iPhone 6(S)/Plus Crazy battery drainage

[solidify]

For the last 5 years I have been using an iPad Mini 2 to surf the web with Chrome on the couch. Even with a 5 year old battery, I would be able to do it for a long time, often not charging it for 3 days or more.

That iPad is now gone (RIP) so I started using my iPhone 6S more for web surfing. The phone is 3+ years old but the battery is relatively new. I had a new battery installed at the Apple store less than a year ago for a discounted price ($25 I believe) due to some issue that you probably already know about.

Right now the Battery Health says that it is at "Maximum Capacity - 97%" and "Peak Performance Capability".

So here is the problem: I can literally watch the battery percentage decrease as I use the iPhone to surf the web. It will go down faster than 1% per minute of use. Sometimes even faster. Last night I had 64% when I sat on the couch at 9PM and with limited web surfing while watching TV the phone was dead by 11PM. I don't remember it being like this over the last 3 years, it seems to be only over the last few months. Could this be some type of software change?

 

[Newtons Apple]

If close to an Apple store, maybe have them run a diagnostic on it.

If not I would do an encrypted backup on iTunes and set my phone up as new. If the battery still drops quickly it would point to a hardware issue, if not then software.

 

[Knight3]

For the last 5 years I have been using an iPad Mini 2 to surf the web with Chrome on the couch. Even with a 5 year old battery, I would be able to do it for a long time, often not charging it for 3 days or more.

That iPad is now gone (RIP) so I started using my iPhone 6S more for web surfing. The phone is 3+ years old but the battery is relatively new. I had a new battery installed at the Apple store less than a year ago for a discounted price ($25 I believe) due to some issue that you probably already know about.

Right now the Battery Health says that it is at "Maximum Capacity - 97%" and "Peak Performance Capability".

So here is the problem: I can literally watch the battery percentage decrease as I use the iPhone to surf the web. It will go down faster than 1% per minute of use. Sometimes even faster. Last night I had 64% when I sat on the couch at 9PM and with limited web surfing while watching TV the phone was dead by 11PM. I don't remember it being like this over the last 3 years, it seems to be only over the last few months. Could this be some type of software change?

Something was seriously wrong with one of the iOS 12 updates. I believe it was 12.0.1 when I had a similar situation even when the battery was at 97% health. The percentage would drop in front of my eyes while doing nothing but a tap to keep the screen ON and had to charge multiple times a day. Other times it'd drop in chunks even while on Standby. Repeated battery calibration and setting up as new didn't change anything.

So I took my 6s to an Apple Store and they ran the diagnostics and said everything was fine and wanted me to pay an extra $29 to have it replaced. They sent me home with a reset as if I don't know how to DFU restore an iPhone. I wrote a scathing review about my experience with the store and the manager called me regarding the issue. He said he noticed some unusual spikes in the battery consumption during the past 9 days and it represents a faulty battery even when the iOS thinks it's healthy. So he offered to replace the battery for free and I'm a happy user again.

 

[solidify]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

I am in New Jersey which means there are many malls with Apples stores, but this sit he absolute worst time to go to them. I will have to wait until a couple weeks after Christmas. Even then, it's a 3-4 hour ore-deal.

The phone is up to date software wise. I installed the iOS fresh and clean right after they installed the new battery last April. I just closed all the open apps (Home button twice then swiped them all out) and I hard-reset the phone (hold Home and Power button).

Maybe this will help. If not, is there anything else I can do before taking it to the Apple store?

 

[Knight3]

You should never close an app manually unless you're sure it's misbehaving. It hurts the battery contrary to the popular opinion. Just minimize the app and let the iOS worry about the multitasking.

Even if you restored the iPhone they'd still send you back with a fresh setup as part of their procedure. Just tell them to run the diagnostics and check the usage for the last few days for any unusual spikes. If they're still reluctant to swap the battery for free, just bi*ch about your experience in your feedback/review and that'd get their attention. The store manager would call you back.

 

[C DM]

You should never close an app manually unless you're sure it's misbehaving. It hurts the battery contrary to the popular opinion. Just minimize the app and let the iOS worry about the multitasking.

Even if you restored the iPhone they'd still send you back with a fresh setup as part of their procedure. Just tell them to run the diagnostics and check the usage for the last few days for any unusual spikes. If they're still reluctant to swap the battery for free, just bi*ch about your experience in your feedback/review and that'd get their attention. The store manager would call you back.

Well, in some cases some apps can continue doing something in the background that you might not care for and might want to close them to stop them. Ultimately doing it one way or the other isn't really going to have that much of a significant effect on the battery really, short of perhaps really going fully to one extreme or the other.

 

[Knight3]

Well, in some cases some apps can continue doing something in the background that you might not care for and might want to close them to stop them.

That's why I said unless an app is misbehaving you do not need to force close it.