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

[r.j.s]

Showing a screen time statistic in addition to overall usage would be nice, but I'd like to know for how many hours my iPhone is actually running apps. When a PC goes to what it calls "sleep", it doesn't run any background tasks. Should be the same for an iPhone.

It can't do nothing when it sleeps - it still has to be a phone. Therefore it is always listening for phone calls, texts, push notifications, syncing services the user has set up, etc.

If you want it to do nothing, you need to turn it off, or at least turn off its connections.

 

[Ashin]

It can't do nothing when it sleeps - it still has to be a phone. Therefore it is always listening for phone calls, texts, push notifications, syncing services the user has set up, etc.

If you want it to do nothing, you need to turn it off, or at least turn off its connections.

But I never experienced this problem on iOS5.

Any explanation for that?

 

[Fatalbert]

It can't do nothing when it sleeps - it still has to be a phone. Therefore it is always listening for phone calls, texts, push notifications, syncing services the user has set up, etc.

If you want it to do nothing, you need to turn it off, or at least turn off its connections.

I'm not quite sure if the OS does that constantly. It might be done by hardware. A PC (or at least a Mac and some other PCs) listens for incoming network connections constantly if wake on LAN is enabled.

Anyway, counting phone tasks if they exist just doesn't make sense since they'd always be on. Multitasking apps are not.

----------

From my 10-minute test, so far, it seems like playing music while it's in standby counts as standby AND usage time.

 

[r.j.s]

When eople see a Nexus 4 on here with 4 hours screen on time nearly dead they laugh, but fail to realise the 6-7 hours of "usage" an iPhone gets is made up of screen on time and a bunch of buggy background tasks running and boosting the figures up.

Why do you keep calling normal background tasks buggy? Do you have proof that apps doing things in the background are bugs - or is that another of your custom definitions?

Something is not buggy if it is working properly.

----------

But I never experienced this problem on iOS5.

Any explanation for that?

Not one you'd be happy with, apparently. I don't have your phone now or while on iOS 5, so I can't say what is different.

 

[Fatalbert]

It seems like the OP is only interesting in the usage times because they can be used in phone OS fights... but I will test anyway because I'm curious now.

 

[Ashin]

Why do you keep calling normal background tasks buggy? Do you have proof that apps doing things in the background are bugs - or is that another of your custom definitions?

Something is not buggy if it is working properly.

----------



Not one you'd be happy with, apparently. I don't have your phone now or while on iOS 5, so I can't say what is different.

I guess Apple decided to include a whole boat load of extra background tasks in iOS6 then, because I'd get 2-3 minutes usage over night in iOS5.

 

[declandio]

I guess Apple decided to include a whole boat load of extra background tasks in iOS6 then, because I'd get 2-3 minutes usage over night in iOS5.

What is your actual point in all of this (besides your little conspiracy theory)? Usage time goes up when you don't want it to. So what? Is it killing your battery or eating up your data allowance?

 

[Ashin]

It seems like the OP is only interesting in the usage times because they can be used in phone OS fights... but I will test anyway because I'm curious now.

Not entirely true. Although I do somewhat feel for Android users... people compare iPhone "usage" with combines background tasks as well as time spent with screen on time VS Android's sole screen on time... I don't think Android can ever have better battery life with such an unfair comparison.

Then again, I also feel sorry for Apple users... they actually believe their battery life is amazing... when the reality is... well, not quite so good. Am I really the only one smart enough to see this?

----------

What is your actual point in all of this (besides your little conspiracy theory)? Usage time goes up when you don't want it to. So what? Is it killing your battery or eating up your data allowance?

Eating battery life yes, not data.

I mean... who likes to see a near dead iPhone and 6-7 hours usage, but in reality you probably had the screen on 3-4 hours?

 

[Fatalbert]

Then again, I also feel sorry for Apple users... they actually believe their battery life is amazing... when the reality is... well, not quite so good. Am I really the only one smart enough to see this?

I don't really know what "not quite so good" is or by how much people are overestimating iPhone battery life, but iPhones generally have better battery life than others. The Droid RAZR MAXX probably lasts longer. My iPhone has never died on me or even gotten below 20% except for those times when I was testing a battery-hungry app, so I'd believe that my battery life is good.

Does Android not have a counter for usage that includes background tasks? If not, it's Android's problem, not iOS's. Background tasks should logically count as usage. I'd take it to the Android forums if I cared at all.

 

[r.j.s]

Not entirely true. Although I do somewhat feel for Android users... people compare iPhone "usage" with combines background tasks as well as time spent with screen on time VS Android's sole screen on time... I don't think Android can ever have better battery life with such an unfair comparison.

Then again, I also feel sorry for Apple users... they actually believe their battery life is amazing... when the reality is... well, not quite so good. Am I really the only one smart enough to see this?

----------



Eating battery life yes, not data.

I mean... who likes to see a near dead iPhone and 6-7 hours usage, but in reality you probably had the screen on 3-4 hours?

