Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

saintforlife

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
1,046
329
I was looking at the Mophie Juice Pack for the iPhone 4 and thought it has a very attractive design. I am not familiar with how juice packs work. So please indulge me. Will the phone first use the phone battery and then switch to the case battery after it runs out? Is there a way to toggle it on and off so that I only use the case battery when needed? Also I put a juice pack case on my iPhone, will it affect the iPhone battery's long term life in any way by always using the battery from the pack and not discharging the iPhone battery at all unless I go really long without charging?
 
Why not check with the manufacturer?

From http://www.mophie.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/juicepack-air-iPhone4-manual-eng.pdf (link is on the product page):
If your iPhone is drained of power, the juice pack will first charge your iPhone. If your iPhone is fully charged, the juice pack will act as your primary battery and no power will be lost from the iPhone internal battery until the juice pack is depleted. So you keep on talkin’, rockin’, surfin’ and sendin’!

If you’d rather use your internal battery and not the juice pack, use the switch on the lower-left corner of the juice pack, to put it into stand-by mode. The dot near the switch will indicate whether the juice pack is in stand-by mode (red) or charging mode (green). When your internal battery is low, simply flick the switch On and your iPhone will begin charging immediately.

*Note: Using the stand-by switch will give you even more total battery life, as the iPhone uses
additional power to be on a constant charge.

Also I put a juice pack case on my iPhone, will it affect the iPhone battery's long term life in any way by always using the battery from the pack and not discharging the iPhone battery at all unless I go really long without charging?
Again, check with the manufacturer. In many cases the info is out there. Your iPhone has no idea what power source you're connecting to it. Battery care and feeding is battery care and feeding.
http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html
 
I was looking at the Mophie Juice Pack for the iPhone 4 and thought it has a very attractive design. I am not familiar with how juice packs work. So please indulge me. Will the phone first use the phone battery and then switch to the case battery after it runs out? Is there a way to toggle it on and off so that I only use the case battery when needed? Also I put a juice pack case on my iPhone, will it affect the iPhone battery's long term life in any way by always using the battery from the pack and not discharging the iPhone battery at all unless I go really long without charging?

iPhone battery charge cycle will not be used since the battery pack will supply electricity directly.

However, there are a few more factors other than just charge cycles.

Such as temperature which will be affect by the thick cover and heat from the extra battery.
 
I was looking at the Mophie Juice Pack for the iPhone 4 and thought it has a very attractive design.

I am not familiar with how juice packs work. So please indulge me. Will the phone first use the phone battery and then switch to the case battery after it runs out?

No. When a battery pack (any battery pack) is used, the iPhone stays in a "perpetual state of charging". That is to say it will use up the charge in the mophie juice pack and then start draining the battery of the iPhone itself.

Is there a way to toggle it on and off so that I only use the case battery when needed?

No, there is not. Not with current models, although this is a decent idea.

Also I put a juice pack case on my iPhone, will it affect the iPhone battery's long term life in any way by always using the battery from the pack and not discharging the iPhone battery at all unless I go really long without charging?

Apple states that you should discharge your battery monthly. You don't have to let it go down to completely dead, but 5-10% is ideal. Unless you are using a TON of power, I personally wouldn't recommend using the juicepack, unless of course you go multiple days without a charge. You could also allow the juicepack to drain, allow your iPhone to drain (~5%) and then charge it over night. The juicepack and the iPhone SHOULD be fully charged by morning, assuming you leave them be for 5-7 hours.

I personally use a zaggsparq. It is essentially an extra battery charger that stores an extra 4 charges (closer to 3.5 real world use) on board and takes 9 hours to charge from dead to full. It's light and fairly small, so I feel like it is more convenient than a juicepack which is ALWAYS on the phone. It fits easily in a coat pocket and snugly in pants pockets, but will do in a pinch.
 
I bought the Mophie Juice Pack several years ago for my iPhone 5 and it worked great for me and I had my iPhone 5 for over a year then I upgraded to iPhone 6 Plus and gave my phone to my sister who had an old iPhone 4. I live in Florida while she lives in a colder climate in Ohio. I. Sent the phone with the Mophie to her during the winter. She claims after several months, the Juice Pack started draining the iPhone 5 and eventually killed her iPhone 5, but again you have to understand there are many variables that could have caused this issue: She has Teenagers, she works in extreme cold, her kids or her couldve dropped her iPhone (although she may not willing to admit she did anything wrong) or maybe it's the difference between the climates.

