Apple buffing up "usage" numbers to fool it's users?

[Ashin]

I think there is some foul play occurring in iOS that Apple have implemented on purpose.

I'm talking about "usage" and the fact it goes up in standby when you're doing NOTHING at all - just to make it clear it goes up doing NOTHING at all so before the inevitable chorus of "but music counts or background stuff" - NOTHING AT ALL, NO MUSIC IS PLAYING!

Why would Apple do this on purpose? Well it's as a very clever ploy by Apple for a multiple of reasons -

1. Users think x iOS patch "fixed" their battery issues
2. Users are fooled into thinking their battery life is amazing
3. Reviewers are fooled into writing good reviews about battery life

Don't believe me? Well try it yourself -

Charge your iPhone to 100%, unplug it, check "usage" (will be at 0) then put it into standby and go to bed.

In the morning your "usage" will have gone up maybe 30 mins, maybe 60 mins, maybe more - I like to call this "phantom usage" because it just appears from nowhere.

 

[Beeplance]

I think there is some foul play occurring in iOS that Apple have implemented on purpose.

I'm talking about "usage" and the fact it goes up in standby when you're doing NOTHING at all - just to make it clear it goes up doing NOTHING at all so before the inevitable chorus of "but music counts or background stuff" - NOTHING AT ALL, NO MUSIC IS PLAYING!

Why would Apple do this on purpose? Well it's as a very clever ploy by Apple for a multiple of reasons -

1. Users think x iOS patch "fixed" their battery issues
2. Users are fooled into thinking their battery life is amazing
3. Reviewers are fooled into writing good reviews about battery life

Don't believe me? Well try it yourself -

Charge your iPhone to 100%, unplug it, check "usage" (will be at 0) then turn it off and go to bed.

In the morning your "usage" will have gone up maybe 30 mins, maybe 60 mins, maybe more - I like to call this "phantom usage" because it just appears from nowhere.

Your said problem doesn't exist on my 2 iPhones. Something is wrong with your phone.

 

[aDRock1154]

I think there is some foul play occurring in iOS that Apple have implemented on purpose.

I'm talking about "usage" and the fact it goes up in standby when you're doing NOTHING at all - just to make it clear it goes up doing NOTHING at all so before the inevitable chorus of "but music counts or background stuff" - NOTHING AT ALL, NO MUSIC IS PLAYING!

Why would Apple do this on purpose? Well it's as a very clever ploy by Apple for a multiple of reasons -

1. Users think x iOS patch "fixed" their battery issues
2. Users are fooled into thinking their battery life is amazing
3. Reviewers are fooled into writing good reviews about battery life

Don't believe me? Well try it yourself -

Charge your iPhone to 100%, unplug it, check "usage" (will be at 0) then turn it off and go to bed.

In the morning your "usage" will have gone up maybe 30 mins, maybe 60 mins, maybe more - I like to call this "phantom usage" because it just appears from nowhere.

You need to restart your phone. There's clearly an app that's causing a drain somewhere.

My wife and I don't have this issue on our iPhones.

 

[Ashin]

Your said problem doesn't exist on my 2 iPhones. Something is wrong with your phone.

Cool, so you used a time machine to test it, seriously 100% charge it and leave on standby all night, then check your usage... it won't read 0 minutes (iOS5 would stay on 0 minutes over night)

Like I said, people like you don't notice it because you're just not that aware.

I want some people to actually try it rather than blindly defend Apple

 

[treichert]

Cool, so you used a time machine to test it, seriously 100% charge it and leave on standby all night, then check your usage... it won't read 0 minutes (iOS5 would stay on 0 minutes over night)e

Has always been that way for me. Everything the iPhone does, be it some background task oder actually using the phone counts as usage.

 

[John T]

.......... then turn it off and go to bed.

Do you mean turning it off completely by holding down sleep/wake button and then swiping "slide to power off" or pressing sleep/wake button to put phone to sleep?

 

[lucasfer899]

Can't get this to work

 

[Beeplance]

Cool, so you used a time machine to test it, seriously 100% charge it and leave on standby all night, then check your usage... it won't read 0 minutes (iOS5 would stay on 0 minutes over night)

Like I said, people like you don't notice it because you're just not that aware.

