Twitterific’s author, Craig Hockenberry, notes that enabling background tasks for an iPhone version of Twitterific resulted in battery drainage in 4 hours.

The heart of the problem are the radios. Both the EDGE and Wi-Fi transceivers have significant power requirements. Whenever that hardware is on, your battery life is going to suck. My 5 minute refresh kept the hardware on and used up a lot of precious power.

This information provides some perspective on Apple’s decision to limit background applications from running on the iPhone.

Thanks to http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/03/17/background-tasking-and-battery/

Posted on March 18th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: iPhone Battery | No Comments »

So you’ve just finished hacking your iPhone and installed every application you could find, but what the heck happened to your iphone battery life? In the process of installing various things, you’ve likely installed OpenSSH, the tool which allows remote login to your iPhone from a computer. The problem is, SSH requires that a listener called SSHD constantly runs, waiting for a remote login attempt. This in turn drains your battery. The solution is to disable SSHD when you don’t need it. Read on for the how-to.

For most seasoned iPhone hackers, disabling SSHD is a piece of cake. Unfortunately, it’s not very easy or convenient. Instead, us mortals need a simple tool

In this guide, I’m assuming that you’ve installed Nullriver’s Installer.app and OpenSSH. Here’s how it’s done:

* Step 1: From Installer.app, download Community Sources if you haven’t already.
* Step 2: Under Utilities in Installer.app, install Services
* Step 3: Go back to the home screen and wait for the iPhone to reload the Springboard. Slide to unlock and launch Services.
* Step 4: From Services, toggle SSH off.

That’s it! Your battery life should now return to its original state. If you ever need to use SSH (including SFTP) again, simply use Services again to turn SSH back on.

Posted on October 22nd, 2007 by admin
Filed under: iPhone Battery, iPhone Tips | No Comments »

What’s this picture, sent to us by reader Mike, and found on Apple’s website? Why, it’s a screengrab from iTunes, with a nifty little battery icon right there next to the iPhone listing.

Yes, but Mike, I hear you saying, what does that mean? It means, my friends, that a new iTunes update is right around the corner. 7.4.3 doesn’t have this icon, and so it’s very likely that within the next day or two, we’ll see a brand new version of iTunes, complete with this nifty battery icon, and who knows what else.

Why Mike, I hear you saying again (I have great hearing), that’s terrific! Could this, you say, have anything to do with the recent 1.1.1 iPhone update? Will this coming iTunes update affect, perhaps, my homemade ringtones, or my jailbroken iPhone?

To those questions, I don’t have solid answers– the update is probably due out fast, so we’ll know soon. But I do, like many of you, have a Magic 8-Ball. I’ve consulted it, and in this case, it’s telling me: “Outlook not so good.”

Via http://www.tuaw.com/2007/09/28/new-itunes-coming-with-battery-indicator-for-iphone/

Posted on September 29th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: iPhone News, iPhone Battery | No Comments »

While we love to hear about your attempts at hacking your iPhones, we also love to hear that all your digits are still intact! That’s why we’d like all enterprising iPhone modders to pay attention to what happened to Hackint0sh forum member Pipas, during what appears to be an attempt to unlock the handset using the hardware method.

“We were so happy, all the iphone software part was done, so we started opening the iphone. The antenna cover was a bit tricky but eventually it came off. Then we started to open the metal cover (after taking out the 3 screws) and PUFF, up it went in smoke, I think my collegue must have touched something. It literally went up in black smoke. I was so hot that when I tried to pick it up I burnt my fingers. So, this is for shure the most difficult part of the whole process”

Current thinking is that it was a shorted circuit across the iPhone’s Li-Ion battery pack which, since it’s not meant to be user-replaceable, probably lacks the shielding that such units designed for us mortals to touch would have.

The key thing to remember is that even though your iPhone may be switched off, the iphone battery still contains a charge and there’s still a current going through the electronics inside. These guys were lucky to get away with burnt fingers - we’d like all of our readers to keep all of their faculties!

Posted on September 5th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: AT&T iPhone, iPhone Battery, Unlock iPhone | No Comments »

If you need some strategic ways to reduce battery usage and conserve energy with your tech toys, your new iPhone offers plenty of options to make the most of its daily life. The iPhone is a power-guzzler, there’s no doubt about it. You need a considerable amount of energy and battery power to keep that web browser humming along at full speed, and you’ll notice the battery shrinking in power after just a few hours. There are a few iPhone battery replacements available, but you can take steps to reduce your output with just a few tweaks.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #1: Turn off the Wi-Fi radio

Make sure you’re turning the Wi-Fi radio off when you’re not online. This turns on automatically every time your wireless device is enabled, and can take away lots of energy from standard PDA applications. You’ll notice things run much faster as soon as you make the switch. Turn off the Bluetooth radio while you’re at it; just go to the ‘Settings’ tab and switch it off when you’re not roaming.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #2: Manage the Equalizer

Second, turn off the equalizer. You’re probably already doing this on your iPod, and it can help lower the need for extra energy when you’re not listening to your bass-blaster music. In most cases, you don’t need this set at all when you’re browsing on the web either; unless you’re watching a lot of videos, the equalizer can be turned off in most cases.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #3: Drain the Battery

