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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?

By | November 2, 2011, 7:17am PDT

Summary: Three handsets in a head-to-head drain-off!

[UPDATE: Apple has released the iOS 5.0.1 update which incorporates a bug fix for the battery drain issue. Download via iTunes or over the air.]

I’m hearing a lot of complaints from iPhone owners, specifically owners of the new 4S handset, who claim that they’re not getting good mileage from their battery. But is it the iPhone 4S that’s to blame, or iOS 5?

Want to get more from your iPhone battery? Check out these iOS 5 battery saver tips!

Sascha Segan of PCMag carries out a test, putting a new iPhone 4S running iOS 5 up against an iPhone 4 running iOS 4 and another running iOS 5. The results are interesting in that basically there’s little difference in the time taken for the battery to run out between the three handsets.

  • iPhone 4/iOS 5 - 6 hrs 55 mins
  • iPhone 4S/iOS 5 - 7 hrs 27 mins
  • iPhone 4/iOS 4 - 7 hrs 29 mins

Here’s a timelapse video of the three handsets … I warn you in advance, it’s not that exciting!

Conclusion - It’s iOS 5, not the iPhone 4S.

But … it’s not that clear cut. I’m hearing from some iPhone 4S owners who aren’t seeing any problems, and others who are seeing their battery literally drain away in front of their eyes. Other people are seeing the same issue on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS with iOS 5, while others aren’t seeing any problems at all. Something is going on, that’s for sure, but it’s hard to put a finger on what the issue actually is. Personally, I think the problem comes down to usage, which means that Apple will have to rely on telemetry sent from handsets to narrow down the cause.

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Topics

Apple iPhone, Apple iOS 5, Apple iPhone 4S, Battery, Handset, Cellular Phones, Apple iOS, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
virthddman 8th Nov
Good thing Apple is working on the issue, perhaps the new OS was released a bit prematurely.


Access your home PC from your Apple iOS device by using the 2X client App from
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
tcsi@... 2nd Nov
I have an iPhone 4 with iOS 5. Running CoPilot Live heats it up and dramatically kills battery life. I think it's related to location services-GPS.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
tatiGmail 2nd Nov
@tcsi@... I think it's because of those Flash videos that you are watching all day... oh wait...
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
SplatterFest 2nd Nov
@tcsi@...
Your holding it the wrong way!
0 Votes
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Not funny, since no one at Apple, including Jobs, ever said that phrase
DeRSSS 2nd Nov
@SplatterFest: The actual phrase was that if you experience problems, hold the phone differently. Most of people did not experience any problems with antenna (less than two percentage ever wanted case even when it was offered for free), no matter how they held the phone, so, of course, there was no "wrong way" to hold the phone, and no one at Apple, including Jobs, ever said that phrase.

It is typical media, which are tabloid, twisted the phrase for cheap way to earn clicks.
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Very funny
toddybottom 2nd Nov
@SplatterFest
Some people have no sense of humor.
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iFail: both!
Tim Acheson Updated - 2nd Nov
Both hardware and iOS may be at fault.
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It is something hinky for sure
rhonin 2nd Nov
@Tim Acheson
Before I turned my i4 into an i4Touch, with iOS5 the phone became sluggish but the battery life was relatively unchanged.

Similar on my iPad2 - iOS5 introduced a random keyboard issue - Apple wants to replace it but will not redo the engraving (it was a gift). Issue: the keyboard will randomly close when typing.

Have several peers who have the 4/4S and some have an issue, others not.
It will be interesting when/if Apple finds the answer.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
techconc 2nd Nov
@Tim Acheson

Seriously, why do "haters" with no actual experience with the device feel the need to comment?

As someone that actually has the device for 2.5 weeks now, I'll share my actual usage. Overall, the battery life is actually very, very good. I did experience the battery drain issue last Saturday. There seems to be a software bug relating to location data. Once I experienced the problem, the battery did drain rather quickly. After recharging, it continued to drain. I reboot the phone and all was good again. No problems before that, no problems since. Average every day battery life is certainly better than average for the industry.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
jessespears 2nd Nov
I was seeing rapid battery depletion with iOS 5 on my iPod Touch. I don't think has anything to do with the hardware, it's the OS.

For me, the thing that was causing it was having Notifications turned on for Calendar AND having my calendars sync with my work account (which is using Outlook).

