Apple inquires with users about iPhone OS 3.1 battery life
With various reports of poor iPhone battery life following the 3.1 OS update, Apple has reportedly begun asking users about its experiences and usage habits in an attempt to address the issue.
AppleCare workers allegedly have a list of 11 questions they have e-mailed to customers in order to help identify battery issues. According to The iPhone Blog, the note also includes an unsigned attachment that enables battery life logging on the iPhone. The application syncs battery life information with iTunes and then shares the data with Apple.
Users are reportedly being contacted after posting in the Apple support discussion forums, with questions focusing on battery-eating tasks such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and push e-mail. One specific question cited asks "When you notice a power drop, does it seem to be a legitimate power drop, or rather an issue with the battery icon indicator?"
Users who install the Battery Life Logging application are reportedly asked to go a few days without syncing, and are also told they should disable the application once the information has been submitted to Apple. This issue allegedly stems from the file size of the battery life logs.
Earlier this month at its media-centric event, apple launched iPhone OS 3.1, bringing a Genius recommendation system for App Store software, along with a number of bug fixes. The software update also added ringtones from major labels directly into the iTunes application on the phone.
Any changes could come this week, as Apple is expected to release a new firmware update on Friday, Sept. 25, when multimedia messaging is due to be enabled for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS on AT&T. Officials with the wireless carrier said the update will be available as a download from iTunes. However, there have been some reports of users having MMS functionality enabled on their phone, regardless of the firmware number they currently have installed, leading some to believe it is not OS dependent.
AppleCare workers allegedly have a list of 11 questions they have e-mailed to customers in order to help identify battery issues. According to The iPhone Blog, the note also includes an unsigned attachment that enables battery life logging on the iPhone. The application syncs battery life information with iTunes and then shares the data with Apple.
Users are reportedly being contacted after posting in the Apple support discussion forums, with questions focusing on battery-eating tasks such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and push e-mail. One specific question cited asks "When you notice a power drop, does it seem to be a legitimate power drop, or rather an issue with the battery icon indicator?"
Users who install the Battery Life Logging application are reportedly asked to go a few days without syncing, and are also told they should disable the application once the information has been submitted to Apple. This issue allegedly stems from the file size of the battery life logs.
Earlier this month at its media-centric event, apple launched iPhone OS 3.1, bringing a Genius recommendation system for App Store software, along with a number of bug fixes. The software update also added ringtones from major labels directly into the iTunes application on the phone.
Any changes could come this week, as Apple is expected to release a new firmware update on Friday, Sept. 25, when multimedia messaging is due to be enabled for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS on AT&T. Officials with the wireless carrier said the update will be available as a download from iTunes. However, there have been some reports of users having MMS functionality enabled on their phone, regardless of the firmware number they currently have installed, leading some to believe it is not OS dependent.
Comments
In the UK when we upgraded to 3.0 and the phone connected to the carrier for the first time we got a text message that said O2 would now enable MMS. A few minutes later we received an MSS message from O@ saying it was enabled.
I've never been contacted, but then I haven't complained- yet. I've never had good battery life. I did read letting the phone die, twice in a row would do the trick. It seems to have some impact, but I never have 3G enabled, keep brightness down to about 50%, and have forgone my Borg-like earpiece and use a headset.
I find battery life really frustrating with an otherwise great phone.
it's a decent phone and the battery is pretty good when you account for everything it does, but there are too many posting on forums telling people to restore as new.
Apple admit you made a balls of 3.1, and issue a fix for WiFi very quickly.
Just read the article, WTF Apple!? No mention.... No admission?
If Apple don't mention WiFi in this article I'll be "VERY" disappointed. Several people have called Apple with no WiFi after 3.1, Apple will not admit 3.1 is the problem - but it is.
Apple admit you made a balls of 3.1, and issue a fix for WiFi very quickly.
Just read the article, WTF Apple!? No mention.... No admission?
what is the wifi issue? the bug with long passwords is still there
what is the wifi issue? the bug with long passwords is still there
Thousands of people have noticed after updating to 3.1 they have no WiFi whatsoever, they simply cannot connect. Most times when I turn on wifi my network doesn't appear, and the few times when it does I try connect I get the message "unable to connect....". It's a widespread problem with no solution yet.
Resetting your WiFi stuff or even restoring the phone doesn't fix the issue. It's an issue with 3.1 itself. Like I say Apple won't admit this, but it is the issue. Apple will bring out 3.1.1 in a while and there will be no mention of the issue, yet miraculously it will be fix - that's the hope anyway.
Some people have even had the issue since 3.0, and 3.1 didn't fix it for them. More people got the issue with 3.1 however. Reading the threads of on the Apple discussion forums one guy even mentioned getting a replacement phone 4 times and each time he got the issue on each phone.
Some people suggest changing settings on your router, which I actually find insulting. You update your phone and some people are somehow convinced the issue is their router? Sometimes you got to wonder with this user base? No backbone.
I noticed my signal in general had been shit since the update, so I figured it was a 3G thing.
I disabled 3G and restarted the phone. After a day with no issues, I turned 3G back on. It's still been fine. I'm back to charging it over-night and it being fine for a full day of use.
