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Apple's iOS 6.1 reportedly causing 3G and battery issues for some iPhone users

post #1 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 
A little over two weeks after Apple released iOS 6.1, a number of iPhone users are reporting battery drain and overheating issues possibly related to the newest update, while Vodafone UK sent out a warning telling iPhone 4S owners not to upgrade to the latest OS version as it has been found to cause 3G performance.

iOS 6.1


While the extent of the 3G problems Vodafone reported is unknown, multiple Apple Support Community threads exist regarding battery drain and overheating issues, which appear to be affecting a number of iPhone models.

The Support Community forum battery drain and overheating problems after updating to iOS 6.1. Reports are conflicting, however, as one iPhone 5 owner saw a drain of 35 percent overnight, while an iPhone 3GS user said Apple's latest update actually boosted battery life.

In Vodafone's warning, the British carrier noted that iOS 6.1 is causing intermittent problems with iPhone 4S models, causing the handset to experience 3G-related issues with making calls, sending texts and accessing the company's data network. The telecom said Apple is working on a fix, but failed to elaborate further on the matter.

From Vodafone's release regarding iOS 6.1:

Hi everyone,

We?re aware of an issue caused by Apple iPhone 4s handsets that have been upgraded to iOS 6.1 which impacts performance on 3G.

Some customers may occasionally experience difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or to connect to the Internet. Apple is working on a solution to their software issue. These connection problems are intermittent.

While Apple?s investigations continue, we would recommend that anyone who has not yet installed iOS 6.1 on their iPhone 4s should delay doing so until Apple has confirmed that their problem has been fixed.

Apple released iOS 6.1 on Jan. 28, bringing a host of bug fixes and feature enhancements like added LTE support to its mobile operating system.
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post #2 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:30pm
Count me in the battery drain category... I schlepp around a portable battery to recharge the phone during the day. I have seen as much as 10% drop in less than 30 mins... You'd think by now Apple would have a handle on these battery issues. Yes, yes, I know that no phone is perfect, yada, yada, yada, but damn...
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post #3 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:38pm
I know my 5 has had crappy battery life from day one compared to my 4. Neither update has improved battery life. I am a light user with very little surfing and mostly email and some puzzle games.
Edited by WelshDog - 2/8/13 at 2:44pm
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post #4 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:39pm
Geez, not again. Please. Oh we'll, you can always buy one of them juice packs!
Look what the cat dragged in: Mavericks!
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Look what the cat dragged in: Mavericks!
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post #5 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:40pm

It's not the phone,  it's the OS. Yes other phones have battery issues too, but that's usually because the OS wasn't integrated to the hardware in the 1st place. Apple shouldn't have this problem, so it could only be the software's fault.

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post #6 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:49pm

Using a 4S with iOS 6.1 here in the U.S. No battery drain, no overheating, and no 3G problems (I have 4G with AT&T).

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post #7 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:50pm

I wonder what's more likely: every single version of the software destroying people's battery life or people not knowing how to treat their batteries and what features use what power.


Originally Posted by drobforever View Post
Apple shouldn't have this problem, so it could only be the software's fault.

 

Or not their fault at all.

Suddenly Newton
I actually use my phone. It's not some self-esteem crutch.
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Suddenly Newton
I actually use my phone. It's not some self-esteem crutch.
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post #8 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:51pm

Have the afflicted tried the IT Crowd solution: Have you tried turning it off and on again?

 

A couple of times, over years and different iPhones, I came across similar behavior which power cycling fixed. Could have been any random combination of OS behavior and apps, but nothing frequent or predictable.

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post #9 of 60
2/8/13 at 2:54pm
I can't remember an OS update or an iPhone update in which battery was not an issue.
My battery life is better with iOS 6.1 and better than I got with the 4. Only difference might be that I do not leave LTE on- I use when speed is really needed.
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post #10 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

I wonder what's more likely: every single version of the software destroying people's battery life or people not knowing how to treat their batteries and what features use what power.

