3GS Battery = crappy?

maximus06 · 05:34 PM

I'm an ex-2G owner and I just got a 3GS. I have been using it for ~12 hours after charging it full, and have noticed that the battery life is pretty terrible.

I turned off 3G as well as push/fetch, made one 6min call, did not use data, and just played around with a few apps sporadically. The battery life went quickly down to 2% after less than 2.5 hours of light use w/ about 10 hours of standby time in airplane mode.

Specifically, location services seems to have the biggest effect on it. It makes sense when you're in an app that actually uses GPS/Cell to get your position, but why would it eat battery when I'm not using any "location features"? And to be able to use compass/gps you have to go back into settings to turn it on again, very annoying.

I'm impressed with its speed, but the battery life is apparently worse than the 2G iPhone, which was already horrible.

Edit: Some people suggested that there may be a "break-in" period for the battery, so perhaps (hopefully) the battery life will increase significantly in the next few days.

wr1020 · Jul 4, 2009, 05:50 PM

I've had great battery life on mine, just plugged it in right now and it had 10% left. 5 hours and 40 minutes of usage and 2 days 14 hours of standby time.

Macjames · Jul 4, 2009, 05:52 PM

I have a great battery, however safari is a real drain even in short bursts so watch out!

enigmaverse · Jul 4, 2009, 05:53 PM

Apple is replacing mine after only 4 days of use. I couldnt get the battery to last more than 5 hours, regardless of use.

I should have my new one before Wednesday.

taran420 · Jul 4, 2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by enigmaverse

Apple is replacing mine after only 4 days of use. I couldnt get the battery to last more than 5 hours, regardless of use.

I should have my new one before Wednesday.

Wow 5 hours and you're complaining. I average 3 hours and am pretty sure apple won't replace

SephirothXR · Jul 4, 2009, 06:23 PM

Really depends, this is near my 2nd discharge and I love it! Lots of texts, internet, gaming, practically everything. The phone isn't supposed to be 50% better, maybe better in internet usage, but otherwise I'd say it's better because I used to get just 5 hours usage within 2 days, and this is much better.

yorkshire · Jul 4, 2009, 06:54 PM

Coming from my 2G touch, the battery seems far better!

Stangs55 · Jul 4, 2009, 07:12 PM

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=731779

dagomike · Jul 4, 2009, 07:42 PM

My battery usage had gotten better. Push sucks battery, plus the newness is wearing off so I'm getting back to normal usage. I think I might have had some rogue apps too. I have no complaints anymore.

I'm going to get a car charger and maybe an external battery. I'm not going to fret over battery life and not touch the phone. No big deal.

enigmaverse · Jul 4, 2009, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taran420

Wow 5 hours and you're complaining. I average 3 hours and am pretty sure apple won't replace

that 5 hours on standby, if I made a call or used it it would drop to about 2 - 2.5 hours.

My 3g would make it through the day with normal usage, this one barely makes it to work in the morning.

cocky jeremy · Jul 4, 2009, 10:13 PM

I hope on the 4th gen they make it a bit thicker with a much bigger battery.

TapOut · Jul 4, 2009, 10:29 PM

i have a 3GS from a 3G and i have NOTICEABLY better battery life.. i used to have to charge at least 2 times a day on my 3G and now i can go an entire day without seeing the 20% Low battery pop up

abiyng87 · Jul 4, 2009, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TapOut

i have a 3GS from a 3G and i have NOTICEABLY better battery life.. i used to have to charge at least 2 times a day on my 3G and now i can go an entire day without seeing the 20% Low battery pop up

I'm the same way. However, I don't live in an area with 3G, so that is never on for me. But then again, I regularly got the 20% notification on my 3G.

TapOut · Jul 4, 2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abiyng87

I'm the same way. However, I don't live in an area with 3G, so that is never on for me. But then again, I regularly got the 20% notification on my 3G.

yeah i dont have 3G in my area either .. but i guess all the towers are 3G capable and have just been upgraded

freaking ATT needs to turn them on for real

OneMike · Jul 4, 2009, 10:49 PM

Using the same habits I'm getting better battery life so can't complain.

Rat-Boy · Jul 4, 2009, 11:14 PM

I never got this kind of usage from my 3G.

I am fairly happy with it.

This was with mostly email checking, app store checking, phone calls, facebook app, camera and picture uploads and texting. Most importantly, this usage had ZERO iPod usage. (Which is great for inflating your usage number.)

MBHockey · 12:45 AM

I think there's something wrong with Exchange. I've been trying to track down the source of this bad battery bug (I'm convinced it's software related) since the 3GS and 3.0 were released.

I have an exchange account for Gmail (only contacts and calendar) to sync them over the air. But at the start, I just restored from my 3G backup. So I decided to set it up as a new phone; maybe a specific app was draining the batt.

After reinstalling apps 1 by 1 and not finding them depleting the battery worse, I turned off the exchange sync. With that on, it was going from 100% to 79% in 30 minutes of Safari + 3G usage. After turning it off I got ~2 hours before it hit 60%. I think there's something wrong with exchange.

