14 DAY TRIAL // Reports are beginning to surface regarding the latest battery tests under iOS 7.1.1 and, not surprisingly, not everyone is reporting good mileage. While this can be related to an infinite number of factors, it may just be that Apple has stopped trying to address the situation.
Last week we reported that iOS 7.1.1 appeared to have finally addressed battery drain woes for iPhone users, despite the company making no mention of such fixes being included with the new firmware.
Admittedly, claims of iOS 7.1.1 changing battery life are scarce, and now new reports are surfacing implying that some users are still affected by hogging bugs.
If this issue has been plaguing you as well and the latest update doesn’t seem to be making a difference, it may be time you paid Apple a visit. Or you could consider upgrading your device.
Following widespread complaints coming from iOS 7.1 users regarding a potential battery drain flaw in the firmware, former Apple Genius Scotty Loveless took it upon himself to post a massive guide for solving this issue. His instructions involve common-sense tweaks, mostly consisting of don’ts, such as don’t close apps that you use on a regular basis.
One of the noteworthy tweaks proposed by Loveless is to disable location and background app refresh for Facebook. Apparently, the social network is one of the primary reasons behind battery drainage on iPhones, and it’s reasonable to assume that most people complaining about losing power rapidly are also Facebook users (as pretty much everyone is on Facebook).
But if none of the proposed fixes works for you, it may be the first solid indication that your phone is dying. Rechargeable Li-ion batteries, such as the ones used in iPhones, iPads, laptops, and everything else these days, have a limited life span. For iPhones, that life span is about three years, and that’s if you’re using the phone correctly.
Considering that people wielding newer devices (iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPad Air, etc.) are posting far less complaints than their old-gen brethren (iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPads 2 and 3), it may be reasonable to assume that older units will exhibit battery drainage regardless of the firmware they’re using.
Plus, you can’t expect Apple to spend time and resources optimizing its newest software for the aging A4 processor in the iPhone 4. Otherwise, what’s the point of launching an all-new iPhone with a blazing-fast chip every year?
Disclaimer
This is a Personal Thoughts piece reflecting the author’s personal opinion on matters relating to Apple and / or the products associated with the Apple brand. This article should not be taken as the official stance of Softpedia on Apple-related matters.