If you’re not into jailbreaking iOS devices, we’d usually recommend that you update your device to the latest firmware. However, for some who have heeded such advice most recently, it may have been a little premature due to a battery bug. A bug affecting iOS 10.1.1 causes iPhone battery life issues.
A nasty surprise from iOS 10.1.1
If you haven’t installed iOS 10.1.1 yet, you may want to read this article and related material before doing so because there’s a chance that you will have to deal with some unexpected consequences. The main result of upgrading right now is the risk of your iPhone battery life being compromised.
Some iPhone users have discovered that their handsets switch off, even though there’s plenty of charge remaining.
The 30% iPhone battery life bug
Nearly four weeks after the launch of iOS 10.1.1, users are reporting that the latest publicly available firmware has bugs. On the Apple Support Forums, the iPhone battery life bug debate started on October 25, and it has now reached 17 pages in length. Apparently, many users see their handsets shut down on or around the 30% charge mark.
Strangely enough, lots of them are also reporting that once their handset reboots, the battery charge jumps from 0% up to 30% almost instantly, and it doesn’t seem to matter how long the device has been charging for. Additionally, some users have reported that they’ve shut down their iPhones at night with a good charge. However, in the morning, they’ve been unable to reboot them unless they are charging, at which point they reboot at a 30% charge.
A hardware or software issue?
Is the iPhone battery life bug really related to iOS 10.1.1? Some users on the support forums don’t think so, as they are suggesting that replacing the battery is the only option. However, if you were to take a close look at the people reporting this issue, it’s clear to see that the vast majority experienced it after installing iOS 10.1.1.
In fact, if you read the user complaints, it’s clear that not just iPhones are affected by the battery bug.
Which iPhone models are affected?
Having had a close look at the threads in the forum, we can honestly say that all handsets that are compatible with iOS 10.1.1 can be affected by the iPhone battery life bug. We’ve seen users reporting issues with older handsets such as the iPhone 5C all the way up to the iPhone 7, so it appears no one is safe.
Is a fix coming?
While not directly related to this bug, last week Apple announced that it would replace problematic iPhone 6s batteries. However, this doesn’t help the many others who don’t have a 6s.
As for a real solution for everyone, right now, there isn’t one. Some users have shared advice which has worked for them, such as turning off the Raise to Wake feature. However, this hasn’t worked for the majority of users, and even downgrading to the previous version of iOS hasn’t solved the problem for those who have tried it.
It also appears that this problem is not new. In past years, iPhone 5, 5s and more recently iPhone 6 owners were experiencing an almost identical issue.
So for now, the best thing to do is report your iPhone battery life issues on the support forum. You never know; some bright person may beat Apple to a fix. However, in the meantime, all you can do is wait for Apple to make an announcement and fix it.
