A couple weeks ago Apple released the iPhone 4S which is their latest mobile device. Along with the 4S, Apple also released their latest mobile operating system upgrade. The iOS 5 comes standard on the iPhone 4S but is also available as a free download to all compatible iPhone users. Since the release, a small but significant number of users have reported a drastically shortened battery life.
iPhone’s Low Battery Display
According to The Loop’s Jim Dairymple on Wednesday November 2, 2011 Apple confirmed that the battery issues were due to a bug in the iOS 5 software update. According to the article Apple reassured users that they have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and will release a software update to address them in a few weeks to help conserve your iPhone’s battery life.
In light of the recent problems surrounding the iPhone’s battery we thought it would be beneficial to discuss some methods for conserving your phones battery life. Although this particular problem was a result of a bug in the software we feel that these tips will still be tremendously useful because iPhones already have a natural short battery life due to its powerful performance and crisp display. The suggestions below for saving your phones battery are applicable to all iPhone models and are designed to ensure that you have the juice when you need it the most.
- Close Background and Inactive Applications – Double tap the home button to access the list of running applications. Similar to how you would move the apps hold your finger down on the application for a couple seconds and then select close when the app begins to shake.
- Use the Auto Brightness Feature – Access the settings folder, select brightness, and make sure the Auto-Brightness feature is selected.
- Decrease the Brightness – Within the same menu you can increase and decrease the default screen brightness. The lower the brightness the less battery your phone will consume.
- Turn off Your Bluetooth – Transmitting wireless data requires the battery and leaving Bluetooth on when you are not using it takes up more of your phones battery life.
Settings > General > Blue Tooth > Move the slider to the off position
- Keep Wi-Fi off When Not Using It – Unless you are in a Wi-Fi hotspot there is really no need to have this feature on. Keeping it on at all times will cause it to continuously look for a network to connect to and wastes its battery life in the process.
Settings > Wi-Fi > Slide switch to off position OR
Settings > General > Network > Wi-Fi > Slide switch to off position
- Turn off 3G – If you don’t need to be on 3G or you are using a Wi-Fi hotspot turn off your 3G network. Connecting using 3G for faster data speeds and higher-quality calls requires more battery life.
Settings > General > Network > Move 3G switch to the off position
- Turn off Location Services – The GPS is a great feature because it lets apps know where you are and become more interactive but at the same time it is a huge energy drain. When you’re not using an app that utilizes your location turn it off.
Settings > Location Services > Slide to Off (After iOS 5 updates)
Settings > General >Location Services > Slide to Off (Before iOS update)
- Turn data push off and Fetch less – Turning this off reduces the number of times your phone connects to the network and will extend your battery’s life. Push is when your phone automatically connects to the network to download new information like email and app updates. When Push is off you can fetch data every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes, hourly, or manually. Choosing manually or hourly will use the least amount of battery.
Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendar > Fetch New Data > Slide Push to off and select the fetch frequency
- When Your Battery is low, avoid extraneous activities – Avoid playing games, watching movies, or listening to music while the battery level is low.
- Turn off Music Equalizers – The iPods music equalizers may make your music sound better but can also cause an unnecessary drain in your battery life.
Settings > Music > Select off from the equalizer selection list (After iOS 5 update)
Settings > iPod >Equalizer >Off (Before iOS 5 update)
- Adjust the Auto-Lock Function – Enable your phone to Auto-Lock sooner to save energy when not using it.
Settings > General > Auto-Lock > Select Lowest amount of time from time selection list
- Turn off Siri’s raise to speakfunction – Because Siri is activated when lifted to the user’s ear it can accidently drain the battery if you’re not actually using it.
Settings >General > Siri >Slide “Raise to Speak” to the “Off” position.
- Use iPhone regularly – For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).
- Sleep and wake less – Avoid waking your iPhone only to lock it again without using it.
- Purchase a Battery life extender – A battery life extender attachment or case can provide extra battery life for when it really matters.
These are just the basics there are plenty of other ways that you can conserve the life of your iPhone’s battery. For more information check out Apple’s iPhone Battery life Page.
Have a Great Day!
Dustin
Providing Tech Support for Businesses in Maryland
Tags: Apple iPhone, battery, battery life, IOS 5, Iphone, iPhone 4S, iPhone battery, iPhone settings, iPhone update