I want some people to actually try it rather than blindly defend Apple

I've attempted it before, what you described didn't happen to my iPhones.

Unconvinced that it's a problem that's specific to your iPhone only? Have it your way then.

 

[Ashin]

I've attempted it before, what you described didn't happen to my iPhones.

Unconvinced that it's a problem that's specific to your iPhone only? Have it your way then.

So you've tried it since the last update? I'm sure.

Convinced it's a problem specific to my iPhone without trying it? Have it your way then

 

[Harrycooke]

I think there is some foul play occurring in iOS that Apple have implemented on purpose.

I'm talking about "usage" and the fact it goes up in standby when you're doing NOTHING at all - just to make it clear it goes up doing NOTHING at all so before the inevitable chorus of "but music counts or background stuff" - NOTHING AT ALL, NO MUSIC IS PLAYING!

Why would Apple do this on purpose? Well it's as a very clever ploy by Apple for a multiple of reasons -

1. Users think x iOS patch "fixed" their battery issues
2. Users are fooled into thinking their battery life is amazing
3. Reviewers are fooled into writing good reviews about battery life

Don't believe me? Well try it yourself -

Charge your iPhone to 100%, unplug it, check "usage" (will be at 0) then put it into standby and go to bed.

In the morning your "usage" will have gone up maybe 30 mins, maybe 60 mins, maybe more - I like to call this "phantom usage" because it just appears from nowhere.

Notifications on push as well as emails count as usage.

 

[Ashin]

Can't get this to work

Get what to work exactly?

Is it really rocket science to charge your phone 100%, put it into standby without using (or taking note of the currect "usage" time), and then checking the usage in the morning?

----------

Do you mean turning it off completely by holding down sleep/wake button and then swiping "slide to power off" or pressing sleep/wake button to put phone to sleep?

Edited it now, standby of course...

----------

Notifications on push as well as emails count as usage.

In my opinion that isn't "usage", and should only equate to several minutes on a charge cycle anyway.

This is why Android handles it better, it monitors "screen on" time which for 99.9% of people is the number that counts the most since it's the most battery intensive and useful time you use the device.

----------

Has always been that way for me. Everything the iPhone does, be it some background task oder actually using the phone counts as usage.

Mentioned it in another reply.

iOS5 I would go to bed and wake up and the "usage" would still say 0 minutes "usage" / 7 hours standby
iOS6 on the other hand I wake up with maybe 30-60 mins "usage" / 7 hours standby

 

[iPusch]

I am not sure how apple counts these usage minutes but indeed it's sometimes very weard that my usage time is actually much higher than I'd predict...
After school I have a usage at about 6h :-//
I sure use my iPhone @school but not the entire day^^ lol
But maybe everything is correct and I just do something wrong, I don't really care as long as my phone lasts the day ya kno

 

[lucasfer899]

Get what to work exactly?

Is it really rocket science to charge your phone 100%, put it into standby without using (or taking note of the currect "usage" time), and then checking the usage in the morning?

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Edited it now, standby of course...

----------



In my opinion that isn't "usage", and should only equate to several minutes on a charge cycle anyway.

This is why Android handles it better, it monitors "screen on" time which for 99.9% of people is the number that counts the most since it's the most battery intensive and useful time you use the device.

----------



Mentioned it in another reply.

iOS5 I would go to bed and wake up and the "usage" would still say 0 minutes "usage" / 7 hours standby
iOS6 on the other hand I wake up with maybe 30-60 mins "usage" / 7 hours standby

Yeah, can't get this bug to work.

 

[Abazigal]

Except that I gauge my battery life by whether it can last me through the day, rather than record the timings every day and attempting to chart some graph with it.

Half an hour longer here, half an hour shorter there, I don't really care. I just know that at the end of the day, my phone has 20-30% life left, and is at 100% the next morning.

Are you just trying to be funny here?

 

[Ashin]

Except that I gauge my battery life by whether it can last me through the day, rather than record the timings every day and attempting to chart some graph with it.

Half an hour longer here, half an hour shorter there, I don't really care. I just know that at the end of the day, my phone has 20-30% life left, and is at 100% the next morning.

Are you just trying to be funny here?