Also maybe something happened during shipment of the phone to her and it was shipped during cold weather in the original box then Packed in another UPS box. All I'm saying is when I had the Mophie I had no issues with it and I even bought another Mophie for my iPhone 6 Plus worked great, except with this Mophie the charge on my phone I did notice that the internal iPhone 6 Plus battery seemed to drain faster and I was charging the phone more offen. Plus I was noticing that Mophie wasn't charging the phone to full power like it did with iPhone 5 did. Anyway the take away to all of this is Any third party device you buy for an Apple product you're taking a chance with it, and also like any chargeable battery, will eventually need to be replaced after awhile. I will buy the new Waterproof Mophie and check it out, maybe it'll be better then the old iPhone 6 Plus Mophie (which I still have and sitting in a drawer).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
I bought the Mophie Juice Pack several years ago for my iPhone 5 and it worked great for me and I had my iPhone 5 for over a year then I upgraded to iPhone 6 Plus and gave my phone to my sister who had an old iPhone 4. I live in Florida while she lives in a colder climate in Ohio. I. Sent the phone with the Mophie to her during the winter. She claims after several months, the Juice Pack started draining the iPhone 5 and eventually killed her iPhone 5, but again you have to understand there are many variables that could have caused this issue: She has Teenagers, she works in extreme cold, her kids or her couldve dropped her iPhone (although she may not willing to admit she did anything wrong) or maybe it's the difference between the climates.

Also maybe something happened during shipment of the phone to her and it was shipped during cold weather in the original box then Packed in another UPS box. All I'm saying is when I had the Mophie I had no issues with it and I even bought another Mophie for my iPhone 6 Plus worked great, except with this Mophie the charge on my phone I did notice that the internal iPhone 6 Plus battery seemed to drain faster and I was charging the phone more offen. Plus I was noticing that Mophie wasn't charging the phone to full power like it did with iPhone 5 did. Anyway the take away to all of this is Any third party device you buy for an Apple product you're taking a chance with it, and also like any chargeable battery, will eventually need to be replaced after awhile. I will buy the new Waterproof Mophie and check it out, maybe it'll be better then the old iPhone 6 Plus Mophie (which I still have and sitting in a drawer).
[doublepost=1483080299][/doublepost]When did this occur.
When did this happen?
 
My friend a few years back was using a mophie battery case for her iphone.
The constant charging, discharging and using up power while pulling power from the phone and then filling it up constantly killed the iphone battery.
Once she took off the mophie case months later the phone wouldn't hold charge for too long and iPhone would die several times a day.
Maybe they updated the charge mechanism or the process behind it now but I still wouldn't advise to use such battery cases.
Never mind the fact that it also hindered her cellular signal and she was getting way better coverage with the battery case off.
 
Question: For those of you who think a battery case shortens the life of the iPhone battery, why then, is Apple selling the Smart Case (other than mo' money)? It works great for my wife who used to complain about batts dying all the time. Now she can go for nearly a week between charges with her normal usage pattern. The case looks somewhat ugly from the back, but it FEELS great in the hand.
 
Question: For those of you who think a battery case shortens the life of the iPhone battery, why then, is Apple selling the Smart Case (other than mo' money)?

Like you said to make money.
You think Apples lab tests and verifies every product and 3rd party accessory they sell to ensure there are no defects?
Or you're on of those that thinks because Apple lists it for sale on their website's store then they could not possibly have any faults?
If a 3rd party accessory has problems its that manufacturers fault and responsibility and not the device is made for as far as liability goes.
 
Last edited:
Like you said to make money.
You think Apples tests out and verifies every product and accessory they sell to ensure there are no defects?
Or you're on of those that thinks because Apple lists it for sale then they could not possibly have any faults?

No need for you to be snarky sonny. At my age, I am experienced enough, and skeptical, if not cynical, enough to know that $$$ is the prime motivator. As an AAPL shareholder again, I'm greatful for that...as a consumer, not so much.

Yes, I'm pretty darn sure they tested their own product. Regardless, if they hard sell it in store with the purchase of the phone, not to mention brand it, then you bet they are on the hook if said product shortens the life of the phone battery and it prematurely needs to be replaced. Before you tell me Im wrong about that, please tell me what law school you graduated from. And no, I'm not a blind fanboy. Example: the new Mac Pro was a regrettable purchase.
 