Even though Apple has developed a battery that outlasts many competitor PDA gadgets, you can still extend battery life by running it out completely before recharging it fully. It’s a classic maneuver for standard cell phones, and works well for the iPhone too.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #4: E-mail Checks

Checking e-mail takes a lot of energy to load up and refresh. Checking e-mail constantly can be a difficult habit to break, especially if you’re used to using a laptop on the road. Start getting into a routine of an hourly check, and you’ll save a considerable amount of battery power in the process.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #5: Lower the Light Setting

The backlight display is bright enough to serve as a flashlight, and is one of the iPhone’s most attractive features. Still, that sharp picture is taking the juice out of the system. You can lower the brightness setting and save some battery power by selecting the ‘Settings’ tab and reducing the light output level; 15-20% will still give you plenty of screen visibility.

• iPhone Energy Saving Tip #6: Let it Sleep!

You can manually control the ‘Auto-Lock’ feature of the iPhone to program so that your iPhone goes to sleep after a short period of inactivity. You’ll be using up much less power throughout the day, and it will be easier to load it up whenever you do need it.

Extend the battery life of your iPhone with these easy tips; you’ll enjoy more flexibility for usage throughout the day, and be energy-conscious in the process.

Posted on August 27th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: AT&T iPhone, iPhone Battery, iPhone Tips | No Comments »

Randall from Wireless Info sent us the news that Apple has acknowledged the iPhone battery issue is in fact a bug that will be fixed in a future software update. A few days ago, WI noticed that even after sitting in the charger for 12 hours, their iPhone battery gauges didn’t show a full charge. After conducting an informal survey, they found that the problem was widespread, and now Apple has confirmed the bug.

And since Apple says it’s just a firmware problem, then the batteries should all be OK (although WI also says Apple is replacing faulty batteries anyway, so chances are that if you want to replace your iPhone, you can still do that). At first, WI said that the non-charge-showing phones were operating on a shorter battery life, but after a few cycles apparently they’re running just as well.

So that’s one fix Apple can throw in the iPhone’s first big patch. What’s next?

Posted on July 13th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: iPhone Battery | No Comments »

Are you one of the many potential iPhone customers currently holding out for fear of potential battery issues? We’ve got some info here that might help alleviate (or further increase) your fears. According to Apple’s support documentation, the iPhone battery replacement program will run you $79 plus an additional $6.95 for shipping, bringing the total to $85.95. The service will take 3 business days to complete, which isn’t too bad considering the average turnaround for most gadget repairs. Keep in mind that this service is limited to out of warranty repairs. AppleCare, which will be available later this month at an undisclosed price, will presumably cover the cost of this replacement in addition to providing you with a loaner phone to use while your baby is in the shop. Check out the battery FAQ, and well as the full support FAQ below.Apple’s Official Instruction

Posted on July 9th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: iPhone Battery | No Comments »

I’ve had my iPhone since launch and days one and two were very worrisome for me in terms of battery performance. The first day I only made it to around 5pm before my charge was gone (starting at 8am). The second day I made it to around 10pm.

But now — a few charges later — my battery life just keeps improving. Today I went a full 18 hours with moderate to heavy use of all features. I think the key is both how you have your phone configured during the day, as well as the quality of the charging process. Here’s what I suggest:

1. Reduce your brightness as much as you can tolerate. I personally find that about 30-40% of max is plenty for me, and that difference in output is significant.
2. Consider keeping WiFi disabled by default. You can always enable it when you find a hotspot and want to use it.
3. Use a bluetooth headset that turns off when not in use. The folding Motorola brands as well as the new Apple iphone headset have this ability.
4. Try and run your device until it completely dies before charging, and use the AC adapter rather than a computer to charge up.
5. The iPhone battery charges faster when the radios are off. Rather than disable them manually, consider using the Airplane Mode feature, which will disable all three radios in one motion. If you need to receive calls while charging, just disable WiFi and Bluetooth.
6. If you haven’t done a full drain-to-maximum charge cycle yet, power down the phone and reset the usage statistics before you put it on the AC adapter. This seems to be helping zero out stats and allow the OS to display the fully charged icon.

These tips are definitely working for me, as I’ve gone from roughly 9 hours of combined use to over 18. Time will tell whether or not I’ve reached my maximum, but my suspicion is that I have not.

Thanks dmiessler.com

Posted on July 4th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: AT&T iPhone, iPhone Battery | No Comments »

Apple released information on the iPhone battery ’s warranty today, as well as the cost of a replacement.

Out of the box, your iPhone’s battery is covered for 1 year. Apple intends to release Apple Care for iPhone sometime this summer (allegedly). Customers of Apple Care for iPhone will be entitled to a new battery IF the one they’re using drops to below 50% of capacity before their Apple Care runs out.

Otherwise, a new one will cost you $79US. One other note: Apple states that they get rid of dead batteries in “…an environmentally-friendly manner.”

Thanks TUAW

Posted on July 3rd, 2007 by admin
Filed under: iPhone Battery | No Comments »