iPhone 6s and Apple Watch 2 Battery Usage

chscag

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I would try another battery from Apple if possible. Purchasing a new iPhone even a lower cost one, can be expensive. I have no idea what Apple charges to replace a battery in Thailand but here in the US it's $79 (not under warranty).
 
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It’s 1700 baht here or about US$55.

It just seems odd to me that a battery that is only 15 months old with less than 350 charge cycles would discharge so rapidly under normal use.

I left the house at 7:00 AM his morning. The battery was 100%. I immediately put it in Low Power Mode. Less than two hours later the battery is at 70%. Most of that time was on the bicycle or eating breakfast. I hardly used the phone at all except to take half a dozen photos.

Is the life expectancy of an iPhone battery really only about a year?
 

chscag

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Is the life expectancy of an iPhone battery really only about a year?

Not my experience with the last three iPhones that I and my wife have owned. Usually the battery will last 2 or 3 years maintaining good performance. I just gave away a 3 year old iPhone 6s+ to a friend and the battery still worked very well considering all the charge - recharge cycles it had on it.
 
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Not my experience with the last three iPhones that I and my wife have owned. Usually the battery will last 2 or 3 years maintaining good performance..

That’s our experience as well which is why I think there’s something else going on with this phone. I bought it in late 2015 and started having battery problems after 18 months or so. This is why I jumped at Apple's battery replacement program. But, the replacement battery started having problem late last year after less than ten months. It got so I routinely put it in Low Power Mode and took a power bank with me if I was going to be away from home more than a few hours.

If a new battery is going to last less than a year, why bother?

And, why stick with a phone where I have to disable so many features to get half a day's use out of the battery?
 

chscag

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And, why stick with a phone where I have to disable so many features to get half a day's use out of the battery?

Your point is well taken. If you can get a fairly decent trade in from that phone on a new one, then perhaps it's time for an upgrade. It seems that you do quite a bit of photography with your phone so it's likely that you would want one of the newer models with a better camera.

I'm not a photographer nor has it ever been a hobby of mine so when I purchased a new phone this year, I opted for an iPhone 8 instead of one of the "X" models. I like its size and it does all the things I need it to do. It also was less costly than any of the newer "X" phones.
 
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I think the 8 was a good choice. I will probably opt for one with dual cameras.

One thing I’ve got going for me: After seeing all the trouble my 6s has caused, my wife keeps telling me to just buy a new one.

I think I’ll nurse the 6s through to September and see what Apple has on offer then.


Sent from my iPhone using Mac-Forums
 

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After seeing all the trouble my 6s has caused, my wife keeps telling me to just buy a new one.

Well done, Mike. That's the way. Keep telling them you don't want a new one; you'll manage somehow. Let the frustration build up slowly. Eventually they cave in and say "oh for goodness sake get a new one and give us all some peace":wink:Mischievous::giggle

Ian
 

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Hey Ratsima,

Seems like you've got the ok from the wife to get a new phone if you wanted to.:)

If it were me...and if I was perfectly happy with the iPhone 6s...I think I would still go for the battery replacement vs. the new phone (so much less cost).

Of course if you've wanted a new phone for a while...and there are no budgetary issues...then go for the new phone.:)

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Hey Ratsima,

Seems like you've got the ok from the wife to get a new phone if you wanted to.:)

If it were me...and if I was perfectly happy with the iPhone 6s...I think I would still go for the battery replacement vs. the new phone (so much less cost).

Of course if you've wanted a new phone for a while...and there are no budgetary issues...then go for the new phone.:)

- Nick


It seems to be quite hard translating one's actual wishes with various rationalization happening with the thoughts and decisions. :Smirk:



- Patrick
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I’m actually quite happy with the 6s. The camera is fine for most of my needs. The size is perfect. The display is good enough that I can read ebooks without my reading glasses. I really don’t need anything "better".

I wish I were confident that replacing the battery would end its power management flaws.
 

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I wish I were confident that replacing the battery would end its power management flaws.

The nice thing about smartphones is...there's not a whole lot each of us can do to them that is THAT MUCH different than 1000's or millions of other users around the world using the exact same model smartphone. Pretty much the only thing we can do is install different apps...and load up the storage with all sorts of personal stuff (photos, videos, music, etc.).

My point is...if you get a brand new good-quality battery installed...then you're going to be in exactly the same position as anyone else around the world (from a strict hardware perspective) with an iPhone 6s and a brand new battery...all other factors are within your control.

The only other factors I can think of that would effect your personal cell phone usage (versus others around the world) are:

- If you're actually doing very power intensive activities in your phone.
- Maybe some apps are running in the background using up battery power.
- Your cell phone service is spotty...and your phone is roaming a lot.
- Maybe (possibly) if the tropical environment in Thailand (heat & humidity) has an negative effect on electronics over time.

