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iPhone 5 battery issue - Possible Fix?

F

flynnst0ne

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 14, 2008
184
7
I just got back from the Apple store due to battery issues with my iPhone 5.

I was told by one of the Apple genius's that there is a problem with the iOS 6 boot loader through iTunes, and in order to tell if my battery issue is Software or Hardware related, they recommended to re-install iOS 6 through DFU mode.

I'm gonna give that a shot tonight to see if that resolves my battery problem, and if not, i'll swap out my phone tomorrow.

Anyone else been told this, and if so have you had success?
 
flynnst0ne said:
I just got back from the Apple store due to battery issues with my iPhone 5.

I was told by one of the Apple genius's that there is a problem with the iOS 6 boot loader through iTunes, and in order to tell if my battery issue is Software or Hardware related, they recommended to re-install iOS 6 through DFU mode.

I'm gonna give that a shot tonight to see if that resolves my battery problem, and if not, i'll swap out my phone tomorrow.

Anyone else been told this, and if so have you had success?
Click to expand...

What is DFU mode?
 
flynnst0ne said:
I just got back from the Apple store due to battery issues with my iPhone 5.

I was told by one of the Apple genius's that there is a problem with the iOS 6 boot loader through iTunes, and in order to tell if my battery issue is Software or Hardware related, they recommended to re-install iOS 6 through DFU mode.

I'm gonna give that a shot tonight to see if that resolves my battery problem, and if not, i'll swap out my phone tomorrow.

Anyone else been told this, and if so have you had success?
Click to expand...

For the record my friend swapped out his phone and is getting 9 hours usage now, when before like me (and many others I know personally) we literally would get about 4 1/2 hours usage till dead.

So... Im gonna try restoring through DFU mode first (as the OP suggested) and if that doesn't work Im going IN!!!!
 
imaginethiss said:
For the record my friend swapped out his phone and is getting 9 hours usage now, when before like me (and many others I know personally) we literally would get about 4 1/2 hours usage till dead.

So... Im gonna try restoring through DFU mode first (as the OP suggested) and if that doesn't work Im going IN!!!!
Click to expand...

Let me know if this works for you, i'd be interested to see if this is an iOS issue, or if it's hardware.

I just did the DFU restore, and installed the iOS 6 ipsw file manually. I'll see how it works after a full days use tomorrow and will report back.
 
After you did the DFU restore...did you or can you restore you files/data from backup or do a clean install?


Where did you get the direct iOS 6 firmware?
 
Last edited:
lol i remember when the 4s came out every one talked about "battery life issues"...yeah those never got fixed...i think as iphone contines to evolve, it will lose battery life untill a new type of longer lasting battery can be implimented
 
I downloaded the IPSW file from here

http://osxdaily.com/2012/09/19/ios-6-ipsw-direct-download-links/

Once you've installed fresh, i believe you can restore your apps and contacts via iTunes, but to be on the safe side i set it up as a new phone.

----------
thecurryman said:
lol i remember when the 4s came out every one talked about "battery life issues"...yeah those never got fixed...i think as iphone contines to evolve, it will lose battery life untill a new type of longer lasting battery can be implimented
Click to expand...

There's clearly some sort of battery issue with some of the new iPhones, either Hardware of Software related. I'm only getting 3.5hours of usage on a full charge, and my buddy with his new phone is getting 8+
 
flynnst0ne said:
There's clearly some sort of battery issue with some of the new iPhones, either Hardware of Software related. I'm only getting 3.5hours of usage on a full charge, and my buddy with his new phone is getting 8+
Click to expand...

i feel like its a software thing then...i mean cuz ios6 really drains battery...it feels like with every update apple puts more and more settings that will drain your battery...
 