 

 

Or not their fault at all.

Even with only a few models there's no way Apple can test every possible edge case of user configuration/carrier/local network condition/running apps etc. I don't believe that Apple's software is anymore buggy than anyone else's, but when you're operating on the order of hundreds of millions of users, even a problem affecting a hundredth of a percent of users still impacts tens of thousands of people, which with the internet, only a few need to be vocal for it to be a big news story.

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post #11 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

 

 

Or not their fault at all.

 

Are they holding it wrong?

Household: MacBook, iPad 16gb wifi, iPad 64gb wifi, iPad Mini 32gb, iPhone 4S 32gb, iPhone 32gb, iPod Touch 4th gen x2, iPod touch 16gb gen 2, iPod nano 16gb gen 5 x2, iPod nano gen 3 8gb, iPod...

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Household: MacBook, iPad 16gb wifi, iPad 64gb wifi, iPad Mini 32gb, iPhone 4S 32gb, iPhone 32gb, iPod Touch 4th gen x2, iPod touch 16gb gen 2, iPod nano 16gb gen 5 x2, iPod nano gen 3 8gb, iPod...

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post #12 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post
...while Vodafone UK sent out a warning telling iPhone 4S owners not to upgrade to the latest OS version as it has been found to cause 3G performance.
 

 

Exactly what is "3G performance"?

 

Is that anything like AI can't afford taking a couple minutes to proofread their copy so it has been found to have grammar? /s

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post #13 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:10pm
Wow, I've had the exact opposite experience. My battery life appears to be substantially improved with 6.1 over 6.0.1 on my iPhone 5. I had not installed 6.0.2 because I read the issues with battery life. Was nervous about moving to 6.1 but actually battery life was the biggest improvement I saw.

I had installed 6.1 through iTunes as a full restore - no restoration from backup - and set up the phone as "new". Otherwise, I use WiFi but do not use Bluetooth. After similar use, from 100% in the morning, I end the day around 75%. Before 6.1, I would end at around 55%.
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post #14 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

I wonder what's more likely: every single version of the software destroying people's battery life or people not knowing how to treat their batteries and what features use what power.

 

Sure that could be it.

In my case the only thing that changed was the phone.  My apps stayed the same and the way I use them stayed the same.

I will also point out that in order for the guy to activate my phone he had to put it on a charger for 10 minutes before it would boot up.  So it is possible that my battery has an issue - or not.  Phone was purchased new in late December.

 

The only way to really know would be for us to have an app that reports current draw on every running app.  Apple hasn't given us that yet.

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post #15 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:22pm
Every time you have somebody claiming battery issues with each IOS release. I really think people need to get a life and find real things to complain about. You have a pocket computer in your hand for crying out loud!
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post #16 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:23pm
Originally Posted by cycomiko View Post
Are they holding it wrong?


Well, they'd be charging it wrong, which is completely possible to do.

Suddenly Newton
I actually use my phone. It's not some self-esteem crutch.
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Suddenly Newton
I actually use my phone. It's not some self-esteem crutch.
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post #17 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:41pm

Whenever I do an iOS upgrade I always perform a reset of my network settings.

 

I did this when I upgraded the Girlfriends 4S ... and it's working fine with 3G and her battery has only dropped 11% in 15hr of light use

 

I don't know what the circumstances experienced by the people with issues are, but on prior occasions I always found that when I reset the network settings my battery drop problems disappeared (almost like the settings are slightly incompatible, or get corrupted)

 

As for Vodafone 3G issues .. well .. it's Vodafone .. enough said

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post #18 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by drobforever View Post

It's not the phone,  it's the OS. Yes other phones have battery issues too, but that's usually because the OS wasn't integrated to the hardware in the 1st place. Apple shouldn't have this problem, so it could only be the software's fault.

The problem is the battery size. The battery of the iPhone is 3x smaller than the battery of a galaxy note 2. Not only that, the iphone's screen is brighter and the phone itself is 2 to 3 times faster/more powerful than the note2.

