iPhone 6s turning off at 10-20%

[Simacca]

I seriously don't think it's the battery that's causing this issue. It's definitely software, my iPhone 6S only started randomly shutting off after I had installed iOS 10. Apple don't know how to fix it, that's why they're replacing batteries. Convenient that this problem only began after the iPhone 7 came out.

I'm sick to death of this, can't even book an appointment to get the battery replaced because none seem to ever be available. 3 calls to Apple and have gotten nowhere.

Some people have reported this problem on iOS 9.3....

 

[CamiMR]

Had my battery replaced! Problem PERSISTS!!!!

My replacement device has just gone all the way down to 1% and only then shut down, so it seems that in my case, where the whole device was replaced, it is fixed!

 

[JohnOCFII]

I went to the Apple Store today, had my diagnosis done, and am in line for a battery once they become available.

Like others, I don't believe the cause is really the battery (or, at least not solely the battery). I can always get my phone to shut down within 1 hour of usage even if I start with a full charge.

Here is my test scenario:

1) Start with a fully charged 6S (purchased just over a year ago, usually charged once a day (overnight)).
2) Go outside. Go for a walk.
3) While walking, listen to podcasts using Overcast. read Twitter using Twitterrific. Phone will shut off with no "low battery" warning within one hour 100% of the time. I don't run. I walk. I complete just under 3 miles usually on this one hour walk.

The problem started THE DAY I loaded iOS 10.0. I've taken the same walk 5 to 7 days a week (when in town) for the last three years. I never had this problem before loading iOS 10.0.

If I attempt to power up the phone, I get the "battery is drained, please plug it in" image. Once I plug it it, the phone will boot after 10-30 seconds. The phone will display approximately the same remaining battery percentage it showed when it died. I have had phone die with as much as 65% battery remaining. It will almost always die before it gets down to 40%.

Something about this combination is a problem. I can listen to Overcast without running the screen for an hour without issue. Having the screen lit seems to be related.

I can walk on a treadmill for an hour using the same Apps, but on WiFi, and the battery will drain normally. If I get to 20% I will get the low battery message.

I can drive in my car for an hour (so not on WiFi) using the same apps, and battery will drain normally. If I get to 20% I will get the low battery message.

Just some additional data points. I will be very surprised (but pleased) if the problem goes away with a new battery.

John

 

[AnZ78]

Apple is full of s***t that it's just the iPhone 6s phones manufactured between Sept-Oct 2015 that are having these battery problems.
My launch day 6s with IOS 9 manufactured in Oct 2015 was replaced in Dec 2015 for these very same battery problems, even though their remote testing showed the battery to be in good health.
My replacement 6s made in December 2015(Serial not included in the recall) is having them as well. Problems started a couple of days after installing IOS 10.

 

[califfo1975]

Apple is full of s***t that it's just the iPhone 6s phones manufactured between Sept-Oct 2015 that are having these battery problems.
My launch day 6s with IOS 9 manufactured in Oct 2015 was replaced in Dec 2015 for these very same battery problems, even though their remote testing showed the battery to be in good health.
My replacement 6s made in December 2015(Serial not included in the recall) is having them as well. Problems started a couple of days after installing IOS 10.

I agree as I started having the problem only after ios10. In my case the behaviour was unbearable and the new unit seems ok; i do not know for how long if it is s/w related even though, in this case, i do not understand why this issue does not occur to everyone.
Cheers

 

[-Maxim-]

Quick summary here: Q9 launch day phone in Germany. Called Apple on Saturday, UPS picked up phone on Monday, it was sent to Czech Republic, got it back with new battery on Friday late afternoon via DHL Express.
Charged it fully over night Friday to Saturday and got around until Sunday evening with one charge ("normale" usage, low power setting starting at 20%) and plugged it in with like 14% left. So far so good.

Let's hope that iOS 10.2 fixes the battery problems from the software side.

 

[ApexDE]

10.2 does fix it completely. A new battery was only part of the solution for me.

I believe the battery issues alone will force Apple to release a new iOS Version today.
My 6s with a fresh battery still used to turn off at around 5-10%
After 10.2b4 it ran all the way down to 1%. Many times now.

So for me, the early-shutdown-problems of the 6s's were not hardware problems alone.

