iphone 4s problems....
 

Hi all,
Since I have had a big update download a few days ago which took all of one night my iPhone depletes the battery in 12 hours. Before the update it lasted 2 days. I took it to the apple store and they checked everything to make sure there was no unnecessary drain on the battery. The phone and battery are 18 months old and apparently the battery is at 95% efficiency.

Really they were no help at all. I just use the phone for local calls, texting and a fit bit. What can I do to make the battery last longer? Can I uninstall the last update?
Is it time for a newer phone?
Thanks in advance,
Guy
PS The iPhone battery is supposed to last 3-5 years. Would replacing the battery solve problem even though it is rated at 95% efficiency? I have let the battery run out completely, waited an hour and recharged but no change.:eek:

Other than the latest version of the OS being a power pig the next biggest culprit is signal quality.

But an OS update does not affect available signal strength.

So start digging in settings to see what settings may have defaulted to more power sucking modes.

Turn off bluetooth and WIFI if you don't normally use them.

Check all apps that use location services and turn the feature off on an app by app basis.

A new battery won't make a difference.

It really is time for a newer model. The 5, 5s, 5c, 6, and 6s have been released. That old phone is pitiful slow. I have a 6s and the last update was a 10 minute update. Apple does not want you to keep using an old phone and the OS updates just get slower and slower on your old phone.

I've occasionally noticed my phone getting warm and the battery draining. A full power off (hold both buttons until phone turns itself off, wait a couple minutes, then turn phone on and let it reboot) usually kills whatever was running amuck.

Otherwise, time to optimize battery consumption
- In mail, turn off fetch, use push
- Turn screen brightness to middle
- Turn off notifications you don't use
- Turn off location services you don't use
- Shut down any app using GPS, if you're not using it
- Disable background updating for apps that don't need it
- Go to battery in settings, see what is using the most battery

You might want to consider upgrading to the new iPhone SE when it is available end of March. Same compact size as your iPhone 4, all up to date internals (like iPhone 6S), $399 for 16 GB version.

I'm on iOS 7 with my 4, don't have space on it to upgrade. Still have long battery life - no location services, no push updates, no apps in background, etc.

Form factor is the reason I've not upgraded yet, or flipped to Android. Still thinking about going to Android... but at least the SE is an option.

That last update just killed it(conspiracy theory?!) The SE is pretty expensive up here.
Still considering the 5S as the main app I have is Fitbit which takes 36% of battery.
Will get daughter and husband to look at it before I make a decision. Thanks everybody for your suggestions.
Guy

Yes thanks all. I went with my daughter yesterday and picked up an Apple iPhone 5s.
Koodo changeover fee was $25 and the phone was free. The 4s I had needed to be charged 3x a day and the last update locked it up completely.:)

Well at least you moved up two models. There is little doubt in my mind that Apple (and other manufacturers) update the OS and design in more CPU cycles to make the old phones slug slow and eventually useless. They force upgrades. The good new is finding an older but not real old phone is easy and cheap. I upgrade every two to three years.

The Facebook App is a big problem on older phones. Delete the app. If you must check FB, just keep the Web Site on your screen. Big difference.

5s is a good phone.

Place auto lock in settings to 30 seconds.

6 has a monstro battery life.

push the home button twice and it shows all the open apps, slide them up to close and save more battery life

I took my 94 Corolla into the Toyota dealer the other day and DEMANDED F'ing customer service because I can't get the new Zac Brown album (or any other new music) on cassette tapes for the stereo in this car any more... What kind of company sells products that last forever but you can't get updates for???

Guy - your 4s is 2 years out of date. Upgrade to a newer phone.

Battery could be dying. My 4s still lasts 2 days. No email sync, just calendar. Though after the update it does seem to last only 1.5 days, not 2.

Where are you guys keep your phones? I keep my 4S in my left front pocket and can't see keeping anything bigger there.

Since I updated my 4S, it's turned into a slug. Turning off JavaScript made a huge difference.

As you can see in my post above I ditched my 4s. I was without a cellphone for 24 hours and now I understand how the Blackberry became the crackberry. The 5s is faster, slimmer and slightly longer. It fits readily into my cargo pants leg pocket.
The 6s is quite a bit larger and to me is not worth the extra up front money.
On the koodo plan the 5s is an extra $5 a month. I spent a lot of time on Apple help line nursing my 4s to good health with restore etc but it never got to an acceptable level. Sure glad I made the switch and for minimal $$. Thanks for all the help!
Guy:)

I can understand your point. No one expects the old phone to work as well as a new model. BUT it should work about as well it did when new. That old Corolla will still drive down the highway and keep up with traffic just like it did when it was new. If Toyota had a factory recall that they forced on everyone because the door locks and ignition lock can be bypassed with ease (the security system) and the new door locks and ignition locks weighed 2,000 lbs and limited your speed to 30 MPH and gas mileage was 10 MPG now it would be a better comparison.

Unlike other people I regularly interact with, my phone is used for calls and text, and sits idle most of the time. (Ok and paying for Starbucks.) I don't use email or Facebook or Instagram.

Cellular data is enabled only for 3 apps. I did notice it now drains faster after the 9.2.1 update, but it may be a coincidence, since it is a 2 year old phone with limited battery cycles.