I wonder if the carrier settings file that was supposed to disable tethering jacked things up for some.
Most times when I turn on wifi my network doesn't appear, and the few times when it does I try connect I get the message "unable to connect....". It's a widespread problem with no solution yet.
Does this happen on your home network? I'm just curious because I have two networks I set up myself, (one at home and one at my weekend place). I have never had this problem on my home networks, but I HAVE had this problem at places that offer free wi-fi and such. Either everything LOOKS fine but it will simply not connect to a free wi-fi spot, or I get the error message you point out above. I always just figured it is a problem with the wi-fi at that particular spot.
Also, when you say "...my network doesn't appear..." do you mean that the iPhone gives you a choice of networks and your network doesn't appear in that list? Or do you mean something else? I haven't read through the discussion groups but I was just trying to figure out if you are having a problem with SEEING networks or JOINING networks.
Thousands of people have noticed after updating to 3.1 they have no WiFi whatsoever, they simply cannot connect. Most times when I turn on wifi my network doesn't appear, and the few times when it does I try connect I get the message "unable to connect....". It's a widespread problem with no solution yet.
Resetting your WiFi stuff or even restoring the phone doesn't fix the issue. It's an issue with 3.1 itself. Like I say Apple won't admit this, but it is the issue. Apple will bring out 3.1.1 in a while and there will be no mention of the issue, yet miraculously it will be fix - that's the hope anyway.
Some people have even had the issue since 3.0, and 3.1 didn't fix it for them. More people got the issue with 3.1 however. Reading the threads of on the Apple discussion forums one guy even mentioned getting a replacement phone 4 times and each time he got the issue on each phone.
Some people suggest changing settings on your router, which I actually find insulting. You update your phone and some people are somehow convinced the issue is their router? Sometimes you got to wonder with this user base? No backbone.
my wife bought a 3G back in february and with OS 2.2.1 i could get on my home and work wifi
i have a 3GS and I can get on my home wifi, the unofficial one at work but the real work wifi has a very long password and the 3GS won't authenticate.
my home is an old linksys router. i think it's 5 years old or maybe even older. the unoffical one at work is some really old Lucent I think. and the real one at work is a corporate Cisco product. it was like this on 3, 3.0.1 and 3.1. My guess is that it's something in the 3.x software. even then the standard is just a guideline and everyone does things differently and you can expect some problems like this
one problem i had was when i restored as new last time i first wiped my phone clean on my phone and then connected it to my laptop. had all kinds of problems including the battery life going crazy low and my phone getting hot all the time. few days later i restored as new again but this time did it all from itunes and turned my wifi off before i started. everything works great, battery life seems to have improved and the phone is deathly cold most times. even during heavy use. my guess is there is an issue of file locking similar to what you have in Windows and you have to tinker with it to restore properly. and always restore as a new phone
Does this happen on your home network? I'm just curious because I have two networks I set up myself, (one at home and one at my weekend place). I have never had this problem on my home networks, but I HAVE had this problem at places that offer free wi-fi and such. Either everything LOOKS fine but it will simply not connect to a free wi-fi spot, or I get the error message you point out above. I always just figured it is a problem with the wi-fi at that particular spot.
The problem is the OS, not the network. Notice you never get this crap on your laptop - if you have one. I never got this before 3.1, I know the issue is 3.1. It's not the router, there are thousands of people like me with this issue. I'm an not going to even talk about my network or router anymore, as I said I find it insulting.
Thousands of people have noticed after updating to 3.1 they have no WiFi whatsoever, they simply cannot connect. Most times when I turn on wifi my network doesn't appear, and the few times when it does I try connect I get the message "unable to connect....". I
I find that this particular "feature" exists since 3.0.
2.x picked up my WiFi in no time, with 3.0 I have to launch either WiFi Track of go into the settings to trigger a search. Then it connects fine though.
Another thing that they might want to enable again, is the possibility of activating tethering for those ones of us, who are lucky enough to have an OFFICIALLY unlocked phone on a carrier that does not give a monkey's about tethering. They do exist.
I can understand that they dont want to allow this on the official carriers that want to charge extra. Keepi it if you feel like it. But allow those of us who have an officially unlocked phone to excercise our choice. You can easily set that up by comparing the SIM card in the reader with an XML file of all carriers. Enocde that list iof you want to.
In turn I might upgrade to the newer version and send you my crash logs. But Apple - you gotta give me sth in return....
I have noticed problems with the wifi. It will just drop, even when I'm standing next to the router. I have to turn off the wifi on the phone and back on then it's fine. Very unpredictable.
The problem is the OS, not the network. Notice you never get this crap on your laptop - if you have one.
I've taken my MBP to one or two places with wi-fi. My iPhone goes to hundreds of places.
I never got this before 3.1, I know the issue is 3.1. It's not the router, there are thousands of people like me with this issue. I'm an not going to even talk about my network or router anymore, as I said I find it insulting.
OK, fine. I was just asking a few questions. I'm sure there is something in the OS that is doing this. But I don't think it is as cut and dried as you suggest. Thousands may be having this problem, but I suspect millions are not. Obviously something else is going on too, especially if you have no wi-fi, 100% of the time which you seem to be saying.