I don't think ANYONE compares usage time as reported by the device. Most people, and reviewers, compare actual usage time while doing tasks or standby - and in the case of reviewers, timed tests are timed by an outside device.

 

[Ashin]

I don't really know what "not quite so good" is or by how much people are overestimating iPhone battery life, but iPhones generally have better battery life than others. The Droid RAZR MAXX probably lasts longer.

Does Android not have a counter for usage that includes background tasks? If not, it's Android's problem, not iOS's. Background tasks should logically count as usage. I'd take it to the Android forums if I cared at all.

I see people on here with their iPhone 5 gloating about "I got 10 hours usage today - suck it Android!!!" makes me cringe how ignorant they are.

I suppose it'd be a bad thing if Apple gave us honest battery stats, people would be shocked at the screen on times they get.

 

[r.j.s]

Am I really the only one smart enough to see this?

Smart enough to see what? That the usage time reported by the device meets the definition of usage by the device creator?

Do you think you've uncovered some mass conspiracy? Well, you haven't. You've discovered that the iPhone reports usage according to Apple's definition - something the millions of users either already knew or never cared about.

 

[Fatalbert]

I see people on here with their iPhone 5 gloating about "I got 10 hours usage today - suck it Android!!!" makes me cringe how ignorant they are.

I suppose it'd be a bad thing if Apple gave us honest battery stats, people would be shocked at the screen on times they get.

Seriously, why do you even care? My friend gloats to me all the time about his Android phone having stuff (stuff that iOS has too), and I don't really care.

I'd still call the Android users ignorant if they consider usage time only times when the screen is on. I'm playing music right now while my iPhone is in standby, and I would consider that usage. It's loud Armenian classical music on high volume. It's using the battery.

 

[r.j.s]

I suppose it'd be a bad thing if Apple gave us honest battery stats, people would be shocked at the screen on times they get.

THEY ARE HONEST STATS. Why do you keep defaulting to the claim that they aren't?

 

[Ashin]

THEY ARE HONEST STATS. Why do you keep defaulting to the claim that they aren't?

You really can't see it's not as honest as it could be?

Pretend we're not talking about Apple here so your fanboy mindset doesn't influence your opinion and answer this honestly -

Should "usage" stats really include "usage" performed by the system rather than the user? For me the semantics of "usage" implies that it is the time I spend using my device, and if I turn the screen off and put it in my pocket I am no longer using it... why should anything after be considered "usage"?

----------

Seriously, why do you even care? My friend gloats to me all the time about his Android phone having stuff (stuff that iOS has too), and I don't really care.

I'd still call the Android users ignorant if they consider usage time only times when the screen is on. I'm playing music right now while my iPhone is in standby, and I would consider that usage. It's loud Armenian classical music on high volume. It's using the battery.

Then we can't come to any kind of concession here.

 

[r.j.s]

You really can't see it's not as honest as it could be?

Pretend we're not talking about Apple here so your fanboy mindset doesn't influence your opinion and answer this honestly -

Should "usage" stats really include "usage" performed by the system rather than the user? For me the semantics of "usage" implies that it is the time I spend using my device, and if I turn the screen off and put it in my pocket I am no longer using it... why should anything after be considered "usage"?

Fanboy, lol. You know nothing about me.

Here's what you refuse to acknowledge: all usage, screen on or not, is at the direction of the user.

Say it checks email every 15 minutes; it does that because the user told it to.

Listen to music for an hour with the screen off; the user told it to.

The phone doesn't just do things on its own with out user input at some point in time. You mau not have told to do something recently, but if you told it while setting it up to sync with iCloud, and it does it in the middle of the night, it's because you told it to do it.

 

[Fatalbert]

Should "usage" stats really include "usage" performed by the system rather than the user? For me the semantics of "usage" implies that it is the time I spend using my device, and if I turn the screen off and put it in my pocket I am no longer using it... why should anything after be considered "usage"?

Let's see, what would count as usage while in standby? You can do all this while in standby:

- your music playing
- your emails coming in
- a navigation app tracking you
- an active IM conversation
- a phone conversation you are having with a friend
- a metronome keeping you in time
- commands being sent via SSH (then again, this is jailbreak territory)

If you don't consider this usage, whatever. You and Apple just disagree. No need for conspiracy theories.

Some things are exempt from this. Alarms, timers, etc do not count as usage.

 

[Ashin]

Fanboy, lol. You know nothing about me.

Here's what you refuse to acknowledge: all usage, screen on or not, is at the direction of the user.

Say it checks email every 15 minutes; it does that because the user told it to.

Listen to music for an hour with the screen off; the user told it to.

The phone doesn't just do things on its own with out user input at some point in time. You mau not have told to do something recently, but if you told it while setting it up to sync with iCloud, and it does it in the middle of the night, it's because you told it to do it.

When did we start equating listening to music or using a fetch cycle?

This is overnight when I am asleep, no music, no fetch, just Push which only does anything when it has to.

