Should we be taking our chargers to work?

[daiichi]

I can't go anywhere without my iPhone charger. I'm charging it just as much as I'm using it. I don't know what happened to the battery for the iPhone 5 but it's not that good.

I can update you guys with screenshots of actual battery usage if need be.

Basically I wake up at 6AM, this phone needs to be charged before lunch. After lunch, it needs to be charged 3 hours later.

And the usage isn't that heavy. Call time on this phone is 19 hours in it's entire lifetime.

 

[eyoungren]

Hmmm, I don't need to but I've got a few things that a jailbreak has given me that's helping. Still, I can only manage about 24 hours. I charge every night anyway as I use my iPhone as an alarm clock.

Because of the tweaks I have my cellular radios are off when I'm on WiFi which is usually most of the day since I am usually only at work or at home. I know that's made a big difference as Sprint's 3G is pretty bad and my iPhone is always trying to work with it.

Location Services also tends to be a battery sucker.

 

[daiichi]

It's funny because I felt like I was the only one who was constantly bringing my charger with me at my office desk but when I think about it, other people with iPhone do that too.

I used to be able to be okay if I left home without a charger. But now, it just won't last.

I definitely won't hesitate to get another phone I can't wait to get rid of this 5. The battery won't deal.

 

[Nermal]

I keep a charger at work but most days I don't need it. With heavy usage I may get the "20% left" warning about an hour before I head home, but that's comparatively rare.

Do you have weak coverage in your location? The weaker the signal, the more power the phone uses (although it doesn't help that the phone is silly enough to scan for other networks while it's happily using the current one).

NB: I'm using a 4S.

 

[ftaok]

It's funny because I felt like I was the only one who was constantly bringing my charger with me at my office desk but when I think about it, other people with iPhone do that too.

I used to be able to be okay if I left home without a charger. But now, it just won't last.

I definitely won't hesitate to get another phone I can't wait to get rid of this 5. The battery won't deal.

Are you using the Facebook app? It doesn't play nice in the background. It's always checking for updates and killing the battery.

Try killing the FB app when you're not using it. Or use FB through safari.

 

[phr0ze]

I used to be able to be okay if I left home without a charger. But now, it just won't last.

Me too. I loved it. But now I have to start charging at 2PM or I won't make it through the evening.

When I'm shopping for a new phone this Fall, I will definitely be looking for other things, rather than just picking Apple.

Battery life is heavy on usage. And these days its not measured in talk time. But the statements you make about switching phones because you don't get the life you want is silly. iPhone 5 has excellent comparable battery life. http://www.iosdoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Samsung-Galaxy-S4-vs-iPhone-5-battery-life-04.png

 

[ItBeMe22]

You may have had a bad Battery from the get go. Any type of phone can have that. Batteries are on the cheap side if you stay away from apple. Stick in a new one. Chargers are super cheap so get one for work and leave it there.

 

[daiichi]

Actually the main reason I bought the iPhone 5 was because I thought it would have better life. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which I was doing that whole "order a battery online install it yourself" thing.

 

[Applejuiced]

Mine lasts easy a whole day. I charge it at night and I use it plenty.
If you think the iphone 5 battery is bad wait till you try a few androids.

 

[tgi]

I can't go anywhere without my iPhone charger. I'm charging it just as much as I'm using it. I don't know what happened to the battery for the iPhone 5 but it's not that good.

I can update you guys with screenshots of actual battery usage if need be.

Basically I wake up at 6AM, this phone needs to be charged before lunch. After lunch, it needs to be charged 3 hours later.

And the usage isn't that heavy. Call time on this phone is 19 hours in it's entire lifetime.

My iPhone 5 lasts from 8AM until midnight with normal usage. Does coverage at your work suck?

 

[daiichi]

My iPhone 5 lasts from 8AM until midnight with normal usage. Does coverage at your work suck?

Yes.

Mine lasts easy a whole day. I charge it at night and I use it plenty.
If you think the iphone 5 battery is bad wait till you try a few androids.

oh.



And well I was just thinking do you ever look at someone weird when they always bring their charger everywhere they go? I would think Apple would disapprove of the idea of needing to take your charger with you wherever you go. That's the thing about phones, they're supposed to be mobile.

 

[tgi]

And well I was just thinking do you ever look at someone weird when they always bring their charger everywhere they go? I would think Apple would disapprove of the idea of needing to take your charger with you wherever you go. That's the thing about phones, they're supposed to be mobile.

I don't see any issues with carrying your charger. You'll never know when you'll need power. Better safe than sorry. I can't imagine why anyone would give someone grief over bringing a charger with them.

 

[eyoungren]

Are you using the Facebook app? It doesn't play nice in the background. It's always checking for updates and killing the battery.

Try killing the FB app when you're not using it. Or use FB through safari.

I use the FB app. I don't get this experience, even when left open. And when it's closed I still get push notifications which don't eat the battery either.

 

[Small White Car]

I have had 5 different iPhones over the past 6 years.

I have always had to have a charger at home, at work, and in my car. Every model, every OS version, every location around town.

That's just how it is and, quite frankly, I think these "all day on one charge" people are just a fairy tale.

