iOS 7.1 Reduces Battery Life

The first major update to the seventh version of iOS, iOS 7.1, was just released this week and even though it brings many user interface update, redesigns, accessibility tweaks, improvements and bug fixes, it also introduces a new problem for all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users that run iOS 7.1 on their iDevices. And the problem is that the new iOS update drains iDevcies’ battery life like crazy, at least according to users which have been complaining on twitter and on Apple’s support forums.

As we reported earlier, iOS 7.1’s adoption rate was pretty good: in a day (24 hours) after the update was made available by Apple, ?iOS 7.1 users generated 5.9% of total North American iOS Web traffic? and in less than two days (45 hours) after the release of the iOS 7.1 update, the adoption rate has doubled since the first 24 hours, with 12% of total North American iOS Web traffic. And yet, despite its popularity and despite having five beta versions before being released to the general public, Apple engineers overlooked what seems to be a very important bug that makes the battery life drain faster than on iOS 7.0.6.

On Apple support forums, many iDevice owners that updated to iOS 7.1 recently started complaining that their iDevices battery life is draining faster than before. Forum user atchyut mentions “I have updated my iPhone 5s to iOS 7.1, ever since I have been experiencing battery drain of about 1% every 10 mins. Is anyone else facing the same issue?” while another forum member, PJS2006, says: “I installed iOS 7.1 yesterday and now my battery on my iPhone 5S is dropping rappidly. I charged it last night and unplugged it before work. On the 30 min commute it went from 100% down to 97% with no use from me. What gives?“. Yet another user posted this: “After updating 7.1 battery is greatly reduced. Overnight charge decreased from 100% to 30%. What to do? What cause of the problem?”

Another user that updated to iOS 7.1 wrote this on the Apple support forum: “Am I the only one who seems to be experiencing this? My iphone 5S battery seem to drain much faster than usual, and charge longer. I heard that the new update is supposed to increase battery life, and read comparison threads regarding other iphones that are capable of a much better battery life than mine. I’ve had my phone for 3 months, never have dropped it once or anything of the sort, if that matters. My battery drains to 50% within an hour or so after intense use on the lowest level of brightness, and I seem to lose about 5-7 percents when on standby for 5 hours or so. Is this normal? Is it perhaps due to the fact that I am mostly using 3g, and applications that require more processing such as tumblr (graphics and gifs) as well safari? I’m just worried that my battery may be draining to quick, despite the update which’s supposed to make it much better according to many people. Thanks“.

One member complaining on Apple’s support forum mentioned his iPhone 5’s battery life dropped by 50% in just an hour: “I have the same problem on iPhone 5 after iOS 7.1 update. I just charged the battery to 60% an hour ago but now the % is 36%. Check with my Battery app and saw the memory allocation is more than 90%!! Before update to 7.1, the max memory allocation is less than 70% I had always on my bluetooth, wifi and never gotten that bad. There is a bug again….“.

Apple support forum is not the only place where iDevice owners complained about poor battery life after updating to iOS 7.1. Many iDevice owners have used the famous social network Twitter to complain about the recent update: : “Bad news: after five months of testing, iOS 7.1 has an iPhone battery-killing bug. Good news: iOS 8 is only 6 short months away. Maybe 7.”, said: “This 7.1 update sucks. Drains the battery on my 5s, delayed sounds, and a wonky touch screen. Sorry if I favorite your random tweets.“, also comaplined: “iOS 7.1 is draining out the battery like mad.!“, was also unhappy witht eh update: “Wow iOS 7.1 kills my battery.“, and also , and all agree that the last update is bad for their devices’ battery life: “Maybe it is just me, but I am noticing some battery issues after updating to iOS 7.1“, “iOS 7.1 is seemingly terrible on battery life.“, “Anyone else seeing an unusual amount of battery drain on iOS 7.1 b4?“.

As it is evident from all the complaints on Apple’s support forum and on Twitter, there are quite a few iDevice owners that are experiencing battery life issues after updating to iOS 7.1 this week. However, the problem doesn’t seem to be as widespread and drastic as that of the iPhone 4S three years ago, at least when it comes to the number of affected users. While tweets and complain messages on Apple’s support forum keep coming, it seems that only a small percentage of the entire user base is affected, leaving the vast majority of iOS 7.1 users unaffected by the battery life issue. Or maybe some of them simply didn’t voice their complains on the Internet.

Unfortunately, Apple did not issue an official statement about the problem and it may not issue one; instead the Cupertino based giant may opt to release another, smaller, update, similar to 7.0.6, to stealth fix the battery life issue. However, if you are one of the affected users, instead of waiting until Apple officially fixes the problem, you may try one of the following solutions. You have nothing to lose; on the contrary, your iDevice’s battery life may return to normal. Without further ado, here are some steps to restore your battery life to normal.