Last edited:
No need for you to be snarky sonny. At my age, I am experienced enough, and skeptical, if not cynical, enough to know that $$$ is the prime motivator. As an AAPL shareholder again, I'm greatful for that...as a consumer, not so much.

Yes, I'm pretty darn sure they tested their own product. Regardless, if they hard sell it in store with the purchase of the phone, not to mention brand it, then you bet they are on the hook if said product shortens the life of the phone battery and it prematurely needs to be replaced. Before you tell me Im wrong about that, please tell me what law school you graduated from. And no, I'm not a blind fanboy. Example: the new Mac Pro was a regrettable purchase.

Your assumptions are false. I dont need to show you a law degree at my age I am experienced enough to know your claims are inaccurate and with no basis.
They do not need to lab test any 3rd party case or electric accessory products and they are not on the hook for any such defective products produced by other manufacturers. If they are faulty all they will do like they did in the past is remove them from their stores and stop selling them. If your Apple device is still under warranty they will repair or replace even if the battery was killed due to a 3rd party battery case. If you are out of warranty coverage then its your problem.
 
Last edited:
Your assumptions are false. I dont need to show you a law degree at my age I am experienced enough to know your claims are inaccurate and with no basis.
They do not need to lab test any 3rd party case or electric accessory products and they are not on the hook for any such defective products produced by other manufacturers. If they are faulty all they will do like they did in the past is remove them from their stores and stop selling them. If your Apple device is still under warranty they will repair or replace even if the battery was killed due to a 3rd party battery case. If you are out of warranty coverage then its your problem.

I made no false assumptions, but you did. The Smart Case is Apple branded (designed by Apple), not 3rd party. Furthermore, my legal education and experience tells me Apple would very likely be held liable on the facts I presented. As for warranties, there is what is printed by the manufacturer, and there is the law. They are not always the same. Trust me on that one, or do some research on the MMWA, implied waranty, effect of disclaimers, etc. and so on.

If I purchased an iPhone at an Apple store, and, on the recommedation of the salesperson, the case, and assuming for argument, the average battery life for the phone battery is four years, and assuming I followed the instructions, and assuming Apple did not warn me that the case would shorten life of the phone (battery), and the phone battery became unusable after say, two years due to the case, then I am around 99 percent sure that I would prevail on a claim. Either that, or I wasted three years and a hundred grand on a JD. Of course, as a practical matter, unless it went CA, litigation wouldn't be feasible, although there could be a possible UDTPA case. I have almost always had great success in such situations through preparation and stating my case to decision makers, walking out fully compensated. YMW most certainly V.

Back on topic, I plan on cycling the phone battery at least once a month, ditto for the case, and following all other instructions and best practices for bat mgmt. Therefore, I'm not too concerned and in fact, quite happy with the APPLE Smart Case. I just wish they made one for the 7 Plus too. There is a new bat case for the plus coming out from Fuze though, and it also gives you the headphone jack back. Waiting on initial reviews for that one.
 
I made no false assumptions, but you did. The Smart Case is Apple branded (designed by Apple), not 3rd party. Furthermore, my legal education and experience tells me Apple would very likely be held liable on the facts I presented. As for warranties, there is what is printed by the manufacturer, and there is the law. They are not always the same. Trust me on that one, or do some research on the MMWA, implied waranty, effect of disclaimers, etc. and so on.

If I purchased an iPhone at an Apple store, and, on the recommedation of the salesperson, the case, and assuming for argument, the average battery life for the phone battery is four years, and assuming I followed the instructions, and assuming Apple did not warn me that the case would shorten life of the phone (battery), and the phone battery became unusable after say, two years due to the case, then I am around 99 percent sure that I would prevail on a claim. Either that, or I wasted three years and a hundred grand on a JD. Of course, as a practical matter, unless it went CA, litigation wouldn't be feasible, although there could be a possible UDTPA case. I have almost always had great success in such situations through preparation and stating my case to decision makers, walking out fully compensated. YMW most certainly V.

Back on topic, I plan on cycling the phone battery at least once a month, ditto for the case, and following all other instructions and best practices for bat mgmt. Therefore, I'm not too concerned and in fact, quite happy with the APPLE Smart Case. I just wish they made one for the 7 Plus too. There is a new bat case for the plus coming out from Fuze though, and it also gives you the headphone jack back. Waiting on initial reviews for that one.