 

No matter how much optimazed it is, Apple should adress this. However, it's amazing that the iphone has better battery than the note 2 when performing intensive tasks.

 

1000 vs 3000.

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post #19 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:52pm

Wonder if we are seeing a collation between usage of hardware power (cell hardware such as 4GLTE) to battery technology vs thinness?  The thinner the battery the less capacity it has for its size (footprint) in the phone.

An Apple man since 1977
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An Apple man since 1977
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post #20 of 60
2/8/13 at 3:56pm
I did notice my 1 week old iPhone 5 after the update running a bit warm yesterday. I had 3G turned off but noticed it was showing 3G as on in the signal indicator at top. I went into settings to check, and the control panel switch said off. I switched on then off again and the top signal indicator switched to Edge. My battery drained by 50% in only 3 hours.
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post #21 of 60
2/8/13 at 4:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post

I know my 5 has had crappy battery life from day one compared to my 4. Neither update has improved battery life. I am a light user with very little surfing and mostly email and some puzzle games.

The 4s and 5 have "crappier" battery life than the 4 because the formers are more powerful than the latter, thus consume more battery. iPhone 4s and 5 have much much much better battery compared to other high-end Android devices. 

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post #22 of 60
2/8/13 at 4:08pm

Not happening for me. iOS 6.1 makes my phone snappier and the battery seems to be better. 

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post #23 of 60
2/8/13 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cycomiko View Post

 

Are they holding it wrong?

Lame jokes are still lame. 

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post #24 of 60
2/8/13 at 4:22pm

Being adventurous, I decided to JB my iP4S, only to have problems with screen brightness. Got thoroughly naffed off, so I DFU'd the phone and re-installed iOS6.1 and restored from back. Then I turned off the phone, switched it back on then did a hard reset (Power & Home buttons held down until the Apple logo appears).

 

Thankfully, no battery or overheating issues and no degradation of signal.

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post #25 of 60
2/8/13 at 5:14pm
Here we go again.

Some humorless, angry poster will call for Tim Cook's resignation.
Another will claim this would never happen under Steve Jobs.

"Can't innovate anymore my ass!" -- Phil Schiller

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"Can't innovate anymore my ass!" -- Phil Schiller

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post #26 of 60
2/8/13 at 5:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

Or not their fault at all.

 

Whenever I read your posts, I'm reminded of the statements of the Iraqi Information Minister during the Iraq War.
 

"There are no American troops in Baghdad!" [said with several advancing American tanks clearly visible in the background].

 

 

"There are no problems with the iPhone for which Apple is to blame! None! The detractors are all just using it wrong!"

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post #27 of 60
2/8/13 at 5:38pm
Both my iPhone4 and iPad Gen2 have problems after the latest iOS6.1 update. iPhone4 suddenly warms up for almost 3hrs before totally drain of bat juice! iPad works for one week after update and suddenly lost 3G with the top corner show "No SIM"! What is going on?
iMac i7
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iMac i7
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post #28 of 60
2/8/13 at 5:45pm

A day after updating to the GM build of 6.1, I started getting "No SIM" errors. At first, rebooting the phone fixed this, but yesterday that stopped working so I did a network settings reset. That seemed to do the trick until this morning when it happened again. This time I did a full restore. So far it's acting normal, but it acted normal for hours/days before throwing up the No SIM error, so we'll see.

 

Didn't see this in any of 6.1's beta builds, so not sure what's going on. Might be something wrong with my phone itself, but the timing is a bit suspect.

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post #29 of 60
2/8/13 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by spiced View Post

Both my iPhone4 and iPad Gen2 have problems after the latest iOS6.1 update. iPhone4 suddenly warms up for almost 3hrs before totally drain of bat juice! iPad works for one week after update and suddenly lost 3G with the top corner show "No SIM"! What is going on?

 

Just saw your post after commenting. I'm seeing the same error on my 5, so I guess it's not just my phone then.