I have not asked my iPhone to do anything over night, no syncs, no iCloud is setting up anything (whatever that means).

Feel free to test it yourself by the way, do it tonight post before and after you wake up screen shots, I'd be intrigued.

 

[Fatalbert]

When did we start equating listening to music or using a fetch cycle?

This is overnight when I am asleep, no music, no fetch, just Push which only does anything when it has to.

I have not asked my iPhone to do anything over night, no syncs, no iCloud is setting up anything (whatever that means).

Feel free to test it yourself by the way, do it tonight post before and after you wake up screen shots, I'd be intrigued.

I will, but you should try closing everything too. There might be something you are unaware of. Maybe you have an app that you switch from before putting the phone on standby, and it stays alive for a while.

 

[Ashin]

Let's see, what would count as usage while in standby? You can do all this while in standby:

- your music playing
- your emails coming in
- a navigation app tracking you
- an active IM conversation
- a phone conversation you are having with a friend
- a metronome keeping you in time
- commands being sent via SSH (then again, this is jailbreak territory)

If you don't consider this usage, whatever. You and Apple just disagree. No need for conspiracy theories.

Some things are exempt from this. Alarms, timers, etc do not count as usage.

Wait a second you're bending my thread completely by exaggerating like crazy, but to humour you I'll let you know that -

- no music is playing
- no email is set to push or fetch (only WeChat on push)
- location disabled
- no navigation app (see above - location disabled)
- I am asleep so not conversing via phonecall
- I don't have a metronome app
- no SSH or jailbreak

Ironically I do have alarms set, but as you said they don't count I guess

 

[r.j.s]

When did we start equating listening to music or using a fetch cycle?

This is overnight when I am asleep, no music, no fetch, just Push which only does anything when it has to.

I have not asked my iPhone to do anything over night, no syncs, no iCloud is setting up anything (whatever that means).

Feel free to test it yourself by the way, do it tonight post before and after you wake up screen shots, I'd be intrigued.

No, thanks. My phone works the way I want it to, I don't need to check the usage for validation.

The fact that you refuse to understand and comprehend what usage actually is, yet claim to be the only one smart enough to see this massive conspiracy, despite proof to the contrary, means I am done with this thread.

 

[Fatalbert]

I've found out that this is definitely true:
When playing music in standby, it counts as standby AND usage time. While I can see the reasoning behind this, I do not quite agree that this should count as both. I'd consider it usage only.

----------

Wait a second you're bending my thread completely by exaggerating like crazy, but to humour you I'll let you know that -

- no music is playing
- no email is set to push or fetch (only WeChat on push)
- location disabled
- no navigation app (see above - location disabled)
- I am asleep so not conversing via phonecall
- I don't have a metronome app
- no SSH or jailbreak

Ironically I do have alarms set, but as you said they don't count I guess

I'm not arguing against the OP, but you said that background apps should not count as usage. I just provided plenty of background tasks that I would consider usage. I only have my little test as evidence against the OP, and I am going to try leaving the iPhone unplugged all night too.

 

[Ashin]

No, thanks. My phone works the way I want it to, I don't need to check the usage for validation.

The fact that you refuse to understand and comprehend what usage actually is, yet claim to be the only one smart enough to see this massive conspiracy, despite proof to the contrary, means I am done with this thread.

Then why are you here?

The fact you refuse to understand or even test what I suggest just proves you're a blind Apple fanboy... I know full well Apple's murky definition of "usage" is, and I think it's dishonest and shady.

Where is your proof to the contrary? Did you disprove me by testing it? No, you just gave me canned responses based on Apple's website and their definition of "usage" - sorry I don't believe several hours of background usage tacked onto a charge cycle counts as "usage".

Either open your mind a little and do some testing or just leave this thread, you're beyond saving if you are truly this ignorant.

----------

I've found out that this is definitely true:
When playing music in standby, it counts as standby AND usage time. While I can see the reasoning behind this, I do not quite agree that this should count as both. I'd consider it usage only.

----------



I'm not arguing against the OP, but you said that background apps should not count as usage. I just provided plenty of background tasks that I would consider usage. I only have my little test as evidence against the OP, and I am going to try leaving the iPhone unplugged all night too.

I will try removing everything tonight, on iOS5 I used to remove everything except stock apps, do the same with iOS6.

I only keep in the tray - Settings, Clock, Photos, Notes, Safari (close all tabs though), Messages and Phone.

I am also tempted to jailbreak and remove launchdaemons... I think there is problems in this area when I look at System Activity Monitor

 

[albertxp06]

I tried this last night. Phone charged to 100%, closed all apps, unplugged phone and left it for 8 hours. I only got three minutes of usage and battery went down 1%. I've got push for four email accounts and left iCloud on.

 

[adnbek]

Then again, I also feel sorry for Apple users... they actually believe their battery life is amazing... when the reality is... well, not quite so good. Am I really the only one smart enough to see this?

Wow, that's a pretty condescending thing to say. You have no idea what you're talking about.

How about you go read this and then come back to us?