caused by multitasking

Steve Jobs was right. Multi-tasking will drain your battery faster. Even with the limited multi-tasking, you will experience a drop in battery life on a 3GS if you leave apps running in the background. You will not see the same thing on the 3G because it does not support multi-tasking unless if you jailbreak it and enable it through a hack.

ezylstra
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 1999

0

07/08, 12:06pm | report spam | close Reply |
iPhone 3G battery performance

My iPhone 3G battery lasts LONGER after updating to iOS4. This certainly isn't a global issue.

sibeale1
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2006

+1

07/08, 12:29pm | report spam | close Reply |
Rapid Battery Drain

Shortly after updating my 3GS to iOS4 I had a couple episodes of rapid battery drain accompanied by a warming of the phone. Clearly some kind of CPU swamping. I did a backup and total reset, and haven't had the problem since.

njfuzzy
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2001

0

07/08, 12:29pm | report spam | close Reply |
Seems obvious

Multitasking uses more resources, because more apps can be doing things in the background. Most memory and CPU means more energy used, and shorter batter life.

There's another side to this that people are ignoring-- The new features in iOS 4 has spurred people to use their devices more. They can do new things, which creates a peak in usage as they try things out. Use your iPhone more, and the battery will run out faster.

I have noticed less battery use after every update-- but it's because I use the phone more for the first few weeks.

Bearcat
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2009

0

07/08, 12:39pm | report spam | close Reply |
I'm not seeing it either

I upgraded my 2G iPod Touch 8GB to iOS4 about a week after it was released. As far as I can tell, I'm actually getting a little better battery life. But I might just be dreaming that though. But it's definitely not worse. My only complaint is that the wifi keeps losing connection for some reason. It was rock solid prior to the upgrade. Now it gets flaky about twice a day.

wrenchy
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2009

-4

07/08, 01:17pm | report spam | close Reply |
iOS was NOT DESIGNED

for multi-tasking. It does a poor job at copying Android.

In Steve Jobs' own voice... "We blew it".

mytdave
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2000

+1

07/08, 01:17pm | report spam | close Reply |
Email cat out of bag

Now that the whole world knows they can email Steve Jobs, I can imagine the size of his in-box. I can appreciate the one word answers, if he replies at all. The only thing that disappoints me is that he/Apple seems to be in denial mode.

Steve, not everyone emailing you is trying to be a jerk. If enough folks email you/Apple feedback/forums and present an issue they have, maybe, just maybe, there is an issue. You could at least say "don't know, will look into it". Tell you what, I can make a text clipping of that phrase and email it to you so you can use it in future responses. :)

TheBum
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2001

+1

07/08, 01:42pm | report spam | close Reply |
Not seeing it on my 3GS either

If anything, the battery life has been better. My circumstances may be different because I'm inside a building all day with marginal reception. Maybe it only manifests itself with good reception?

phredcg
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2010

0

07/08, 01:44pm | report spam | (1 reply) close Reply |
Objective Data

I agree with one of the other comments regarding the need for objective data, but I wanted as one who is experiencing the battery drain. So, I posted a simple survey to try to gather such data. Admittedly, those who are responding are probably those who have the problem, so the data is probably skewed, but at least it is an attempt to collect this information. You can view a summary of the results at:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/gform?key=0AgF3rdzwwTfRdDg4Q0p5U1FJUWd5VzN2Q29XM0lLQ3c&authkey=CIbi0LwC&hl=en&gridId=0#chart

I would welcome responses from people that are not having the problem, too. Some people having the problem and others not does not mean there is no problem at all—it just makes it harder to diagnose. I think most people on the discussion forum are trying to find a solution. People do vent, of course, but in the end most would like to see a solution, whether it is a suggestion on what we should do to solve it or an update from Apple.

