14 DAY TRIAL // Apple may need to get more serious about iOS 8 beta testing as more and more users are reporting huge battery consumption levels with their shiny new iPhone 6 devices. However, it’s also possible that the ball isn’t in Apple’s court at all.
A number of early iPhone 6 adopters are reporting severe battery drainage with their new handsets, especially those who are wielding Plus models. It’s somewhat ironical, considering that the device promises more battery life thanks to a larger battery. However, these people are reporting an experience that’s very different from the one advertised by Apple.
Not everyone is having the same issues
For example, a user identified as svenpav on Apple Support Communities claims his phone exhibited severe power drainage until he decided to turn off WiFi calling.
“6 days have gone by and my phone is still working fine and battery lasts all day... Turning off WiFi calling fixed my battery drain without a doubt. You would think Apple tested this before the release," this person reports.
Ocatty1 chimes in to say, “I have the same problem with the battery draining, I can literally watch it going down and I'm not doing anything! I have changed all the settings and it still hasn't fixed it for me! We don't have Wi-Fi calling in NZ so I don't know what else the issue could be.”
On a separate thread, user Jonjiking claims to have noticed battery drain after applying iOS 8.1, a firmware update that actually promised to alleviate all the woes reported up to that point.
He goes to explain that a 97% charge went all the way down to 56% “after deleting a few emails [and] sending a text message.”
“And then after a 20 minute tube journey when as usual I looked online a bit on the wifi, I came out with 33%!” this user adds. “Im really keen for Apple to address the battery problem because the main reason I chose the 6 plus is for the battery life. Clearly something is wrong,” he concludes.
A full factory reset may do the trick
The problem may not fully reside in iOS 8 itself, but also in the data restore following the upgrade. It may be that these users simply need to perform a fresh restore and start anew by adjusting all their settings manually again, re-downloading their favorite apps, and storing their photos and videos on an external medium until they’ve finished the setup.
Apple has so far remained mum on any potential battery issues, but we’ve been able to confirm at least one problem in the power management department that may be tied to iOS exclusively.