Do you guys with battery issues use exchange accounts?

angle · Jul 5, 2009, 12:33 AM

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBHockey

I think there's something wrong with Exchange. I've been trying to track down the source of this bad battery bug (I'm convinced it's software related) since the 3GS and 3.0 were released.

I have an exchange account for Gmail (only contacts and calendar) to sync them over the air. But at the start, I just restored from my 3G backup. So I decided to set it up as a new phone; maybe a specific app was draining the app.

After reinstalling apps 1 by 1 and not finding them depleting the battery worse, I turned off the exchange sync. With that on, it was going from 100% to 79% in 30 minutes of Safari + 3G usage. After turning it off I got ~2 hours before it hit 60%. I think there's something wrong with exchange.

Do you guys with battery issues use exchange accounts?

Interesting theory. I have an Exchange account and get less than stellar battery life...

badboy600 · Jul 5, 2009, 01:01 AM

My 3GS battery is way worse then the 3g. I thought it was my imagination until my phone completly ran out on a normal days use. I had the 3g since day 1 and never completly ran out of battery life.

maximus06 · Jul 5, 2009, 01:40 AM

There's definitely something wrong, and I do believe it is software related.

With "push" on my battery life dropped 10% in ~20 minutes, in STANDBY mode, not doing anything!

Similarly, with "location services" on the battery goes to its knees almost as fast as with "push" on...mysteriously. I'd love to know why that is. I look forward to the official jailbreak so that I can easily turn these things on/off using sbsettings when I need them.

Seamaster · Jul 5, 2009, 04:54 AM

I've no complaints about battery life on mine, which is on a par with my 2G.

MBHockey · Jul 5, 2009, 07:15 AM

Seamaster, do you have any Exchange accounts?

daneoni · 12:23 PM

No complaints with mine

enigmaverse · Jul 5, 2009, 08:44 AM

Are we talking MS Exchange, or gmail?

I'm disabling my MS Exchange account, see what that does.

Rat-Boy · Jul 5, 2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBHockey

I think there's something wrong with Exchange. I've been trying to track down the source of this bad battery bug (I'm convinced it's software related) since the 3GS and 3.0 were released.

I have an exchange account for Gmail (only contacts and calendar) to sync them over the air. But at the start, I just restored from my 3G backup. So I decided to set it up as a new phone; maybe a specific app was draining the batt.

After reinstalling apps 1 by 1 and not finding them depleting the battery worse, I turned off the exchange sync. With that on, it was going from 100% to 79% in 30 minutes of Safari + 3G usage. After turning it off I got ~2 hours before it hit 60%. I think there's something wrong with exchange.

Do you guys with battery issues use exchange accounts?

Nope.

I use Exchange to sync Google Contacts and Calendar, and as you can see from above, I am doing pretty good.

However, I do NOT have PUSH turned on for anything email related. I manually check my email, or, manually update my calendar and contacts by going in to those apps after making changes.

Only the AP app and BeeJive when I log in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maximus06

With "push" on my battery life dropped 10% in ~20 minutes, in STANDBY mode, not doing anything!

If that is 100% accurate then there is no way I don't take that phone to Apple and get another one.

There is NO WAY it should drop like that, PUSH on or no PUSH on.

Jul 4, 2009, 05:24 PM	#1
maximus06 macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2007	3GS Battery = crappy? I'm an ex-2G owner and I just got a 3GS. I have been using it for ~12 hours after charging it full, and have noticed that the battery life is pretty terrible. I turned off 3G as well as push/fetch, made one 6min call, did not use data, and just played around with a few apps sporadically. The battery life went quickly down to 2% after less than 2.5 hours of light use w/ about 10 hours of standby time in airplane mode. Specifically, location services seems to have the biggest effect on it. It makes sense when you're in an app that actually uses GPS/Cell to get your position, but why would it eat battery when I'm not using any "location features"? And to be able to use compass/gps you have to go back into settings to turn it on again, very annoying. I'm impressed with its speed, but the battery life is apparently worse than the 2G iPhone, which was already horrible. Edit: Some people suggested that there may be a "break-in" period for the battery, so perhaps (hopefully) the battery life will increase significantly in the next few days. Last edited by maximus06 : Jul 4, 2009 at 05:34 PM.

Jul 4, 2009, 05:52 PM	#3
Macjames macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: York, North Yorkshire, England	I have a great battery, however safari is a real drain even in short bursts so watch out! __________________ Macjames MacBook Air 1.6Ghz 80GB HDD, MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.2Ghz 2GB RAM iPhone 16GB 3GS!, iPhone 3G 8GB, iPhone 8GB, iPod Touch 16GB

Jul 4, 2009, 05:53 PM	#4
enigmaverse macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Myrtle Beach, SC	Apple is replacing mine after only 4 days of use. I couldnt get the battery to last more than 5 hours, regardless of use. I should have my new one before Wednesday. __________________ 2.6ghz MacBook Pro, 4 GB Ram, 200GB HD 20GB Color iPod 5GB iPod 16GB Black iPhone 3g 32GB Black iPhone 3g S

Jul 4, 2009, 06:54 PM	#7
yorkshire macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2008 Location: God's Own County, UK	Coming from my 2G touch, the battery seems far better! __________________ Leeds United > Man United

Jul 4, 2009, 10:13 PM	#11
cocky jeremy macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2008	I hope on the 4th gen they make it a bit thicker with a much bigger battery. __________________  24" iMac, 2.93 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 640 GB HDD  8 GB iPhone  16 GB white iPhone 3G  16 GB white iPhone 3G S⃣

Jul 4, 2009, 05:50 PM	#2
wr1020 macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2009	I've had great battery life on mine, just plugged it in right now and it had 10% left. 5 hours and 40 minutes of usage and 2 days 14 hours of standby time.