When I opened notifications (swipe down from top of screen), I could occasionally see the calendar section going haywire, posting the same appointments over and over again.

Turning off notifications for the calendar app fixed my problem (I left everything else as it was: Alerts, Badge App Icon on, View in Lock Screen on).
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
ski2dy 2nd Nov
@jessespears - I had this same issue. It's a conflict with Exchange. The genius' at Apple told me to do a complete restore and setup as new phone (not from backup) and it fixed the problem. Somewhat of a hassle setting everything back up, but now I have notifications w/o glitches and great battery life.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
rphunter42 2nd Nov
@jessespears I have an iPhone 4 with IOS 5. I left for work with it this morning at 100%, and used it for reading a story for about 1.5 hours, and had a few text messages, and otherwise used it as normal. I came home with 80% charge. At that rate, I would get several days use. I suspect that the battery drain problem is that people turn on services that they aren't really using, and leave many applications running when they don't need them active. Basic good battery conservation will take care of the problem. I don't often cross time zones, so that feature was already off. No problem here.
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Draining battery on a 3GS
DvdAndrsn 2nd Nov
I downloaded iOS5 to my 3GS, and it's definitely draining the battery faster. I turned off the location services setting with no noticeable effect. I rarely use the phone, so usage is not a factor in my case.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
adambrannon@... 2nd Nov
The main difference in iOS5 is how Location Services and the apps that use it, ie, the new Reminders app, have a huge affect on the battery. There seems to be a larger ammount of LS based activity which is keeping the phone more active. If not needed, I turn off location services unless I am doing something that needs it. This greatly extends the battery time.
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iCloud
rhonin 2nd Nov
@adambrannon@...
Don't forget that little drainer.....
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
jeffreypaulh 2nd Nov
I have an IPhone 4 and I could go two days without charging. I installed IOS 5 and now I just watch it drain to the point where there are days I cannot make it through the day. And my usage has not changed. I turned off the time zone feature and a couple of other location services but that did not help. There is no doubt the new IOS is the issue
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4-5 hours on standby!
Z3rian 2nd Nov
What you've tested is not the problem for myself and other new iPhone 4S users. The phone was fine for a couple weeks but starting a couple days ago, I'm only getting 4 to 5 hours on standby! If it's unplugged, the phone battery will be dead in a few hours no matter how little you use it. I've even turned off a number of services and it doesn't help. My best guess is it's an iOS 5 bug thats only affecting a few users. But it's also possible that there's a hardware defect with 4S batteries.
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Have you tried to reformat and reinstall?
toddybottom 2nd Nov
@Z3rian
"The phone was fine for a couple weeks but starting a couple days ago, I'm only getting 4 to 5 hours on standby!"

I had to do that with my iPhone 4 a few months ago. I had noticed that the battery life had fallen substantially. Reformat and reinstall fixed it. Just restore your iPhone as a new device and that will probably fix it.

Funny how the very cure that smug OS X users deride Windows for is also required for the iPhone.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
Prime Detailer 2nd Nov
@toddybottom
I attended a workshop at an Apple store over the weekend and was surprised to learn that every application that I had opened since getting my new 4S was open and running in the background, which was basically every app. I had noticed that the speed of the phone had been getting slower. An Apple person showed me how to turn them off. Double click on the "on" button and you get a line of icons along the bottom of the screen which shows you the apps that are open. Hold your finger down on one of the apps to start them jiggling. You get a "minus" sign that allows you to shut off each app. It doesn't get rid of the apps.
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That isn't quite true
toddybottom 2nd Nov
"every application that I had opened since getting my new 4S was open and running in the background"

No, they are not all running. That is a history of programs you've used and yes, some may be running, but not all of them are. You can test that by turning off the phone and restarting it. You'll notice that all the icons are still there even though none of them are actually running any more.