No need to try and discredit me by making me sound like I "chart some graph" - the truth is Apple are either knowingly doing this, or there are bugs that need fixing - those "usage" stats simply aren't accurate of how "good" battery life is.

 

[stiligFox]

Whoa, bro, chill a little. You seem to think that everyone else is the one with issues since they can't find the same bug you have.

Take a step back, take a deep breath, and then come back when you're ready.

I can't add anything to this since I don't have an iPhone, only an iPod touch. But I would recommend for anyone that would like to help see if this is happening to anyone else -->

1) Plug in your iPhone to begin charging it
2) Double tap to bring up the multitasking tray, and then clear out EVERY app.
3) Do a full restart of the iPhone
4) Check your current usage; make a note of it on paper
5) Clear settings out of the multitasking tray
6) Let your iPhone sit overnight
7) Check your usage in the morning, and compare it to the number you had the evening prior.

Once you've done that you should then be able to see if there is any discrepancy in usage.

Also keep in mind, OP, that certain apps will check for new data wether they are open or not, such as mail, messages, iCloud backup, and any other iCloud services. The only way to rule that out would be to turn off anything that may try to contact the cloud while it's asleep.

 

[Ashin]

Whoa, bro, chill a little. You seem to think that everyone else is the one with issues since they can't find the same bug you have.

Take a step back, take a deep breath, and then come back when you're ready.

I can't add anything to this since I don't have an iPhone, only an iPod touch. But I would recommend for anyone that would like to help see if this is happening to anyone else -->

1) Plug in your iPhone to begin charging it
2) Double tap to bring up the multitasking tray, and then clear out EVERY app.
3) Do a full restart of the iPhone
4) Check your current usage; make a note of it on paper
5) Clear settings out of the multitasking tray
6) Let your iPhone sit overnight
7) Check your usage in the morning, and compare it to the number you had the evening prior.

Once you've done that you should then be able to see if there is any discrepancy in usage.

Also keep in mind, OP, that certain apps will check for new data wether they are open or not, such as mail, messages, iCloud backup, and any other iCloud services. The only way to rule that out would be to turn off anything that may try to contact the cloud while it's asleep.

Thanks for failing to comprehend my thread and attempt to talk down to me like a child.

Like I said, just go and test it yourself rather than defend Apple and assume I am crazy, wrong or this is a problem I solely have (someone else confirmed it in this thread too).

Go try it tonight, then come back tomorrow with screenshots of your usage after sleeping... and then you can call me out, but until then I can only assume you're a deluded fanboy who refuses to believe Apple could have buggy software.

 

[r.j.s]

The problem is not with the phone, it's with your definition of usage.

In my opinion that isn't "usage"

Your opinion doesn't really matter. The phone is doing stuff in the background, so it counts.

Usage: Amount of time iPhone has been awake and in use since the last full charge. The phone is awake when you’re on a call, using email, listening to music, browsing the web, or sending and receiving text messages, or during certain background tasks such as auto-checking email.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1805

 

[Menel]

Thanks for failing to comprehend my thread and attempt to talk down to me like a child.

Like I said, just go and test it yourself rather than defend Apple and assume I am crazy, wrong or this is a problem I solely have (someone else confirmed it in this thread too).

Go try it tonight, then come back tomorrow with screenshots of your usage after sleeping... and then you can call me out, but until then I can only assume you're a deluded fanboy who refuses to believe Apple could have buggy software.

I welcome my fanboy delusion and buggy software if its operating as intended where I get my email syncronized, receive push notifications, itunes match stays synced, newstand apps update, etc etc.

=)

 

[gdjsnyder]

To each their own, I guess. I've never had a problem with usage stats. There have been quite a few times I've checked it before I went to bed and wasn't charging it to see how it did that day and the checked again in the morning and lo and behold, no "phantom usage". I work 7 pm to 7 am from time to time and my phone sits in my pocket pretty much all night because I really can't use it. I remember this past weekend when I left work I had a lot of notifications and my battery had drained a bit. Checked usage, had 14 minutes of usage. For 5 phone calls plus 2 voicemail, 14 texts and about 40 push notifications, the usage seemed just about right. This is not phantom usage, my phone was being used when it was retrieving all of that information for me. However, I'm sure the OP will tell me that this wasn't usage at all and that Apple is magically gouging my usage stats.

