iPad mini Retina iPad Mini Battery Usage Not Accurate

[varsityhero]

Hi everyone. I've been having an issue with the battery usage time on my Retina iPad Mini. I've even erased everything and set it up brand new, not from a back up, and it's still having the issue. The usage time for the battery isn't accurate. In the attached screenshot, it says standby is 2 days and 19 hours and usage time is 9 hours and 30 minutes. I've used the device for maybe 2 hours since the last charge. I'm running iOS version 7.0.6.

I've brought the device to Apple and they told me nothing is wrong with the unit and it must be some sort of software issue that they aren't aware of.

Has anyone else experience this issue and know how to fix it? Thanks.

 

[carjakester]

Its apps and software running in the background, happens to everything, let your iPhone, iPod, iPad, anything sit overnight and it will have some usage. if you don't want it to happen you'll have to turn it off.

 

[varsityhero]

Its apps and software running in the background, happens to everything, let your iPhone, iPod, iPad, anything sit overnight and it will have some usage. if you don't want it to happen you'll have to turn it off.

That can't be true. This doesn't happen on my iPhone.

 

[sammy-boy]

I'm having a similar problem with an iPhone 4S, stated uptime is just over 6 hours, and usage is only slightly less at 6 hours, and I've been asleep the last 4 hours with the phone in airplane mode! Battery draining excessively too.

I wonder if there's an app running in the background in both of our cases, I'm running 7.0.6 also, updated from iOS 6.1.3.

 

[zigzagg321]

I'd be willing to bet that you never or rarely power off your device.

Also, tell us how this erroneous usage stat prevents you from using your iPad.

 

[varsityhero]

I'm having a similar problem with an iPhone 4S, stated uptime is just over 6 hours, and usage is only slightly less at 6 hours, and I've been asleep the last 4 hours with the phone in airplane mode! Battery draining excessively too.

I wonder if there's an app running in the background in both of our cases, I'm running 7.0.6 also, updated from iOS 6.1.3.

I was still having this issue when I restored it brand new and didn't install any apps. So I don't think it's an app in the background.

I'd be willing to bet that you never or rarely power off your device.

Also, tell us how this erroneous usage stat prevents you from using your iPad.

I always leave it in standby mode, aka never fully power it off. It isn't preventing me from using it. I guess you can just call me anal lol

 

[saberahul]

That can't be true. This doesn't happen on my iPhone.

Depends on apps. You could have apps that fetch data while your iPad is a sleep. You may not have the same ones on the phone. In that case, your phone would just fetch emails from time to time and go about the normal phone routine (incoming calls and such). Perfectly normal.

Also, how does the number matter? If you get about 10 hours of normal usage - that fits Apple's claim. Who cares if the device shows 100 hours of usage or 1 minute.

 

[colodane]

I have this problem also with my 64 GB cellular Retina Mini. I posted a note here about it a few days ago, but no resolution yet.

On mine the problem is even more severe. The usage and standby numbers are exactly the same, even though the actual usage is a small fraction of the standby time! For example, it might show 3 days 13 hours standby and 3 days 13 hours usage.

My old iPad 2 cellular and iPod Touch display normal numbers with 95% the same apps. I've tried turning off the new apps and disabling all the background app refresh, but that made no difference.

The battery life itself is fine.

Next steps will be hoping for an iOS 7.1 miracle or calling Apple.

Running 7.04 on Mini, 7.06 on iPod Touch and 6.0 on iPad 2.

 

[varsityhero]

Depends on apps. You could have apps that fetch data while your iPad is a sleep. You may not have the same ones on the phone. In that case, your phone would just fetch emails from time to time and go about the normal phone routine (incoming calls and such). Perfectly normal.

Also, how does the number matter? If you get about 10 hours of normal usage - that fits Apple's claim. Who cares if the device shows 100 hours of usage or 1 minute.

I have just a handful of apps on my iPad and I have background app refresh turned off for all of them. The number matters because I want to know the accurate usage time of my iPad. It's there for a reason... to provide that data to us and it's not accurate.

I have this problem also with my 64 GB cellular Retina Mini. I posted a note here about it a few days ago, but no resolution yet.

On mine the problem is even more severe. The usage and standby numbers are exactly the same, even though the actual usage is a small fraction of the standby time! For example, it might show 3 days 13 hours standby and 3 days 13 hours usage.

My old iPad 2 cellular and iPod Touch display normal numbers with 95% the same apps. I've tried turning off the new apps and disabling all the background app refresh, but that made no difference.

The battery life itself is fine.

Next steps will be hoping for an iOS 7.1 miracle or calling Apple.

Running 7.04 on Mini, 7.06 on iPod Touch and 6.0 on iPad 2.

I'm glad to hear I am not the only one having an issue! The battery life isn't an issue for me either. I just want it to work though!

 

[colodane]

Finally some progress with this issue.

My iPad Mini Retina, as indicated in a previous post, was indicating the same time for operating and standby, even though it was in standby most of the time.

Pulled my hair out on this one. Disabled all the automatic app refresh settings without result. Put the iPad in Airplane mode when sleeping - no improvement.

Finally quit all the running apps by flicking them up from the running app horizontal display. Then verified that the operate and standby clocks were again working as expected.

Then turned on a few apps at a time until I noticed the problem recurring. When I found the problem group, I turned them off one at a time until the problem went away. I found the problem App.

In my case it was an App called Dataman Pro version 5.1. This app apparently activates the iPad CPU often enough when sleeping, even without WiFi or Cellular running, to register as a continuously running app. The actual battery drain is minuscule, but it certainly screwed up the Usage Clocks. Hadn't suspected this app, as I had been happily using it on my iPad 2 for a couple years running iOS 6 without any problems.

I see that Dataman has a newer version available, but I'm passing on it and deleted this app from my iPad - can get along without it.

So for others with a similar problem, can't say what the app is that is causing it, but the methodology of quitting all apps and then slowly adding them back should be able to identify the culprit. Hint: it probably isn't a mainstream Apple app, but something new or obscure.

 

[sammy-boy]

Has updating to 7.1 fixed the problem for those whom it's not a rogue app?

 

[AdonisSMU]

I have this problem also with my 64 GB cellular Retina Mini. I posted a note here about it a few days ago, but no resolution yet.

On mine the problem is even more severe. The usage and standby numbers are exactly the same, even though the actual usage is a small fraction of the standby time! For example, it might show 3 days 13 hours standby and 3 days 13 hours usage.

My old iPad 2 cellular and iPod Touch display normal numbers with 95% the same apps. I've tried turning off the new apps and disabling all the background app refresh, but that made no difference.

The battery life itself is fine.

Next steps will be hoping for an iOS 7.1 miracle or calling Apple.

Running 7.04 on Mini, 7.06 on iPod Touch and 6.0 on iPad 2.

If you leave your apps open and they end up running in the background of course they will have different usage numbers.