Jul 4, 2009, 06:23 PM	#6
SephirothXR macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2008	Really depends, this is near my 2nd discharge and I love it! Lots of texts, internet, gaming, practically everything. The phone isn't supposed to be 50% better, maybe better in internet usage, but otherwise I'd say it's better because I used to get just 5 hours usage within 2 days, and this is much better.

Jul 4, 2009, 07:12 PM	#8
Stangs55 macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX	http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=731779

Jul 4, 2009, 07:42 PM	#9
dagomike macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2007	My battery usage had gotten better. Push sucks battery, plus the newness is wearing off so I'm getting back to normal usage. I think I might have had some rogue apps too. I have no complaints anymore. I'm going to get a car charger and maybe an external battery. I'm not going to fret over battery life and not touch the phone. No big deal.

Jul 4, 2009, 10:29 PM	#12
TapOut Banned Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Erie, PA	i have a 3GS from a 3G and i have NOTICEABLY better battery life.. i used to have to charge at least 2 times a day on my 3G and now i can go an entire day without seeing the 20% Low battery pop up

Jul 4, 2009, 10:49 PM	#15
OneMike macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2005	Using the same habits I'm getting better battery life so can't complain.

Jul 4, 2009, 11:14 PM	#16
Rat-Boy macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Georgia	I never got this kind of usage from my 3G. I am fairly happy with it. This was with mostly email checking, app store checking, phone calls, facebook app, camera and picture uploads and texting. Most importantly, this usage had ZERO iPod usage. (Which is great for inflating your usage number.) Attached Thumbnails __________________ That Was Then: RIM950/Sony w600i->Cingular 8525->BB Pearl->BB Curve->iPhone 3G 8GIG This Is Now: BB 8800 & iPhone 3GS 16GIG

Jul 5, 2009, 12:10 AM	#17
MBHockey macrumors 68020 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: New York	I think there's something wrong with Exchange. I've been trying to track down the source of this bad battery bug (I'm convinced it's software related) since the 3GS and 3.0 were released. I have an exchange account for Gmail (only contacts and calendar) to sync them over the air. But at the start, I just restored from my 3G backup. So I decided to set it up as a new phone; maybe a specific app was draining the batt. After reinstalling apps 1 by 1 and not finding them depleting the battery worse, I turned off the exchange sync. With that on, it was going from 100% to 79% in 30 minutes of Safari + 3G usage. After turning it off I got ~2 hours before it hit 60%. I think there's something wrong with exchange. Do you guys with battery issues use exchange accounts? Last edited by MBHockey : Jul 5, 2009 at 12:45 AM.

Jul 5, 2009, 01:01 AM	#19
badboy600 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2008	My 3GS battery is way worse then the 3g. I thought it was my imagination until my phone completly ran out on a normal days use. I had the 3g since day 1 and never completly ran out of battery life. __________________ 160GB Black IPOD 32GB Iphone 3gS Black

Jul 5, 2009, 01:40 AM	#20
maximus06 Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2007	There's definitely something wrong, and I do believe it is software related. With "push" on my battery life dropped 10% in ~20 minutes, in STANDBY mode, not doing anything! Similarly, with "location services" on the battery goes to its knees almost as fast as with "push" on...mysteriously. I'd love to know why that is. I look forward to the official jailbreak so that I can easily turn these things on/off using sbsettings when I need them.

Jul 5, 2009, 04:54 AM	#21
Seamaster macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2003	I've no complaints about battery life on mine, which is on a par with my 2G. __________________ Seamaster

Jul 5, 2009, 07:15 AM	#22
MBHockey macrumors 68020 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: New York	Seamaster, do you have any Exchange accounts?

Jul 5, 2009, 07:17 AM	#23
daneoni macrumors 601 Join Date: Mar 2006	No complaints with mine Attached Thumbnails __________________ 15" uMBP 2.66GHz \| 4GB \| 320GB HDD Palm Prē \| 30GB 5G BlackPod AEBS \| 24" LED ACD Last edited by daneoni : Jul 10, 2009 at 12:23 PM.

Jul 5, 2009, 08:44 AM	#24
enigmaverse macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Myrtle Beach, SC	Are we talking MS Exchange, or gmail? I'm disabling my MS Exchange account, see what that does. __________________ 2.6ghz MacBook Pro, 4 GB Ram, 200GB HD 20GB Color iPod 5GB iPod 16GB Black iPhone 3g 32GB Black iPhone 3g S

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