Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Facebook Aware of iOS App Battery Life Drain Issue and Working on a Fix
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Or, you know, let people live their lives deciding what works for them which doesn't affect anyone else.
Facebook today acknowledged its awareness of an issue raised by a few iOS users last week, who saw large amounts of battery drain on their iPhones while the social networking app ran in the background, even with background app refresh toggled off. Speaking with TechCrunch, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the company's awareness of the bug and promised a fix would be in place "soon."
MacRumors Forum member Oridus suffering from the Facebook battery drain bug
A number of Facebook users have commented on the issue of background battery drain over the past week, with users on the MacRumors Forums posting about the issue as far back as last Thursday. One poster (seen above) saw Facebook responsible for a dramatic 39 percent battery usage over a six day period, despite having background app refresh set to off.
Several sites have attempted to theorize on the cause behind the overzealous battery drain, including MacStories, hypothesizing that the reason behind the bug could be silent audio emanating from the service's auto-playing videos. Since most people don't bother with turning off auto-play, Facebook could be keeping a muted audio track running in the background with users largely unaware, letting it run and "consume energy to perform background tasks" even after leaving the app.
The company itself hasn't commented on the source of the bug, but at least those affected can look forward to a fix for it in the future.
Article Link: Facebook Aware of iOS App Battery Life Drain Issue and Working on a Fix
Here's a hint for the Facebook dev crew. It's been a problem since I upgraded to OS 8. It's killed two batteries in my 4S outright... and when I upgraded to a 5S hoping to leave the problem behind... it followed me.
It's about frackin' time.
It's about frackin' time.
Have you considered closing the app after using it or alternatively using Facebook in Safari instead given how much of an issue it seems to be in your case?
I haven't noticed anything. But I don't use it that often and I usually clear open apps. Does that help or are they really still running back there somewhere?
Edit: actually just looked and last 5 days twenty percent of battery has been Facebook.
Edit: actually just looked and last 5 days twenty percent of battery has been Facebook.
If you close them (clear them) then they can't run in the background.
It doesn't matter whether the app is closed or not. It's the background refreshing that's draining the battery...
I'd never thought of going in via Safari, but then I assumed that Safari would have to be left open all the time to get alerts and the full Facebook webpage would be a drain on my data plan.
Well, background refresh can be disabled for the app (or even in general). As for the app running in the background, once background refresh is disabled for it (or in general), it won't be able to do that if it's closed.
Not only is it a battery hog, but a data pig as well.
Honestly, I don't want to buffer and automatically play every bloody video in the news feed. 95% of it is garbage to me anyways.
I think I might take some people's advice and just not really bother with Facebook anymore. It's a difficult decision because so many people insist on using it as a primary means of communication these days.
Honestly, I don't want to buffer and automatically play every bloody video in the news feed. 95% of it is garbage to me anyways.
I think I might take some people's advice and just not really bother with Facebook anymore. It's a difficult decision because so many people insist on using it as a primary means of communication these days.
You can disable auto-play of videos in the settings within the app (as well as on the web site).
And incidentally or accidentally forward clickbait links full of ads and no content (or content stolen from other websites).
Or to push some political agenda.
p.s. It will be interesting for someone to estimate the total power people wasted on the Facebook app due to this background thing. Facebook may be responsible for burning a large amount of fossil fuels.
Last edited:
Yeah, don't blame the thief, don't blame the raper. It's the houseowner who forgot to put 10 padlocks on the door and the girl who was too sexy.
Except that if you leave it in a tab/window in safari it will also suck your battery dry. Funny enough, it's the very reason I dropped in to comment on this article. I couldn't figure out why my battery was draining at the rate of about a percent every two minutes while I was using the phone. Turns out my wife had borrowed my phone and logged into facebook in Safari! Lesson learned. I also deleted the app from my phone a year or two ago. Haven't missed it really.
One of the best decisions I've made was to think ... and NOT open a Facebook account when they launched.
It was my first impression that was a bit haunting. The fact that Facebook would not let you in to look around, but instead you faced a blank window that made it all too easy to open an account, giving up your info before you knew what you were getting into.
Fast forward to today. The fact I don't use and have never used Facebook is something that some people are in total disbelief about. A fact I find terribly amusing and rather satisfying.
To each his/her own. Nothing odd or strange about it one way or another.One of the best decisions I've made was to think ... and NOT open a Facebook account when they launched.
It was my first impression that was a bit haunting. The fact that Facebook would not let you in to look around, but instead you faced a blank window that made it all too easy to open an account, giving up your info before you knew what you were getting into.
Fast forward to today. The fact I don't use and have never used Facebook is something that some people are in total disbelief about. A fact I find terribly amusing and rather satisfying.
I am a Safari Facebook user. And I can happily tell you that: Safari doesn't push you any notifications, don't drain your battery that much, and it doesn't count background refresh.
So here it is.