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post #30 of 60
2/8/13 at 6:25pm
I had the battery and the heat problem too after installing 6.1 on my iphone5
In the same apple community forum the proposed solution was to drop/add Exchange account. That helped. I don't even loose single percent overnight.
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post #31 of 60
2/8/13 at 6:33pm

damn it... I want Apple to bring back 3.2.2 if i remember correctly..  That was the best...less brain drain version ever.  Since 4.1, battery been killing the phones.  They always add useless features to cause battery to drain even more.

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post #32 of 60
2/8/13 at 7:11pm
Verizon 5 and 4S. No noticeable issues with battery life. Fully cycled both batteries after installing 6.1
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post #33 of 60
2/8/13 at 7:35pm
The problems like those always has existed. So.. not surprising.
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post #34 of 60
2/8/13 at 9:49pm

Well. Looking forward to 6.1.1.

"Can't innovate anymore my ass!" -- Phil Schiller

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"Can't innovate anymore my ass!" -- Phil Schiller

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post #35 of 60
2/9/13 at 12:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cycomiko View Post

Are they holding it
Time for something more original, aping is bery passe, this one is getting very stale and boring.
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post #36 of 60
2/9/13 at 1:00am
Apple needs to do some serious firing. Every update decreases battery life or some other bs problem. Gone are the days they made sure things worked correctly before releasing. Maybe they need to go back to connecting to iTunes for updates. And not just incremental. Seriously it is ridiculous.

I just updated my airport express last night and what a pain that turned out to be. It would not let me reconnect any devices so I had to do a hard reset on both units and reconfigure.
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post #37 of 60
2/9/13 at 1:06am
Another thing that probably kills the battery is that every time you unlock your device it records your gps coordinates. You see your gps turn on for a short while. Also When you are connected to wifi and lock the device it disconnects from wifi and connects to cellular. What, why? It then switches back to wifi when you unlock. Retarded.
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post #38 of 60
2/9/13 at 3:30am

D'oh! Just upgraded to 6.1 yesterday and have already started noticing battery issues (I'm on O2).  Should've looked at the forums first..,

 

Come on Apple - sort it out!

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post #39 of 60
2/9/13 at 5:19am

According to 9to5Ma(c), AOL Corporate has identified one battery-hogging bug in the latest iOS update that has forced them to disable meeting management via iPhones.

 

 

AOL’s corporate Enterprise Messaging Operations team has been monitoring a rapidly increasing and unusually large volume of traffic across our enterprise mail environment originating from iOS devices running the new iOS 6.1 update. We have researched this problem and appears to be connected to a recently identified issue that seems to cause these iOS devices to continuously loop while synchronizing a recurring calendar meeting invitation. Similar problems have been reported by a number of sources to several media outlets across the Web in the past few days. While our team continues to work productively and rapidly with Apple and Microsoft to resolve the issue, it has been necessary to temporarily disable the ability to accept or manage calendar meetings using mobile devices to ensure that we maintain the integrity of our corporate enterprise messaging platform. Since this change is limited to managing calendar invitations, by disabling them temporarily we allow our employees to continue to experience the excellent productivity these devices bring to our enterprise until this issue is resolved.

The iOS 6.1 bug causes a “continuous loop” when meetings are attempted to be managed. This leads to a degraded iOS device performance and battery life experience.

 

 

melior diabolus quem scies

"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012

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melior diabolus quem scies

"No theatrics and no more personal attacks, just stick to the logic and tell me why I don't have any argument ~ Jragosta/2012

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post #40 of 60
2/9/13 at 5:55am
I downloaded iOS 6.1 and have been unable to update apps and the general speed of both wifi and 3G is greatly reduced. Can't even open pictures in Facebook without a few minutes waiting.
The whole iPhone experience, the reason were all so smug next to other phone users had been erased in one update. Not for the first time apple has p*ssed off its customers.
I've had every model iPhone and I'm due upgrade at the end of feb and was looking forward to the iPhone 5, however I'm not so sure any more.......
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