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iPhone 5 - "it charges without power"...

L

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
I've noticed a poor battery life on my iPhone since I bought it but it's starting to get a little frustrating.

I charged my iPhone last night and took it to work today with a full charge. It's been in my pocket most of the day, having only sent a few texts and taken two pictures (with flash) however returning home I find 20% left.

I let the phone drain to 11% after which it jumped up to 18% (all by itself) and it's done this several times now. I've also found it switches itself off on 15% occasionally; a clean reset hasn't resolved the issue.

More of a frustration than a cause for concern.

Has anyone else noticed similar issues?
 
mpayne2k

mpayne2k

macrumors 6502a
May 12, 2010
876
63
I swear this morning I saw my phone at 91% then jump to 94% but could have been my eyes...

I doubt its nothing more than a bug with your iOS.
 
Agent OrangeZ

Agent OrangeZ

macrumors 68040
Mar 17, 2010
3,015
3,015
Planet Earth
Liam Steven said:
I've noticed a poor battery life on my iPhone since I bought it but it's starting to get a little frustrating.

I charged my iPhone last night and took it to work today with a full charge. It's been in my pocket most of the day, having only sent a few texts and taken two pictures (with flash) however returning home I find 20% left.

I let the phone drain to 11% after which it jumped up to 18% (all by itself) and it's done this several times now. I've also found it switches itself off on 15% occasionally; a clean reset hasn't resolved the issue.

More of a frustration than a cause for concern.

Has anyone else noticed similar issues?
Click to expand...

Your iPhone is collecting electrons from your leg as you walk around.

(j/k)

I think iOS is just sometimes a tad off in determining battery life at certain levels and it tries to correct itself here and there.
 
B

Browns2212

macrumors regular
Dec 6, 2012
161
0
Orchard Park, NY
Take it back if that's the best you can get. There are tons of battery threads in here and there is no way you should be getting that for battery life.

Mine lasts all day, easily, with moderate use.

One thing I do wonder, was the "battery percentage" indicator one of the worst ideas ever? LOL Seems like people freak out when they see the numbers decline. :D
 
L

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
I feel a little stupid now as I turned down the opportunity of a replacement iPhone from Apple a few weeks ago.

For about 1 month after purchase I couldn't make/receive calls properly as the call was exceptionally distorted. I erased the phone and did a restore from iCloud (previous data/settings used on iPhone 4) however problem remained. I fixed the call issue by restoring data and resetting system settings (something that hadn't worked previous to an erase) however Apple had already agreed to replace phone.

I refused delivery of the replacement because technically speaking the call issue was fixed and I couldn't be bothered arguing with Apple had they kept the £529 deducted from my bank account following technical assessment of a working iPhone.
 
B

BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,025
mpayne2k said:
I swear this morning I saw my phone at 91% then jump to 94% but could have been my eyes...

I doubt its nothing more than a bug with your iOS.
Click to expand...

This has happened to me several times. 2-3% jumps now and then. I think nothing of it - but then again I get 2 days standby with 50% left after 6 hours of use.... so ... I'm pretty happy.
 
W

wxman2003

Suspended
Apr 12, 2011
2,580
294
That's not unusual. After a full charge, I let it drop to 97%, reboot again, and it's back to 100%
 
Bernard SG

Bernard SG

macrumors 65816
Jul 3, 2010
1,354
7
OP, it's very likely that your hardware is totally fine but there's something buggy with some software, getting into an infinite loop looking up for something on the internet. A restore could help.
Also check if bluetooth is turned off.
 
quietstormSD

quietstormSD

macrumors 65816
Mar 2, 2010
1,224
593
San Diego, CA
Granted, I haven't noticed this with my iPhone 4S (iOS 6.01). I think a nice restore from back up could help. Otherwise, I'd just swap it at the Apple.
 
H

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
Liam Steven said:
I've noticed a poor battery life on my iPhone since I bought it but it's starting to get a little frustrating.

I charged my iPhone last night and took it to work today with a full charge. It's been in my pocket most of the day, having only sent a few texts and taken two pictures (with flash) however returning home I find 20% left.

I let the phone drain to 11% after which it jumped up to 18% (all by itself) and it's done this several times now. I've also found it switches itself off on 15% occasionally; a clean reset hasn't resolved the issue.

More of a frustration than a cause for concern.

Has anyone else noticed similar issues?
Click to expand...
Think of a battery indicator as you having a measuring cup where the fluids are in constant movement. You'll have a hard time seeing the correct volume until it settles down, but you need to give a specific number.

This is also the reason why sometimes one percent lasts like an hour, and other times ten percent disappears after five minutes of gaming.

Don't be alarmed, it's completely normal. Also, remember those old Walkmans with AA-batteries? You know how when the battery went dead, you could leave it for a day or two then get like another 30 minutes out of them? Well, yeah. Same thing here, in a sense ;)

Uhm, that's regarding the battery indicator gaining a percent here and there, not regarding the phone switching off at 15 % :p
 
T

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Browns2212 said:
Take it back if that's the best you can get. There are tons of battery threads in here and there is no way you should be getting that for battery life.
Click to expand...
Usage varies by person and the OP hasn't provided enough information to determine that such battery life is truly out of line for that usage. The OP has provided some info but what he has done is just part of the picture. Coverage, apps and configuration will also affect battery life.

That said, Apple can test the device to determine if there is a battery issue and replace if there is a problem with the battery. OP can also restore as new and the use the device stock to determine if it's a hardware issue or a software issue.

Browns2212 said:
Mine lasts all day, easily, with moderate use.
Click to expand...
And, as always with these battery life threads, "moderate" means nothing. Everyone thinks that their usage is moderate. If you want to compare then you need to be very specific regarding your configuration, apps and usage.
 
L

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
Thanks for the posts.

I am going to call Apple. Just got home and it was 12%, sent an email and when I looked up it was on 2%. Plugged it into charger and it changed to 10% in seconds. I have other problems too so it looks like a claim on Apple Care.

Quick question, if I have it replaced under Apple Care will it be a new phone or refurbished and will my Apple Care transfer to new phone or will it be void?
 
nburwell

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,451
2,365
DE
Liam Steven said:
Quick question, if I have it replaced under Apple Care will it be a new phone or refurbished and will my Apple Care transfer to new phone or will it be void?
Click to expand...

It will most likely be a refurbished phone. And yes, Applecare will transfer to your new phone.
 
L

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
I only have essential Apps running and have been for a few days, in an attempt to isolate what you describe.
 
Mlrollin91

Mlrollin91

macrumors G5
Nov 20, 2008
14,120
10,106
Liam Steven said:
Thanks for the posts.

I am going to call Apple. Just got home and it was 12%, sent an email and when I looked up it was on 2%. Plugged it into charger and it changed to 10% in seconds. I have other problems too so it looks like a claim on Apple Care.

Quick question, if I have it replaced under Apple Care will it be a new phone or refurbished and will my Apple Care transfer to new phone or will it be void?
Click to expand...

Just do a hard reset and calibrate your battery, you'll be fine. It has happened many times on my iPhone 4S. Calibrate it one every month or so and you'll be good. Or better yet, turn off the % indicator.
 
L

Liam Steven

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 9, 2012
330
62
Mlrollin91 said:
Just do a hard reset and calibrate your battery, you'll be fine. It has happened many times on my iPhone 4S. Calibrate it one every month or so and you'll be good. Or better yet, turn off the % indicator.
Click to expand...

No, I like to live close to the edge and use my iPhone until around 3% of power.
 
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