iPhone 6s and Apple Watch 2 Battery Usage

Rod


Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Messages
9,627
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Melbourne, Australia and Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Your Mac's Specs
2021 M1 MacBook Pro 14" macOS 14.4.1, Mid 2010MacBook 13" iPhone 13 Pro max, iPad 6, Apple Watch SE.
Well, I suppose you options are limited. You could erase the phone and setup as new. That would eliminate anything you may have done. If it's a power management issue within the circuitry then you're really at the "time to get a new phone" stage. Bim very happy with my 7 but the 8 is better.


Sent from my iPhone using Mac-Forums
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Well, I suppose you options are limited. You could erase the phone and setup as new. That would eliminate anything you may have done. If it's a power management issue within the circuitry then you're really at the "time to get a new phone" stage. Bim very happy with my 7 but the 8 is better.

Well, that's what I did and it was a real PITA.

If you noticed, the iPhone was running 12.3, the Public Beta.

I decided I'd ditch the beta program and install the normal Public Release, 12.2. This turns out to be much harder to do than it is to say:

First I deleted the Public Beta profile. But, to get back to Public Releases you have to wait until the next one. Since 12.2 just came out, it might be a while before 12.3 is released.

So, I tried to Restore the iPhone from iTunes. That didn't work:

Screenshot 2019-04-15 08.39.52.jpg

So, I had to put the phone in DFU mode. (That was very difficult because you have to time things exactly right.) That wiped the phone and installed 12.2.

From there I tried to Restore from an Encrypted Backup.

Sorry, since the iTunes backup was created under 12.3, that didn't work. So, I had to restore from a backup made last July. Needless to say, I had made a lot of changes to the phone since last July. It took many hours to download apps, books, maps, etc. Plus, many settings (like Accessibility) had to be changed along with configuring and re-authenticating many apps. This is an ongoing process as I discover new things that need to be done.

Once I did what I could I decided it was time to make new backups. A new Encrypted Backup via iTunes worked fine and was faster than expected. Then I did an iCloud Backup via iTunes. (Hey, I might need it when I'm away from home.) That worked fine and iTunes showed the two backups.

Then I went to the phone and decided to enable iCloud Backup there. Much to my surprise it immediately started a new backup. But, that backup failed. ("Some files were unavailable....") The backup had zero bytes. When I went and checked iTunes, the earlier iCloud backup had disappeared. ***?

But, as far as battery usage goes, things look better. After a 30 minute cycling workout this morning the phone only lost a few percentage points of battery charge. Previously it would have dropped ten or twenty points.

Only time will tell.
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
17,494
Reaction score
1,541
Points
113
Location
Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27" iMac, 1TB(partitioned) SSD, 20GB, OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan

Rod


Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Messages
9,627
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Melbourne, Australia and Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Your Mac's Specs
2021 M1 MacBook Pro 14" macOS 14.4.1, Mid 2010MacBook 13" iPhone 13 Pro max, iPad 6, Apple Watch SE.
Patrick only just beat me to it ratsima. After reading you account, and believe me I can relate to every obstacle in the process, I thought gosh, that would have been easier with iMazing. Basically a local app/data manager for iOS devices it just gives you a lot more control over content. You can do updates of the iOS and apps and link to iTunes encrypted backups to iCloud if you like. You've seen the problems with encrypted backups first hand but with iMazing you can have both.

Anyway, you seem to have solved your problem so well done. Don't hesitate to contact this forum again at any time and thanks for the feedback.

Rod.
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Alright. I'll give iMazing a try.

Meanwhile....

The battery consumption problem is much improved. Although it was a hassle, I'm glad I did what I did.

My 6s is useable again.
 

Rod


Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Messages
9,627
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Melbourne, Australia and Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Your Mac's Specs
2021 M1 MacBook Pro 14" macOS 14.4.1, Mid 2010MacBook 13" iPhone 13 Pro max, iPad 6, Apple Watch SE.
Your efforts were probably well worth the price of a new iPhone but its a big saving and I doubt if you want to setup another new phone today.;D
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Your efforts were probably well worth the price of a new iPhone but its a big saving and I doubt if you want to setup another new phone today.;D

I've been contemplating a new phone for some time now. And, as an Apple shareholder I feel some obligation to keep the brand moving. But, I really like the 6s. It's just the right size. Big enough that I can read a Kindle novel and the Bangkok Post on it, but small enough to fit in the front pocket of the shorts I wear every day. The only thing I miss is having a camera with a long focus lens.

As for setting up a new phone....

Well, the only reason this was a hassle is because of that darn beta iOS that I was running. I'll not do that again.

Why'd I do it in the first place? Well, iOS 11 introduced a nasty GPS surprise on some older phones. That made it very hard to use apps that insist on GPS level accuracy from Location Services, such as Waze, Strava and MotionX GPS. I hated that but the beta fixed it, so I bit. Should have bailed much earlier than I did.
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
My 6s is useable again.


Perhaps I spoke too soon. The battery consumption through most of the day seemed nominal. But, when I finished watching a Netflix movie in the heat of the afternoon I picked up my iPhone found it warm to the touch. Why? And, all of a sudden the battery percentage was about 35%. Wow. So, I shut down the phone and turned it on again. Then the battery percentage is all of a sudden back up to 56%. How can this happen?

BatteryJump.jpg
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
17,494
Reaction score
1,541
Points
113
Location
Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27" iMac, 1TB(partitioned) SSD, 20GB, OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
The only thing I miss is having a camera with a long focus lens.


There are sure lots of options to fix that. Maybe start here or just google, and some are pretty cheap as well:
Best iPhone 6/6s camera lenses: Add-on lenses to help you take the ideal photo | Macworld

Then the battery percentage is all of a sudden back up to 56%. How can this happen?
Possibly from some built up internal resistance and the battery's capatance.