Use your iPhone / iPad

It may sound like we are joking, but we are in fact very serious. You see, whenever you update your iPhone or iPad, for some reason your iDevice’s battery calibration data is erased. You see, the battery calibration data makes sure you receive an accurate estimate of your battery’s charge level. This means that after eavh iOS update, your iPhone / iPad may tell you that it charges / discharges faster than it actually is. This may be the cause behind some of the aforementioned complaints. So what can you do to fix this? As we said, keep using your device until a full discharge / recharge cycle. After a few of these discharge / charge cycles, your iPhone / iPad will build new battery calibration data and will again start making accurate estimates about your iDevice’s battery charge level.

Reset Your iPhone / iPad

If the above option did not work and after a few discharge / recharge cycles, you feel like your iPhone / iPad or iPod touch’s battery still drains way too fast, then you could try resetting your iDevice. When it comes to reset, you have two options: only reset the settings of your iDevice, or reset everything (including your data). In the case of the second option, you should of course make a backup of all your data first.

You can first try with just erasing the iPhone / iPad or iPod touch’s settings. To do this, navigate to Settings, from there to General, then to Reset. In here, you have to choose one of the two options that we told you about; the ‘Reset All Settings’ option only resets the settings and it is the one you should choose. You will need to enter your passcode and then your iDevice’s settings will reset.

If this doesn’t work, you can try resetting everything, including your data. Before doing so, make sure you backup everything on your iPhone / iPad / iPod touch. After you backed up your contacts, images, videos and messages, it is time to reset everything. To do this, navigate to Settings, from there to General, then to Reset. In here, you will have to choose the other option, namely the ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ option; you will again be prompted to enter your passcode after which everything will be erased from your iPhone / iPad / iPod touch.

Run The Update Again from iTunes

If none of the above mentioned tips worked for your iDevice, you can try reinstalling the iOS 7.1 update form iTunes. It has been suggested that updating to iOS 7.1 via iTunes, instead of using OTA (over the Air) may help with the battery life issue. If by this point you are still experiencing battery life issues, it is worth a try. In order to re install the iOS 7.1 update via iTunes, first download the iOS 7.1 package for your iDevice (iPhone, iPad or iPod touch):

iPad Air (5th generation Wi-Fi + Cellular)iPad Air (5th generation Wi-Fi)iPad (4th generation CDMA)iPad (4th generation GSM)iPad (4th generation Wi-Fi)iPad mini (CDMA)iPad mini (GSM)iPad mini (Wi-Fi)iPad mini 2 (Wi-Fi + Cellular)iPad mini 2 (Wi-Fi)iPad 3 Wi-Fi (3rd generation)iPad 3 Wi-Fi + Cellular (model for ATT)iPad 3 Wi-Fi + Cellular (model for Verizon)iPad 2 Wi-Fi (Rev A)iPad 2 Wi-FiiPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (GSM)iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (CDMA)iPhone 5 (CDMA)iPhone 5 (GSM)iPhone 5C (CDMA)iPhone 5C (GSM)iPhone 5S (CDMA)iPhone 5S (GSM)iPhone 4SiPhone 4 (GSM Rev A)iPhone 4 (GSM)iPhone 4 (CDMA)iPod touch (5th generation)

After you have downloaded the correct iOS 7.1 version for your iDevice, you will need to follow a few simple steps:

• The first thing that you need to do is to back up your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. You can either do an offline backup or back up your data using iCloud. We know we are repeating ourselves, but it is very important to back up all your data as this procedure will wipe it from your iDevice.
• The second step involves connecting your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to your computer via the original USB cable.
• During the third step you will have to open iTunes from your computer and then wait until it will detect your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
• Now tap on the device button that you can find near the iTunes Store button.
• Now you will have to press and hold the Shift button (if you are using Windows) or the option button (if you are using a Mac) and while holding the button, press the “Check for Update” button. You will now be prompted to browse to the IPSW file you just downloaded. Your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch will begin the update procedure so make sure you keep it plugged to your computer until the procedure is finished.

After the update procedure is completed, the only step left is to restore your data from the backup.

Wait For A Patch

Ok, this is not actually a tip, but it is your only option if none of the above tips work for you. In this case, it is best to monitor your battery level constantly and make sure to charge the battery of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch whenever you can. You are probably the victim of the battery life bug that it seems was introduced with this latest update and your only option is to wait for a patch, which, if the problem persists, will surely come. Apple is also working on the eighth version of its mobile Operating System, which will most likely be unveiled and released this Fall.