It is a good suggestion and yes, I've done that myself in the past. It did not fix the battery issue for me but it is a good step 1 since it takes less time than a full reformat and reinstall of iOS.
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No effect, Toddy. Quit trying to push Windows fixes.
vulpine@... 2nd Nov
@toddybottom: Simply put, and I'm sure they'll figure this out, it's the fact that the phone now calls on the network far more frequently than it used to and for longer times. Easiest fix? Change the default calls and give the user the ability to choose his own download frequently.
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Quick fix
vulpine@... 2nd Nov
@toddybottom: Change the frequency and number of Push notifications. I really doubt you need to automatically scan every one of your email addresses every 5 minutes or synch with your calendar every 15 minutes. The less the device calls on its radios, quite obviously the longer the battery will last.
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vulpine: read my post more carefully
toddybottom 2nd Nov
If you actually bothered to read it, you would see that I was suggesting a fix that I employed months ago, before iOS 5 came out. iOS suffers from bitrot and yes, I noticed that my iPhone was getting slower and slower and the battery life was getting worse and worse. I had not changed any of my settings for months. Reformat and reinstall worked.

Will it fix Z3rian's issue? I don't know but when Z3rian said that his phone was fine for a couple weeks and only started acting up recently, that was very similar to what happened to me a few months ago, long before iOS 5 came out. It is possible that his issue has nothing to do with iOS 5, especially if it was working fine after the upgrade and only started acting up in the last few days.

Fortunately, iOS bitrot is easy to fix. Just reformat and reinstall the OS. It only takes a few hours.
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Noticing it most with LS on
enemyisyou 2nd Nov
I don't use the location services much, but when I set a Reminder to go off when I get home or leave work or whatever, the GPS flips on when you create the Reminder and doesn't turn off until you mark the Reminder as completed. Sometimes I forget to mark it as completed right away and my battery drains FAST. When I don't use any location services the battery lasts much longer.
0 Votes
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My privacy is too important
toddybottom 2nd Nov
"which means that Apple will have to rely on telemetry sent from handsets to narrow down the cause."

I turn that off since I do not want Big Brother Apple spying on my iPhone. I've told all my friends and family to turn that off too.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
Diav70 2nd Nov
There goes apple ripping off android again
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
tatiGmail 2nd Nov
@Diav70 Nah, the iPhone 4s is draining not because of LTE. It's because of the flash videos that iPhone users are watching... oh wait...
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
Diav70 2nd Nov
There goes Apple ripping off android again.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
Freddy McGriff 2nd Nov
I had the same problem on my Android handset. I figure it is just par for the course so I bought another battery that I keep charged and swap when needed...

Maybe just get a spare battery..... OOPS! I guess not....

Maybe style at the expense of pragmatism is not the best design tenet. Just get a battery booster and quit yer complainin'.... Or stop using your phone.... Turn it off and the battery will drain much more slowly....
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Just do it
Robert Hahn 2nd Nov
Apple will have to rely on telemetry sent from handsets to narrow down the cause.You could save a lot of time if you would go ahead and write the article now about how Apple is spying on users to find out how they use reminders and location services. That way you'd have the article in the drawer when somebody finds out it's happening.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
Rama.NET 2nd Nov
I feel it is iOS 5 fault. My phones not even 10% filled have the same issue iPhone4/iOS5 and iPhone 4S/iOS5. They both drain pretty fast. Yes I close my apps as soon as I am done (close means literally killing them, not minimizing or tombstoning them). I used to get good three to 4 days without charging, but I am required to charge everyday now.
I noticed this with my wife's and daughter's iphones 4 with iOS5 too.
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"S" now stands for "Slow" on 3s
wls 2nd Nov
After upgrading to iOS5, my 3s not only had fast battery drain but was sluggish and sometimes refused to open applications on first try. I did a reset (again with iOS5), and I no longer see a battery drain. But the sluggish behavior remains. Bad situation.
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Have you considered just buying an iPhone 4S?
toddybottom 2nd Nov
@wls
That should fix your problem.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
wellcraft19 2nd Nov
@wls
I also have the 3G"S".
Yes, phone is somewhat more slow/sluggish with iOS5 than iOS4, but what can one expect. New OS with more features. No major impact, and I will upgrade to a 4S soon regardless as I am overall VERY happy with my iPhone.
As for battery drain on 3GS and iOS5, no change since iO4, but I also always have limited push notifications, and only allow certain apps to use location data. No need to provide that to apps where it really does not matter.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
vulpine@... 2nd Nov
Finally! Someone has touched onto the real cause of the battery drain; it's not just the hardware.

We saw an almost exact duplicate of this issue with the release of iOS 4, though that release also put a big hit onto the system's performance. This time the performance, if anything, is better than ever, but the battery is suffering as a result.

