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iPod touch Battery Drainage Issue: SOLVED

fswmacguy

fswmacguy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 12, 2009
266
0
Howdy, folks.

There are a lot of posts going around about how the new iPod touch 4G drains battery on idle/sleep mode. People would go to sleep with 100% battery and wake up with the 20% warning.

Firstly, let me say THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR DEVICE.

Here's how to 'fix' a nonexistent problem:

Step 1: Bring up the multitasking drawer by double-tapping the home button.
Step 2: Hold down one of the apps in the drawer until they all shake with a close button.
Step 3: CLOSE OUT ALL APPS IN THE DRAWER.

The problem is now solved. You can now slumber easily. Last night I went to bed with ~90% battery, I woke up and had ~90% battery! Because I had no apps in my multitasking drawer!

Please stop wondering why your battery drains when you have 20+ apps in the multitasking drawer.

Thank you, -fswmacguy
 
I had the same problem w/o multitasking...

Since the last iOS update (4.1) I had the same battery draining issue on my 2nd gen iPod Touch, and as stated above I don't have multi-tasking. The other day I took my iPod out of my backpack and it gave me the 20% warning, and I hadn't used it since I recharged it the night before.

I tried turning off the "fetch" setting in Mail preferences and "notifications", and the battery still drained overnight. Again, everything was fine before the update to 4.1.

So I turned the iPod completely off and let it rest for about 5 minutes before turning it back on. Went through yesterday and last night with no power drain. Everything seems back to normal.

fwiw...
 
Well yeah, I do that all the time and I don't have any problems with the battery. Just close 'em all and your iPod will just be fine.
 
fswmacguy said:
Howdy, folks.

There are a lot of posts going around about how the new iPod touch 4G drains battery on idle/sleep mode. People would go to sleep with 100% battery and wake up with the 20% warning.

Firstly, let me say THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR DEVICE.

Here's how to 'fix' a nonexistent problem:

Step 1: Bring up the multitasking drawer by double-tapping the home button.
Step 2: Hold down one of the apps in the drawer until they all shake with a close button.
Step 3: CLOSE OUT ALL APPS IN THE DRAWER.

The problem is now solved. You can now slumber easily. Last night I went to bed with ~90% battery, I woke up and had ~90% battery! Because I had no apps in my multitasking drawer!

Please stop wondering why your battery drains when you have 20+ apps in the multitasking drawer.

Thank you, -fswmacguy
Click to expand...

funny--I don't have to resort to the "drawer" to "close" apps. I use my 4G touch just like I used my 2G with the exception that I can fake-multitask with the 4G (and thankfully can play Pandora while doing something else), and I STILL DON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THE BATTERY GOING DEAD OVERNIGHT. I just put it to sleep. not "off". not after a series of "click the minus sign over the wiggling app icons" nonsense.. sigh.
 
dave1812dave said:
funny--I don't have to resort to the "drawer" to "close" apps. I use my 4G touch just like I used my 2G with the exception that I can fake-multitask with the 4G (and thankfully can play Pandora while doing something else), and I STILL DON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THE BATTERY GOING DEAD OVERNIGHT. I just put it to sleep. not "off". not after a series of "click the minus sign over the wiggling app icons" nonsense.. sigh.
Click to expand...

Most people with battery drain issues probably have 1 app that somehow sucks power. However, they are too lazy to do a systematic test to single out the offending app, so instead they just say "close all apps indiscriminately".
 
Warbitrary said:
Most people with battery drain issues probably have 1 app that somehow sucks power. However, they are too lazy to do a systematic test to single out the offending app, so instead they just say "close all apps indiscriminately".
Click to expand...

I try to post this on every thread - a popular app that I KNOW drains the battery very quickly is Skype. It obviously has some multitasking issues still to be worked out. I still have it on my device, I just kill it after I use it. The first day, I left Skype running and it pretty much drained the battery in 12 hours. Not having to kill any other of the apps I've installed other than Skype, my battery has now lasted over 65 hours and I still have 50% left, even with some semi-frequent browser and game usage.
 
I'd say most Apps don't drain battery. I have at least 20 Apps in the drawer, overnight the meter still shows close to 100%.
So it must be certain Apps. If anyone has battery drain issue, just post their App in the drawer, when the list is longer enough, we may be able to identify those Apps and only close those Apps when needed.
 
I have no multitasking in my 2nd gen iPod Touch. I turned off all notifications, restored OS and it still drains my battery. It must be Wi-Fi. I will do another test to check it, but I am about to go back to 3.1.3. Never had issues with it.
 
ahavriluk said:
I have no multitasking in my 2nd gen iPod Touch. I turned off all notifications, restored OS and it still drains my battery. It must be Wi-Fi. I will do another test to check it, but I am about to go back to 3.1.3. Never had issues with it.
Click to expand...