I'm thinking getting a brand new high-quality battery installed (which I'm assuming if Apple does the battery replacement...they will use a high quality battery)... is the thing to do if continuing to use your iPhone 6s is what you would like to do.:)

- Nick
 
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Today I did an experiment. I had planned a long (66K - 40 mile) bicycle ride. I left the phone on the charger until I left I immediately put it in Low Power Mode. Normally on a long bike ride I take lots of photos, post to Instagram, send pictures to my wife and daughter, check my progress on Google Maps, etc. But, today I vowed to use the phone as little as possible - no photos, no Instagram, nothing but the essentials. I used it twice to send messages to my wife telling her my location, once to check the map and once to look up a Thai word in the dictionary. The ride took three and a half hours. At the end of the ride the phone was at 55%. So, after four hours of non use in Low Power Mode the phone has lost almost half its charge.

I set the phone aside for the day. In the late afternoon I took it outside to continue reading a Kindle book. After ten minutes of reading, the phone went from 45% to 25%. Yep, ten minutes in Low Power Mode.

Keep in mind that all of this battery loss is in Low Power Mode - no background activity. Cell phone service in this area from my carrier is excellent - solid 4G all the way.

I plan to get a new battery from Apple when I’m home next week, but I don’t have much hope that it will make a long term difference.

As my wife said, "What’s the use having a phone if you can’t have any fun with it?"
 

pigoo3

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Sounds like you've proven that something is up with the current battery. As with any repair...then next step is to do something (in this case it sounds like a new battery). I'm thinking that a new battery will solve the problem...but nothing in this life is 100%. If for some unknown/rare reason the new battery does not solve the problem...then this provides you with the information that something else is wrong with the phone (definite information you didn't have before).

But fingers-crossed the new battery solves the problem...and everything will be super-duper. Please let us know how things go.:)

- Nick
 
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I plan to get a new battery from Apple when I’m home next week, but I don’t have much hope that it will make a long term difference.

As my wife said, "What’s the use having a phone if you can’t have any fun with it?"


I guess you've checked out all the possibilities for less than expected battery life with your 6S iPhone such as:
How to fix iPhone battery life problems
How to fix iPhone battery life problems | iMore
and
Why Does My iPhone Battery Die So Fast? Here’s The Real Fix!
Why Does My iPhone Battery Die So Fast? Here's The Real Fix!
(and more available with a google search)

And of course the possibility, even considering the excessive heat, that the replaced battery is not up to normal specs and/or there is some sort of hardware/software conflict problem draining the battery faster than expected. And are the expected results actually realistic for the conditions and usage.

Saaay, if you got one of those fancy new electric bicycles, maybe you could have a charging port added you could use with your iPhone. :Smirk:

I sure wouldn't want to be pedaling a normal bike in those high heats and humility you seem to be getting lately. Heck, I couldn't even pedal a kilometer on a normal bike, even in our cool temperatures, and in fact I don't know if I could even pedal a hundred meters with the shape my swollen legs and feet are in these days. :(



- Patrick
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Yeah, I've spent many hours reading articles about iPhone battery life. And, I’ve done everything conceivable to solve the problem including routinely putting it in Low Power Mode. But, what fun is a phone if you have to turn off major features in order to get half a day out of the battery? And, I’m not a heavy user. Most of my stuff is done on my iPad: email, messages, reading (books, magazines and newspapers), photo editing, web surfing, etc.

My wife has an 18 month old iPhone X. She’s an attorney who makes incredibly heavy use of her phone: telephone calls, messages, Line, email, FB, Twitter, document scans and so on. She never uses Low Power Mode and never charges her phone during the day. She charges overnight and is good to go for the entire next day.

What keeps me skeptical about it being the battery is that the first (original) battery lasted less than two years. The second lasted less than a year. Is it really possible that Apple gave me two defective batteries in a row?
 

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What keeps me skeptical about it being the battery is that the first (original) battery lasted less than two years. The second lasted less than a year. Is it really possible that Apple gave me two defective batteries in a row?

If you're never going to be convinced it's the battery..then don't replace the battery...and pay a lot more for a brand new phone! Lol

It could be that the heat & humidity of tropical environments is harder on phone batteries...or maybe there's a user habit that's causing the issue. I can tell you this...if you happen to routinely drain the battery completely (for example in the neighborhood of 0%-15%)...and then recharge...this is harder on a rechargeable battery than routinely charging it from 50% to 100%.

We've discussed this sort of thing many times over the years...and members have posted articles from experts that support this.

- Nick
 
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Is it really possible that Apple gave me two defective batteries in a row?


I really don't know and what kind of gambling type guy are you if you want to take bets or whatever is involved.

Obvioulsy I'm nopt a gambling type guy!!!



- Patrick
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I do plan to get a new battery this week. Understand, though, that I won’t know if this solves the problem for at least another year.
 

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