There's a **** of a lot of stuff happening with new batteries these days and how they work, but I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about it as long as it works close to its specifications.

If you like to know more, maybe check out some places like Battery University but has all kinds of useful understandable information.

Maybe you might want to consider using some type of the external power pack/batteries that are available.

Or is it really hard to buy such equipment in Thailand?? That would be odd as so much of the stuff seems to be made there and neighboring countries.



- Patrick
======
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
I have both an Olloclip and a Sony Lens Camera for the 6s. I pretty much gave up on both. Say I'm riding my bicycle and see a Asian Openbill Stork that I'd like to photograph. Grab the phone. Remove the case. Find the Olloclip. Put it on. Oops, the bird has flown. Add-on lenses are just too slow and cumbersome. Plus, you have to remember to bring them along or take them everywhere you go.

I do have a power bank for my 6s which I keep in my backpack. If I go on a long bike ride I put it in my bike bag for that mid-pedal charge. I have a charging cable and adapter for it in the car as well.

You're right, most of that stuff is made in this part of the world. Oddly, some of it is easy to get and some of it is hard to find. But, it's getting better all the time.
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
So, it appears my doing a factory reset on my iPhone 6s has, for the most part, cured my battery woes. After twelve hours of normal use, including streaming music for about 2 1/2 hours, the battery still has 45% charge. This on a phone that last week went from 100% to 78% in 20 minutes.

I am extremely pleased.

The only problem is that I no longer have an excuse to buy a new phone....
 

IWT


Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
10,218
Reaction score
2,175
Points
113
Location
Born Scotland. Worked all over UK. Live in Wales
Your Mac's Specs
M2 Max Studio Extra, 32GB memory, 4TB, Sonoma 14.4 Apple 5K Retina Studio Monitor
The only problem is that I no longer have an excuse to buy a new phone....

Of course you do! A new iPhone is nice, beautiful, and you NEED it, not just want it. I believe the newest ones even include the facility to make phone calls:goofy

Ian
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
The only problem is that I no longer have an excuse to buy a new phone....

LOL. I think Ian has given a great response. I know around here that I can always find an excuse to buy something new. And at my age, I need all the new toys I can get! :rofl
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
17,494
Reaction score
1,541
Points
113
Location
Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27" iMac, 1TB(partitioned) SSD, 20GB, OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
I believe the newest ones even include the facility to make phone calls


I got a kick out of Ian's comment, especially considering I still use an old "Dumb" Samsung FlipPhone for my small cellphone needs.

It also only costs me $25.00cdn/year to top-up my speakout.ca account!!! Thankfully the governments left me enough money from my taxes to pay for that.



- Patrick
======
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
I thought I had this problem fixed. But, yesterday we drove to the beach. This is a seven hour trip. My wife drives. I don’t use the iPhone much while we are on the road. We made our first pit stop for coffee and snack after an hour. I got out my phone to check mail, etc. after a few minutes I got he 20% battery warning. ***? When I left the house it had 85% and after an hour in my pocket and a few minutes of use it’s down to 20? As I watched I could see it count down quickly to 19, 18, 17. I quickly did a forced restart. And put it in low power mode.

This morning I took it off the charger, put it in my pocket and went down to the shore to watch the sunrise. The only thing I used it for was to check Sun Surveyor for he exact time and location of he sunrise. After half an hour of mostly non-use it was down to 87%.

I guess I’m ready for a new phone as I’m afraid to use this one except in emergencies.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
I guess I’m ready for a new phone as I’m afraid to use this one except in emergencies.

How about a new battery for your 6s? An iPhone 6s is still a very good phone and will probably be supported by Apple for several more updates.
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
How about a new battery for your 6s? An iPhone 6s is still a very good phone and will probably be supported by Apple for several more updates.

The battery was replaced by Apple in early 2018 and still shows 90% of Maximum Capacity and "currently supporting normal peak performance".

Later this morning I went on a bicycle ride with my wife. I used the Apple Watch to record the workout which means that Location Services was handled by the iPhone. After two hours the iPhone was only down to 91%.

So, early this morning it loses 13% in half an hour with no use. Later it loses 9% with two hours of constant use.

Something odd going on here and I don’t think it’s the battery.
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
I thought I had this problem fixed. But, yesterday we drove to the beach. This is a seven hour trip. My wife drives.

Maybe your wife needs to drive faster!;)

But seriously...the best way to get a good idea of what sort of shape your iPhone battery is in is to know the battery cycle count. The battery cycle count is the number of full charges that the battery has been thru since new. With iPhones...the battery is supposed to retain 80% of its original capacity after 500 charge cycles. This doesn't mean that at 500 charge cycles the battery needs to be replaced ASAP...but after 500 battery charge cycles I think the battery capacity decreases at a non-linear or less predictable rate.

Determining the battery cycle count on iOS devices is not quite as easy as it is with Apple portable computers...but it's still not super difficult.:) To determine the battery cycle count on an iOS device...you need to use the free app called Coconut Battery...connect your iOS device to an Apple computer...then click on the iOS device icon...then check the "Cycle Count":


Screen Shot 2019-05-09 at 9.44.45 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-05-09 at 9.44.58 PM.png

HTH,

- Nick
 
OP
R
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
461
Reaction score
4
Points
18
Cycle count is 343.

But Coconut Battery says the Full Charge Capacity is 1180 mAH (68.8%), while the iOS Battery Health page says 90%.

Did Apple give me a bad battery?

Is Apple's software lying about the battery's full charge capacity?
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top