If you want to add your own response, you can do so at:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?authkey=CIbi0LwC&hl=en&formkey=dDg4Q0p5U1FJUWd5VzN2Q29XM0lLQ3c6MQ#gid=0

iphonerulez
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2008

+1

07/08, 01:46pm | report spam | close Reply |
What makes no sense is that

iOS 4.0 is installed on one 3GS and the battery life is better, yet installed on another 3GS, the battery life is worse. Could it have something to do with the apps that are installed on the device? Certain apps that are draining the battery seems very likely.

Athens
Addicted to MacNN

Joined: Jan 2003

+1

07/08, 02:51pm | report spam | close Reply |
3G

My battery life on my 3G improved greatly but I never did the restore because of a glitch so it was a complete total wipe and fresh iOS 4 install so I dunno if its something in iOS 4 or if it was the complete total wipe and starting fresh that did it.

ruel24
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2009

-1

07/08, 03:14pm | report spam | close Reply |
Look...

For all you naysayers... I bought my iPod Touch at the Black Friday sale from the Apple Store last Thanksgiving. It's less than 1 year old, so...no...it isn't a matter of an old battery. I merely updated to iOS4 though iTunes and I have definitely noticed shorter battery life. I have not used multi-tasking at all. The way iOS4 does multitasking just isn't very useful, IMO. I have noticed that the battery life has been shortened enough to take immediate notice when I first used it after upgrading the OS.

Just because YOU have not noticed it on your iPod Touch or iPhone doesn't mean others aren't. I can confirm only what I experience, and I'm a pretty savvy computer and gadget user. It's not a bandwagon. It's not something imaginary. It's real.

I go on Droid and Android sites to defend the iPhone and iPod Touch against Android devices and people who claim iPhone is inferior or whatever. I'm not an Android fanboy or anything. I love my iPod Touch, and don't have the iPhone only because I refuse to leave Verizon to get one. Please stop the nonsense in telling people they're out to get Apple or just don't know what they're talking about.

wrenchy
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2009

-2

07/08, 03:16pm | report spam | close Reply |
HEY facebook_Steven

What was that you said about Android having c r a p battery life??
Could you refresh my memory?

Fast iBook
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2003

+1

07/08, 10:14pm | report spam | close Reply |
No change.......

iPhone 3G here, no change in battery behavior. The phone is a bit laggy though, i suspect it's the CPU and RAM vs the min specs or some such.

- A

facebook_David
Via Facebook

Joined: Jul 2010

0

07/18, 03:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
I fixed mine!

I think I may have solved the problem, at least for my 2 iPod Touches. One was jailbroken, one was not. Here is what I did to get my battery life back to normal. First off, when updating, RESTORE your iPod first. Chances are, it will restore your iPod to iOS 4 and upgrading is not necessary. Apple pulled a fast one and made iOS 4 default now, so going back to 3.2/3.1.x is impossible. Anyway, when you have a fresh clean iPod, DO NOT RESTORE YOUR BACKUP. This may suck, but manually add what you had installed before. Even after a restore to factory default, I found that if you do not, the battery life will again be dismal. h***, name your iPod different this time around just to be sure. This may well be just a simple case of the iOS not installing properly; remember the iPad issues some experienced? I guess as will all technology, when in doubt, start clean!

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Jobs unaware of iOS 4 battery drain issues?

updated 09:40 am EDT, Thu July 8, 2010

CEO dismisses problem with upgraded devices

Related Articles

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Good answer

I have noticed it too...

Because...

I am not seeing it

ugh

RE: I am not seeing it

My iPod Touch 2G has this issue

Cut in half

I am seeing quicker drain on my 3GS

Not seeing it on a 3G

Not bandwagon at all

Just my $0.02

how old are these devices

my iPhone 3G battery life normal

My 3GS is better now

Poor battery life caused by multitasking

iPhone 3G battery performance

Rapid Battery Drain

Seems obvious

I'm not seeing it either

iOS was NOT DESIGNED

Email cat out of bag

Not seeing it on my 3GS either

Objective Data

What makes no sense is that

3G

Look...

HEY facebook_Steven

No change.......

I fixed mine!

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