 

[eyoungren]

And well I was just thinking do you ever look at someone weird when they always bring their charger everywhere they go? I would think Apple would disapprove of the idea of needing to take your charger with you wherever you go. That's the thing about phones, they're supposed to be mobile.

I guess it's different experiences. My first cellphones I had no issues going for a couple of days or so. So, I was completely confused when I got my first WinMo phone and had to have it on a charger by the end of the work day.

Now it's not an issue anymore. My i5 lasts through the day. If I'm going to be using it I'll bring my lightning cable with me to work, but ordinary use doesn't suck much battery.

Lots of people here at work either have charging cables or docks.

 

[tgi]

That's just how it is and, quite frankly, I think these "all day on one charge" people are just a fairy tale.

Well I'm on of those people that only needs to charge their phone once a day and don't need to carry a charger to survive.

You either A) Are on your phone 23 hours out of the day or B) Have crappy service which kills the battery in standby.

 

[Shrink]

That's just how it is and, quite frankly, I think these "all day on one charge" people are just a fairy tale.

Well I'm on of those people that only needs to charge their phone once a day and don't need to carry a charger to survive.

I, too, am another fairy...er...fairy tale guy.

I have no trouble getting through a day on an overnight charge. Now, admittedly, I am not on the phone all day. I would think that usage and service are the issue...and blanket statements about battery drainage, absent those issues, doesn't make sense to me.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

That's just how it is and, quite frankly, I think these "all day on one charge" people are just a fairy tale.

I only have to charge my iPhone overnight most days. I just got around to getting a second lightening cable for my car charger in preparation for some summer road trips.

Perhaps it's because I'm a student so my phone is in my bag or my pocket during class? I also kill apps fully after each use. I also don't talk a lot and have decent LTE service or I'm using campus wifi.

 

[aristobrat]

I can't go anywhere without my iPhone charger. I'm charging it just as much as I'm using it. I don't know what happened to the battery for the iPhone 5 but it's not that good.

The battery life for my iPhone 5 is less than the battery life of my iPhone 4s.

I've never really worried about it because Verizon's LTE network (that my iPhone 5 uses) is almost always 1-2 bars lower in signal than Verizon's 3G network (that my iPhone 4s used).

I just assume my iPhone 5 is having to work a lot harder to compensate for their crappy LTE network around where I live/work, and that's going to cost battery.

 

[matheweis]

...quite frankly, I think these "all day on one charge" people are just a fairy tale.

My iPhone 5 will last for more than 2 days straight on a single charge - and that includes my day-to-day usage of making a couple phone calls, checking e-mail, etc.

A few things I've heard of that can kill your battery life:
1) you have a bad signal all the time
2) you're constantly using 3G/LTE
3) you're constantly using WiFI; e.g. streaming music or something
4) you use Exchange (or Google's version of it) with push notifications
5) you have Location services on all the time (using geofences or some such).

 

[daiichi]

Wish there was an app that could tell me everything about my phone usage in layman's terms. Oh well.

My iPhone 5 will last for more than 2 days straight on a single charge - and that includes my day-to-day usage of making a couple phone calls, checking e-mail, etc.

A few things I've heard of that can kill your battery life:
1) you have a bad signal all the time
2) you're constantly using 3G/LTE
3) you're constantly using WiFI; e.g. streaming music or something
4) you use Exchange (or Google's version of it) with push notifications
5) you have Location services on all the time (using geofences or some such).

I won't be bothered to turn location services on and off throughout the day. I just leave it on because I like what it does for me. Neither will I switch between cellular networks and WiFi, the phone should be doing that by itself.

Other than that, isn't the phone supposed to be always connected, always online?

 

[S.B.G]

I have had 5 different iPhones over the past 6 years.

I have always had to have a charger at home, at work, and in my car. Every model, every OS version, every location around town.

That's just how it is and, quite frankly, I think these "all day on one charge" people are just a fairy tale.

My 4S has been off the charger since 6am local time, and it's about 11 hours later now and my battery is at 77% remaining still. I have a charger in my truck and at work, but I very rarely ever use them.

 

[Carlanga]

If your coverage sucks then get one of those AT&T boosters that connect to the internet or change cell providers.

The facebook app also sucks lots of battery right now due to a leak.

 

[cualexander]

I have had 5 different iPhones over the past 6 years.

I have always had to have a charger at home, at work, and in my car. Every model, every OS version, every location around town.

That's just how it is and, quite frankly, I think these "all day on one charge" people are just a fairy tale.

If I start the day with a full charge, and keep the screen brightness moderately low, I can easily make it to 10 or 11pm without charging it up. And I'm on it all the time. The iPhone 5 screen is brighter than just about every other phone out there from the reviews I've read and I've personally found that screen brightness is the biggest battery killer. That's why I cringe when I see testers compare phone batteries with all the phones on full brightness. It's not a fair comparison at all and if you leave the iPhone on full brightness then, yes, the battery life isn't stellar, but it's not necessary when indoors.

 

[daiichi]

My 4S has been off the charger since 6am local time, and it's about 11 hours later now and my battery is at 77% remaining still. I have a charger in my truck and at work, but I very rarely ever use them.

I want your iPhone.