Four days standby now down to 2 on fairly light usage on an iPhone 4. I think it's due to too-frequent calls on the radios for iCloud synching.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
robermormey@... 2nd Nov
None. The battery drainage is caused by poor signals (WiFi or 3G) in the area where you are using your phone. If you are in a place with good signal strength the battery lasts longer. GPS is also a battery drainer. Turn it off when you don't need it.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
Khaos68 2nd Nov
I had the same problem, and I noticed that the new notification service combined with some apps that are very of the "look at me" and "see what is going on" type, make my iPhone get awake very often. Specially 4square, its notifications came every 5 minutes or less (a lot of friends use 4square) and it maintain my iPhone with the screen active most of the time reducing battery life to less than 50% of the usual time. After I deactivated the notification messages for the most notorious apps my battery life returns to normal.
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some sprint 4s phones have defective batteries
josh@... 2nd Nov
I just had mine replaced at the Apple Store, after they reset it and it still drained 1% ever couple of minutes. I have another friend with a Sprint phone who is headed for replacement today. the new phone has great battery life. Looks like apple needs to take another look at manufacturing quality.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
mvorel@... 2nd Nov
Is it really OS5 or is it the design to integrate CLOUD services and continually talk-talk-talk? Perhaps this is Steve's way of having Appletalk come back to life on a network ?
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
mvorel@... 2nd Nov
Are systems without Cloud services enabled experiencing this drain? My little iPod upgraded cleanly and I experience no issues. Perhaps with Cloud services enabled this is Steve's way of bringing chatty cathy Appletalk back to life on networks?
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
dtpennington 2nd Nov
I'm a corporate user with 65 iPhones on both AT&T and Verizon. All my phones went bad on Tuesday, Oct 4th, the day they announced the 4S. Users may want to open a ticket with their carrier to see if the phone is dropping on and off the carrier's network. This would cause location services, mail, calendar, and contacts to sync continuously and not turn off.......running the battery down in hours. I believe that a few tickets open on this will point Apple in the right direction.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
gibbons@... 2nd Nov
Location services kill!
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
d.arbib 2nd Nov
Complete restore and setup - does this entail removing and re-installing the battery (as I have found with some Blackberries)?
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
d.arbib 2nd Nov
Complete restore and setup? Does this entail battery removeal as I have found necessary in a Blackberry?
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SOLUTION
bessetg@... 2nd Nov
Hi, I found one solution to limit battery depletion : Desactivate "abroad data sending" option in IOS general, network menu. Drawback : No more auto notifications..
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Errr.....
Gisabun 2nd Nov
I wonder how the testing was done. Was it scientific? I doubt it. One phone for each model/OS with different carriers. Better off at least by choosing just one carrier and multiple phones per model/OS. Even worse, the PC Mag article said "...they're of slightly different ages so the batteries...". Duh! Would of been smart to use new phones with new batteries.
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Errr.... even more
ssaha 3rd Nov
@Gisabun I wonder how the carping is done. Is it scientific? I doubt it. One anecdote for each troll. Better off choosing just one Android phone, because Android phones don't have these battery problems...
Er, yes they do.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
eye4bear 2nd Nov
Upgraded from a G3S to a 4S introduction day and see NO difference in my battery life.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
dandycon 2nd Nov
@eye4bear

Battery drains faster when you work the processor. Your iPhone 4S has long lasting battery, because you may not watch video or surf the web on your phone as much as others.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
dandycon 2nd Nov
Apple had their 1ghz A5 processor overclecked to compete with 1.2ghz Samsung G2. Now Apple will provide the new software fix to correct the iPhone 4S overclock processor.

Once the fixs for the new iOS 5 gets updated, there will be new complaints about the sluggishness of the iPhone 4S.
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Response
recoveriphone 3rd Nov
Apple have already admitted that this was their software
Recover deleted iphone website.
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RE: iPhone 4S battery drain - Is it the handset or iOS 5 that's at fault?
virthddman 8th Nov
Good thing Apple is working on the issue, perhaps the new OS was released a bit prematurely.


Access your home PC from your Apple iOS device by using the 2X client App from
http://www.2x.com
also has client for Android. Voted 20th overall best Android App!

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