Apple prepares battery drain fix for iOS 5

Apple is to issue a fix for a bug in its iOS 5 software that cuts battery life for some users, the company has said.

In a statement reported on Wednesday, Apple said a "small number of customers have reported lower-than-expected battery life on iOS 5 devices". These devices include the iPhone 4S, and iPad 2, along with earlier models that have been upgraded to run the new version of the OS.

"We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks," Apple said.

On the same day, the company also gave developers access to iOS 5.0.1, which supposedly fixes the problem while also resolving iCloud syncing problems and security, while adding multitasking gestures for users of the first generation iPad.

The battery life problem was reported by many users after iOS 5 came out, triggering a widespread discussion about the best way to mitigate the drainage, pegged by some people as running at 15 percent an hour.

Suggestions have generally revolved around disabling various functions and services, including notifications, iCloud, location services, time zone adjustment, Bluetooth, Ping and diagnostic reports.