I have 3 touchs. I leave them asleep overnight with wifi option enabled. I NEVER have issues with the batteries dying overnight. I've had 2 of the touchs for 2 years. many OS's including 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, and 4.1. I think you need to consider other issues as the source of YOUR problem!
 
dave1812dave said:
I have 3 touchs. I leave them asleep overnight with wifi option enabled. I NEVER have issues with the batteries dying overnight. I've had 2 of the touchs for 2 years. many OS's including 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, and 4.1. I think you need to consider other issues as the source of YOUR problem!
Click to expand...

whatever it is wasn't there before OS 4.x. It was definitely introduced with an update.
 
ahavriluk said:
whatever it is wasn't there before OS 4.x. It was definitely introduced with an update.
Click to expand...

the update, in and of itself is not the problem. it's a setting and/or an app. the 4.1 OS doesn't drain batteries on every device. good luck hunting down your issue.
 
dave1812dave said:
the update, in and of itself is not the problem. it's a setting and/or an app. the 4.1 OS doesn't drain batteries on every device. good luck hunting down your issue.
Click to expand...

The only part which got changed was the OS. Don't tell me about apps or settings.
 
the iOS 4.1 update came with a Wi-Fi update that allows Wi-Fi to be continuously on even after the device is locked, this feature was introduced so people can receive Facetime and VoIP calls even when the iPod Touch is sleeping


"iPod touch can stay connected to Wi-Fi when asleep so you can receive incoming VoIP calls and notifications from compatible third-party apps."
http://www.apple.com/au/ipodtouch/software-update/
 
st0ner said:
the iOS 4.1 update came with a Wi-Fi update that allows Wi-Fi to be continuously on even after the device is locked, this feature was introduced so people can receive Facetime and VoIP calls even when the iPod Touch is sleeping


"iPod touch can stay connected to Wi-Fi when asleep so you can receive incoming VoIP calls and notifications from compatible third-party apps."
http://www.apple.com/au/ipodtouch/software-update/
Click to expand...

It is definitely causing the battery drainage in my case. I turned off Wi-Fi and battery is fine now.
 
There may also be multiple, independent causes of battery drainage. Just throwing it out there.
 
fswmacguy said:
Howdy, folks.

There are a lot of posts going around about how the new iPod touch 4G drains battery on idle/sleep mode. People would go to sleep with 100% battery and wake up with the 20% warning.

Firstly, let me say THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR DEVICE.

Here's how to 'fix' a nonexistent problem:

Step 1: Bring up the multitasking drawer by double-tapping the home button.
Step 2: Hold down one of the apps in the drawer until they all shake with a close button.
Step 3: CLOSE OUT ALL APPS IN THE DRAWER.

The problem is now solved. You can now slumber easily. Last night I went to bed with ~90% battery, I woke up and had ~90% battery! Because I had no apps in my multitasking drawer!

Please stop wondering why your battery drains when you have 20+ apps in the multitasking drawer.

Thank you, -fswmacguy
Click to expand...

Do you know if it's possible to disable multitasking. I have to close all apps in the multitasking drawer all the time which I find annoying.

I don't want "multitasking" enabled, because it's not real multitasking and it eats battery.
 
I see this as a solution to Apple's 4.1 multitasking problem.. they claim there should be no battery drainage while the unit is "sleeping" no matter how many apps are loaded in the app-drawer.

Apple has never suggested that we close out all apps from the drawer to save energy, this is not their intention. There's a problem with 4.1.. but closing out the apps in the drawer will keep your battery up until Apple fixes the issues.
 
fswmacguy said:
Please stop wondering why your battery drains when you have 20+ apps in the multitasking drawer.

Thank you, -fswmacguy
Click to expand...

Please stop assuming this is normal behavior or that Apple intended multitasking to work this way either. 4.1 is broken, plain and simple, don't blame it on the users, blame it on Apple.
 
Diversion said:
Please stop assuming this is normal behavior or that Apple intended multitasking to work this way either. 4.1 is broken, plain and simple, don't blame it on the users, blame it on Apple.
Click to expand...

so how come I've no issue on two touchs--one is a 4G and one is a 2G (which doesn't support m/tasking of course). battery level is the same in the morning as when they goes to sleep the night before.
 
Diversion said:
Ask Apple.
Click to expand...

Does your pc lose battery when it's in hibernation? No.
Does your mac lose battery when it's in safe sleep? No.

Apple's implementation of multitasking makes use of background APIs and suspended states. Having 10 apps open is no different from having 20 apps open if they're making use of the APIs. If I have an app open and it's not making use of the APIs, coming back to it is like loading a saved game on a gameboy (assuming it is built to support suspended state). If they are using the APIs, obviously it will drain battery. The multitasking implementation on its own, does not.
 
I have a Touch 2G with 4.0 on it and it can go several weeks in standby and no appreciable battery loss.

I bought a new Touch 4G with 4.1 and it loses ~ 25% battery per day in standby. i.e. Don't use it for 4 days and end up with a drained unit. I have no apps in the task bar. I do leave wi-fi on but then so is my 2G.
 
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