 

[Dented]

Usage is usage, if my phone is checking 15 email accounts in the background, pushing 2 twitter accounts, 1 Facebook, umpteen other apps' data, and yours is sitting there fresh out of the box with nothing installed or set up, it would be a nonsense for them to both be reporting the same "0 hours" usage in the morning and for there to be some mystery why my battery had taken a hit compared to yours.

Whatever's going on (and I think it's simply that background usage mounting up in ways you didn't expect) the theory that this is some kind of deliberate conspiracy by apple to up the numbers and make it look good is silly, because at the end of the day these numbers aren't important - as others have said, what matters to everyday users and reviewers alike is whether the phone gets through the day ok, and that's something they can't fake - either the battery lasts or it doesn't.

 

[viperGTS]

I think there is some foul play occurring in iOS that Apple have implemented on purpose.

I'm talking about "usage" and the fact it goes up in standby when you're doing NOTHING at all - just to make it clear it goes up doing NOTHING at all so before the inevitable chorus of "but music counts or background stuff" - NOTHING AT ALL, NO MUSIC IS PLAYING!

Why would Apple do this on purpose? Well it's as a very clever ploy by Apple for a multiple of reasons -

1. Users think x iOS patch "fixed" their battery issues
2. Users are fooled into thinking their battery life is amazing
3. Reviewers are fooled into writing good reviews about battery life

Don't believe me? Well try it yourself -

Charge your iPhone to 100%, unplug it, check "usage" (will be at 0) then put it into standby and go to bed.

In the morning your "usage" will have gone up maybe 30 mins, maybe 60 mins, maybe more - I like to call this "phantom usage" because it just appears from nowhere.

I left my my spare iPhone 4 on standby for 1 day, 23 hours with 26 minutes of usage, which was the screen being left on.

Something must be wrong with your phone...

 

[QuarterSwede]

Usage is usage, if my phone is checking 15 email accounts in the background, pushing 2 twitter accounts, 1 Facebook, umpteen other apps' data, and yours is sitting there fresh out of the box with nothing installed or set up, it would be a nonsense for them to both be reporting the same "0 hours" usage in the morning and for there to be some mystery why my battery had taken a hit compared to yours.

Whatever's going on (and I think it's simply that background usage mounting up in ways you didn't expect) the theory that this is some kind of deliberate conspiracy by apple to up the numbers and make it look good is silly, because at the end of the day these numbers aren't important - as others have said, what matters to everyday users and reviewers alike is whether the phone gets through the day ok, and that's something they can't fake - either the battery lasts or it doesn't.

Exactly.

I'd also posit that the vast majority of people don't even know the "Usage" metric exists. I'd bet my wife doesn't. Heck, I know it exists but I've never used it to gauge battery life. I gauge battery life by how long it actually lasts throughout the day. Does it last from when I get up and unplug it to when I go to sleep and plug it back in? If yes, then there is NO issue.

And, by the way OP, my battery life on 6.1.2 is fantastic.

 

[Abazigal]

Besides, if apple really wanted to fudge usage numbers, wouldn't it make more sense to alter the battery percentage (which more people would notice and pay attention to), rather than an obscure usage figure which few people will ever notice?

 

[declandio]

I think there is some foul play occurring in iOS that Apple have implemented on purpose.

I'm talking about "usage" and the fact it goes up in standby when you're doing NOTHING at all - just to make it clear it goes up doing NOTHING at all so before the inevitable chorus of "but music counts or background stuff" - NOTHING AT ALL, NO MUSIC IS PLAYING!

Why would Apple do this on purpose? Well it's as a very clever ploy by Apple for a multiple of reasons -

1. Users think x iOS patch "fixed" their battery issues
2. Users are fooled into thinking their battery life is amazing
3. Reviewers are fooled into writing good reviews about battery life

Don't believe me? Well try it yourself -

Charge your iPhone to 100%, unplug it, check "usage" (will be at 0) then put it into standby and go to bed.

In the morning your "usage" will have gone up maybe 30 mins, maybe 60 mins, maybe more - I like to call this "phantom usage" because it just appears from nowhere.

... and aliens built the Pyramids, Bush allowed those planes to fly into those buildings some years ago, and Hitler is still alive and well living in a cave in Switzerland.