Guys its the LTE that sucks the battery. THis is nothing new. Android users have had this for years. Thats why so many have back up batteries. This is why jobs always said LTE not needed for cellphone. Just no way to keep long life battery overtime unless bigger size in it. Its not the software your speaking off and DFU not going to fix
 
camaroIOM said:
Guys its the LTE that sucks the battery. THis is nothing new. Android users have had this for years. Thats why so many have back up batteries. This is why jobs always said LTE not needed for cellphone. Just no way to keep long life battery overtime unless bigger size in it. Its not the software your speaking off and DFU not going to fix
Click to expand...

Listen.... we know LTE uses more power.. WE GET IT.. we really do... but nonetheless it is not NORMAL by any means to get 3-4 hours of usage till dead. Especially when people we know, and others on the net "that have everything on" are avg between 7-9 hrs usage... there is clearly something wrong!!
 
imaginethiss said:
listen.... We know lte uses more power.. We get it.. We really do... But nonetheless it is not normal by any means to get 3-4 hours of usage till dead. Especially when people we know, and others on the net "that have everything on" are avg between 7-9 hrs usage... There is clearly something wrong!!
Click to expand...

exactly
 
What exactly happens in DFU mode?

I don't want to lose all my saved data. How would I go about doing this and bringing my phone back to it's current state.
 
I was having sme battery issues as well but a restore and fresh install seemed to fix it for me. It was a pain in the ass to reload all my apps but it allowed me to get rid of some of the ones I never use. I got 9 hrs 28 min of usage and 13 hrs 35 min of standby with LTE and most of my notification settings turned off.
 
DaGrandMastah said:
What exactly happens in DFU mode?

I don't want to lose all my saved data. How would I go about doing this and bringing my phone back to it's current state.
Click to expand...

You would need to create a backup, and then restore. I would suggest using iTunes. You'd also need to re-sync music, etc.

In DFU mode, it erases and re-writes the entire firmware. It takes a bit longer than the normal method, but is useful for reinstalling the same version of the firmware that is on the phone.
 
I noticed that on my 4s after the update to iOS 6 the battery life dramatically decreased to about 5 hours. Then after I got the iPhone 5 and did a restore from backup from my 4s, the same thing was happening. My roommate also got an iPhone 5, and restored from backup of a 4s, but was getting about 8+ hours. So I compared to find an app or setting that I had and she didn't. I turned off Foursquare radar notifications, and then let the phone die until it turned off. After charging back up to 100%, I now get about 8 - 10 hours of battery life under heavy usage. I think it has to be a glitch in iOS 6 handling apps that constantly locate you and notify you about location based events. Also try calibrating the battery by letting it die until it turns off, then recharge completely.
 
After the DFU restore last night, and manually installing the IPSW file, i ran the battery down to 1% and recharged to full overnight.

This morning it seems to be holding a bit better, however the 'Usage' feature to track activity since last charge, within Settings, is not working now for some reason.

I'll be able to tell by end of day if the DFU restore helped or not.
 
Last edited:
flynnst0ne said:
After the DFU restore last night, and manually installing the IPSW file, i ran the battery down to 1% and recharged to full overnight.

This morning it seems to be holding a bit better, however the 'Usage' feature to track activity since last charge, within Settings, is not working now for some reason.

I'll be able to tell by end of day if the DFU restore helped or not.
Click to expand...

Sorry Guys I dont think I have good news:

Without DFU:

Without%20DFU.jpg


With DFU:

With%20DFU.jpg


:( Im going in tonight!
 
imaginethiss said:
Listen.... we know LTE uses more power.. WE GET IT.. we really do... but nonetheless it is not NORMAL by any means to get 3-4 hours of usage till dead. Especially when people we know, and others on the net "that have everything on" are avg between 7-9 hrs usage... there is clearly something wrong!!
Click to expand...

How are we sure others are not just lying or not using it like people here. If you play music for a couple of hours with the screen off your usage on the usage screen will increase by 2 hours and drop less than 5%. You could probably play music for close to 2 days continuous with the screen off.
 
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