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

Jmgilliam18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
157
14
Hey guys, new iPhone user here (last 2 weeks) and am loving the iPhone 7+ so far. Coming from a Samsung Note the battery life is amazing.

Question though... at first I would see no drain overnight when unplugged. It would be the same as when I sat it on the nightstand. Or when it was on my desk unused during the day it would be the same as when I sat it down. Now I've noticed it draining some overnight when idle. Last night it drained about 4% (8 hours) and I even had it on low battery usage setting.

Is this normal and how can I narrow down what is causing the drain?

It also seems like it is draining more during use than originally. I wonder if I've changed a setting I don't realize but don't know how to tell for sure.

Thanks.
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
It's normal. I typically lose 2-3% and sometimes 5% overnight and not overly concerned about it. I'd say if it's more than 10% over 8 hours then something was running in the back ground.
 

Radon87000

macrumors 604
Nov 29, 2013
7,777
6,255
If you have charged it to 100% or the battery level is around 98% then it wont drop. Maybe 1%. But if its below 80 then it will drop 4% every 8 hours or so
 
  • Like
Reactions: QueenTyrone

Jmgilliam18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
157
14
If you have charged it to 100% or the battery level is around 98% then it wont drop. Maybe 1%. But if its below 80 then it will drop 4% every 8 hours or so

Thanks. That makes sense. Now that I think about it, the times it has stayed the same it was 100% or high 90's. Lately I've been not charging it overnight so it doesn't run up to 100% and overcharge overnight so it's been around 50-60% at night - last night was 91% and went down to 88%.
 

Jmgilliam18

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
157
14
Does anyone know the rationale behind this? Is this by design?

Good question. No idea.

Maybe because when it's at 100 it could be all the way to 100 or just barely touching 100. Evidently 100% has a bigger range than a typical %
 

BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,032
It is by design - most manufacturers don't report true % ratings past 90% to allow for trickle charging. Battery % is very difficult to get accurately. The 6s+ will continue to charge for up to an hour past 100% --- and I notice it stays at 100% far longer when I do that (using coconutBattery). I too notice that sub 50% it drops to 0% far faster than 100% to 50%.

As far as standby battery life - depends on how far you are from a cellphone tower. If I sleep with 100% reception, I usually have 0% battery loss overnight. If I have 1-2 bars I'll have 3-5% battery loss. At my house, I have 1-2 bars - ever since Verizon did WiFi calling, I have 1-2 bars of cellular with VZW WiFi - and I lose 1-2% overnight.
 

cakebytheocean

macrumors regular
Apr 3, 2017
148
55
So whats the best way to get an accurate line of sight into battery life?

Is there a figure equivalent to android's screen on time?
 

QueenTyrone

macrumors 6502a
Sep 21, 2016
913
1,082
So whats the best way to get an accurate line of sight into battery life?

Is there a figure equivalent to android's screen on time?

Between my battery life app (jailbreak) and the stock battery it's about 3-5% difference, my battery wear is 2% so 98% capacity.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.