I see that your supposed legal education did not buy you common sense.
I was talking about Mophie battery cases above.
If its made by Apple then yes the manufacturer (Apple) would be liable.
If its a 3rd party battery case Apple will not cover damages caused by other manufactured battery packs. Recommendation of a salesperson doesnt mean nothing when it comes to warrantied items. You can claim oh your rep told me that battery pack is good so I bought it so now replace my iphone battery for free while Im out of warranty period?
Not going to happen bud.
Use whatever you like, its your risk and your problem. I was just posting personal experience from such battery packs and such cases are very widespread from various users.
You stated the assumption that because Apple sells it on their site or stores it means that every accessory sold is perfect and defect free. And that is false.
 
I see that your supposed legal education did not buy you common sense.
I was talking about Mophie battery cases above.
If its made by Apple then yes the manufacturer (Apple) would be liable.
If its a 3rd party battery case Apple will not cover damages caused by other manufactured battery packs. Recommendation of a salesperson doesnt mean nothing when it comes to warrantied items. You can claim oh your rep told me that battery pack is good so I bought it so now replace my iphone battery for free while Im out of warranty period?
Not going to happen bud.
Use whatever you like, its your risk and your problem. I was just posting personal experience from such battery packs and such cases are very widespread from various users.
You stated the assumption that because Apple sells it on their site or stores it means that every accessory sold is perfect and defect free. And that is false.

I specifically laid out my initial question and subsequent replies regarding the Apple Smart Case, which I bought, not certain third party add ons.

Nevertheless, your assumptions regarding warranties etc., verbal representations of sales advisors, etc., are naive, which is one reason why big corps, and small ones, get away with what they do. Now, if I were to opt for the new Fuze from the startup directly, assuming it ever goes fully into production, then clearly yes, I assume the risk. True, third party items bought from Apple muddies the waters, but not nearly as much as you might think, nor as much as they might disclaim. You just have to know the rules and how to use them. I do. As I said, YMMV.

Can we get back OT now?
 
Question: For those of you who think a battery case shortens the life of the iPhone battery, why then, is Apple selling the Smart Case (other than mo' money)? It works great for my wife who used to complain about batts dying all the time. Now she can go for nearly a week between charges with her normal usage pattern. The case looks somewhat ugly from the back, but it FEELS great in the hand.

I actually held Apple's OEM battery case and surprisingly it was very supple and comfortable. It was obviously thicker, but conformity wise to my hand, it seemed very well thought out in this department. But for pocket carry as I do, it wouldn't work. But definitely a great option.
 
My friend a few years back was using a mophie battery case for her iphone.
The constant charging, discharging and using up power while pulling power from the phone and then filling it up constantly killed the iphone battery.
Once she took off the mophie case months later the phone wouldn't hold charge for too long and iPhone would die several times a day.
Maybe they updated the charge mechanism or the process behind it now but I still wouldn't advise to use such battery cases.
Never mind the fact that it also hindered her cellular signal and she was getting way better coverage with the battery case off.
[doublepost=1483279085][/doublepost]This happened to my iPhone7+.
 
I've had the mophie plus case for the 6s since last spring. It's built like a tank so even though I've dropped the phone , the case gets scuffed and paint peels but the phone underneath looks brand new except for one minor chip on bottom.
The case only charges when I press a button. I try to keep the phone charged between 20-80 percent a day so I use it at least once a day. Before this case I had a cheaper one which broke so by the time I took the phone into Apple to check battery , I had been using a case a year, at least once a day and sometimes twice, pressing the button to recharge before I charged both overnight.

Apple said my battery looked and tested fine. (That said, it was one of the 6s batch with bad serial no so they replaced anyway).
 
Been a mophie user for years. Any loss of battery life in norms of what happens over time with batteries anyway. Its doesn't really speed it up.

Some things I do though...I do periodic run till it drops no battery pack. Do this with pads, my mbp, my camera gear etc as well. I am a firm believer in full battery cycles. From complete death to let chill for recharge.

Case of phone I think the issue is some live in fear of those few hours they all be off the grid for a proper discharge and refill. So they don't do this. To each their own here. Me....I like my off grid time. Don't have to twist my arm to go dark for are hours. Usually weekends. Only people I need to be in contact are wife and kid. All of us in the apartment....I can use and older variant of"FaceTime" for that that doesn't need a device or an internet connection even lol.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.