 

[Electrolite82]

I agree,im not convinced it's all down to battery.I never had any problems until iOS 10 and strangly enough it's always Facebook I'm on when it decides to shut down or Facebook and something else.

 

[Dobssi]

Had mine fixed now, not tried exposing it to the cold yet but feels like the battery generally drains slower so far.

 

[tob!]

My 6s turned off at about 8% the other day. Now it seems to have 'calibrated' itself and goes all the way down to 1% again. However (!!!), the battery drops ridiculously fast starting at about 20%. I just had 10% left - looked at photos and browsed in safari for literally just under five (5) minutes until it dropped all the way down to 1%. Is anybody else else seeing this?

-- Today I got 5:30 hrs of usage and < 12 hrs standby according to iOS battery screen. This is insanely bad.

 

[Simacca]

Apple are releasing an update next week that collects battery data to try and solve the problem.

They have finally noticed that people outside of the serial numbers are being affected too.

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/06/apple-diagnostic-iphone-6s-battery/

 

[tob!]

I just installed the latest beta. Let's see if it helps.
It surely seems like a software issue. Then again, I took a look at coconutBattery and I'm already down to 86% capacity after 230 cycles which seems unusual. It's a replacement phone manufactured end of January.

 

[spookit]

such a slow response from apple. if you pull battery info using any available apps, it shows fluctuating battery capacity even on a newly replaced battery. (should be 1800mah but shows 1700 randomly) this phone is gonna show the same shut down problem a year from now.

 

[Cristim74]

My 6S Plus 128Gb suffers from the same symptoms. Sometimes at about 20% battery it just shuts down. Sometimes I can just turn it back on and some other times it shows the empty battery sign and I can only turn it on if I plug the charger. However, after I plus the charger and turn it on, it shows back the 20% battery charge. This turn off issue happens randomly and it started about a month ago. My phone is 14 month old (bought in October 2015).

 

[tob!]

Ok after the coconut calibration an amazing thing happened: My battery jumped back to 92% capacity - then all the way down to 72% and now it has settled at about 77%. I'm pretty sure my battery is toast. Good thing I got Apple Care this time around.

Does somebody know if Apple can run battery diagnostics remotely?

 

[keeper]

My 6S Plus 128Gb suffers from the same symptoms. Sometimes at about 20% battery it just shuts down. Sometimes I can just turn it back on and some other times it shows the empty battery sign and I can only turn it on if I plug the charger. However, after I plus the charger and turn it on, it shows back the 20% battery charge. This turn off issue happens randomly and it started about a month ago. My phone is 14 month old (bought in October 2015).

Mine is the same 6s+ just died at 10%' plugged it in, started and read 12%

 

[BodrogZs]

Ok after the coconut calibration an amazing thing happened: My battery jumped back to 92% capacity - then all the way down to 72% and now it has settled at about 77%. I'm pretty sure my battery is toast. Good thing I got Apple Care this time around.

Does somebody know if Apple can run battery diagnostics remotely?

Yes. Apple can run battery diagnostics remotely.

 

[SpotOnT]

Well, my iPhone 6s was having this problem too. Random shut downs with battery anywhere between 20-50%. Could not restart phone without plugging it in, at which point there would magically still be tones of battery power left. Had the problem with iOS 9.3. Upgrading to iOS 10 did not help.

So anyway, I submitted to have the phone mailed off for repair. I packed the phone up in the box they sent me and followed all instructions. Only after mailing the box back did I think about the fact that the box seemed a little large for my iPhone. it is almost like they sent me a 6s Plus sized box for my 6s. Has anyone else mailed off their phone for battery replacement? Did the box they mail you fit your 6s perfectly or was it a bit oversized like for a 6s Plus?

Anyway, after 9 days I finally got a phone back.....accept it isn't my phone it is a refurbished phone. Apple's note said they had to replace the screen, logic board, and battery so they just sent me a "new" refurbished phone back instead. Glad to finally have my phone but kind of bummed that I got a refurbished replacement instead of my original phone back.

The phone I sent to them was in immaculate condition and shouldn't have needed a screen replacement. I wonder if they sent me the wrong sized box to pack my phone in and the screen got damaged during shipping to them or something....

Would love to hear back from anyone else who had their 6s repaired by mail!

 

[pachuco4life]

Well, my iPhone 6s was having this problem too. Random shut downs with battery anywhere between 20-50%. Could not restart phone without plugging it in, at which point there would magically still be tones of battery power left. Had the problem with iOS 9.3. Upgrading to iOS 10 did not help.

So anyway, I submitted to have the phone mailed off for repair. I packed the phone up in the box they sent me and followed all instructions. Only after mailing the box back did I think about the fact that the box seemed a little large for my iPhone. it is almost like they sent me a 6s Plus sized box for my 6s. Has anyone else mailed off their phone for battery replacement? Did the box they mail you fit your 6s perfectly or was it a bit oversized like for a 6s Plus?

Anyway, after 9 days I finally got a phone back.....accept it isn't my phone it is a refurbished phone. Apple's note said they had to replace the screen, logic board, and battery so they just sent me a "new" refurbished phone back instead. Glad to finally have my phone but kind of bummed that I got a refurbished replacement instead of my original phone back.

The phone I sent to them was in immaculate condition and shouldn't have needed a screen replacement. I wonder if they sent me the wrong sized box to pack my phone in and the screen got damaged during shipping to them or something....

Would love to hear back from anyone else who had their 6s repaired by mail!

I haven't gotten mine back yet, just sent it yesterday. I too noticed that the box seemed to be size for the plus model. Just curious if you received any correspondence from apple before your replacement showed up)

 

[PDLtd]

for you guys who are having these kinds of problems, do the phones usually die when you are outdoors?

i have very similar issues with my 6s and i've noticed that the phone turning off typically happens when the phone is exposed to the cold outside for an extended period of time. i know the 6s has a recommended operating range of above 32 degrees, but i have had this issue even when the temperature is around 40 degrees.

what i'm noticing is that once the phone is exposed to the cold for around 10-15 minutes, the phone will sometimes die out of nowhere (I've seen with battery life anywhere from 10% to 50%) and when i try to turn it on, it shows the battery as empty. but...as soon as i plug the phone back in, the battery will show up with percentage that the battery died at. and the issue is very frequent especially during the winter. any given week, i'd say the phone will die prematurely 3 times usually when i'm outside going from work. i have had iPhones since iPhone 3G and i've never had batteries this sensitive to cold.

Gonna check out the Genius Bar tomorrow and see what they can do.

Hi I also get this issue. Exactly as explained above re turning back in too. I've had it die when at 46% and 53%!!!!! I called support who took me through the usual bs, but problem still exists. I did suspected colder climate made it worse, so reading this confirmed I wasn't just imagining it.

Pain in the butt! Thought about taking it back and getting them to give me a new one as it so unreliable. ESP when you go to event and phone holds the tickets!! I just got in and it died. What if it died 5 min earlier!

 

[SpotOnT]

I haven't gotten mine back yet, just sent it yesterday. I too noticed that the box seemed to be size for the plus model. Just curious if you received any correspondence from apple before your replacement showed up)

Thank you for the note about your return box! It seems kind of silly to mail back all phones in a 6s Plus size box....especially since when they return it to you it comes in a white box properly sized for your 6s..... Do let me know if they replace your screen as well....or if it is just the battery and logic board.

I actually had a really weird experience. Mailed my phone in over Thanksgiving. After waiting about half a week I received an e-mail that my repair request had been cancelled! Then the next day I received another e-mail that Apple had received my phone and would begin repairs. Now this second e-mail also completely changed my repair ID number and repair initiated date. So it would appear Apple canceled my first repair set up after exactly 10 days from when I requested the repair and gave me a new repair ID with a new initiated date. The annoying thing is I know from the fedex tracking that Apple received my phone 3 whole days before they cancelled the repair and 4 whole days before they e-mailed me that they got my phone! No idea what they were doing for those 4 days.

Anyway, I did do an online chat with Apple support about this. After the support staff spent 15 minutes contacting "senior technicians" he finally gave up and told me he has no idea why the original repair request was cancelled or why I was issued a new repair order with a new start date. Very frustrating. I have submitted lots of Macs for repair, but this is my first iPhone repair. It has not been as pleasant as I am used to from Apple.

I also never received a final e-mail when my repair was completed, with return tracking information. The phone just showed up today at my door...

 

[Stq]

Hi, I also wanted to do a mail-in repair. But after I called to set up the repair, I never received the box or any other information from apple. A week later I received an email that the repaire case was canceled. I called again and they said they need to see the proof of purchase (why not just tell me earlier?). A senior advisor collected the proof and purchase and said that the box should arrive within two days. And again two days later nothing happened. I plan to call the senior advisor again tomorrow which is as she told me the time she works.

May I ask if you went through something similar? If not, do you happen to remember how you set up the repair, and whether your device is out of warranty (1 year in US here)? Although I thought this replacement program covers three years while no 6s is 3 years old yet, they seem to have more concerns...

Thank you for the note about your return box! It seems kind of silly to mail back all phones in a 6s Plus size box....especially since when they return it to you it comes in a white box properly sized for your 6s..... Do let me know if they replace your screen as well....or if it is just the battery and logic board.

I actually had a really weird experience. Mailed my phone in over Thanksgiving. After waiting about half a week I received an e-mail that my repair request had been cancelled! Then the next day I received another e-mail that Apple had received my phone and would begin repairs. Now this second e-mail also completely changed my repair ID number and repair initiated date. So it would appear Apple canceled my first repair set up after exactly 10 days from when I requested the repair and gave me a new repair ID with a new initiated date. The annoying thing is I know from the fedex tracking that Apple received my phone 3 whole days before they cancelled the repair and 4 whole days before they e-mailed me that they got my phone! No idea what they were doing for those 4 days.

Anyway, I did do an online chat with Apple support about this. After the support staff spent 15 minutes contacting "senior technicians" he finally gave up and told me he has no idea why the original repair request was cancelled or why I was issued a new repair order with a new start date. Very frustrating. I have submitted lots of Macs for repair, but this is my first iPhone repair. It has not been as pleasant as I am used to from Apple.

I also never received a final e-mail when my repair was completed, with return tracking information. The phone just showed up today at my door...

 

[SpotOnT]

Hi, I also wanted to do a mail-in repair. But after I called to set up the repair, I never received the box or any other information from apple. A week later I received an email that the repaire case was canceled. I called again and they said they need to see the proof of purchase (why not just tell me earlier?). A senior advisor collected the proof and purchase and said that the box should arrive within two days. And again two days later nothing happened. I plan to call the senior advisor again tomorrow which is as she told me the time she works.

May I ask if you went through something similar? If not, do you happen to remember how you set up the repair, and whether your device is out of warranty (1 year in US here)? Although I thought this replacement program covers three years while no 6s is 3 years old yet, they seem to have more concerns...

No the set up was very easy for me. My iphone 6s was purchased from Verizon and is also out of warranty (over a year old).

I set up the repair following the links on Apples website: https://www.apple.com/support/iphone6s-unexpectedshutdown/

I never had to speak or chat with anyone to set up the repair. I just had to turn off "Find My Iphone", enter my serial number, and log in with my Apple ID. After setting up the repair online I got a confirmation email. Later that day I got an e-mail with the tracking number for my shipped (empty) repair box, which showed up the next day.

It is interesting how everyone has such a completely different experience. I still have no idea why sometimes they are replacing battery and logic board and sometimes it is just the battery. Or in my case, it was the display assembly as well!

 

[9Benua]

I just bought my iPhone 6s new from tmobile. It has been used for only 3 days. It shut down just now at 40%. I checked the serial number, its serial number is confirmed on apple site as the one eligible for replacement battery. Obviously, I'm not interested to exchange 3 days old iPhone with refurb. I found this wording on the replacement program

The program covers affected iPhone 6s batteries for 3 years after the first retail sale of the unit.

What does this mean? Does it mean when 6s first launch or when I bought the phone?

 

[bulldoze]

My 6s has been completely unreliable battery wise since about September. It has got to the point where I have to carry around a portable battery charger everywhere I go. I work overseas in Europe and only come back at weekends to see my family so did not want to waste too much time in an Apple store.

I have Applecare+ but they would not swap the phone as the battery check said it was working fine. I am furious with the whole situation - I have a battery replacement booked but I have no idea when I can next make the trip to the Apple store.

What has happened to Apple? 4 years ago they would have swapped the phone without a second thought.

Got the email to bring my 6s in to get the battery fixed and turned up early at the store today - the Technician came straight out and said as I have Apple care they will just give me a new handset. Why they could not have done that the first time I don't know.

Hope this fixes the problem.