subject: Iphone 4s Battery Fix Fails [print this page] Does it seem like your iPhone 4S has a battery vampire stalking it? Apple has released a new iOS 5 software update that is supposed to stake the battery vampire. Along with the battery fix, the software update (iOS 5.0.) adds Multitasking Gestures for the original iPad, resolves bugs with documents in the Cloud, and improves voice recognition for Australian users using dictation. What Apple doesnt mention about the iOS 5.01 software fix is that it also fixes a security flaw that was discovered by iOS developer, Charlie Miller.
The new iOS 5.01 software fix is the first update that Apple has made available over the air. Nathan Olivarez-Giles. LA Times, gives us simple to follow directions, To get the iOS update, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad owners have to go into their "Settings" app, select "General" and then select "Software Update." From there, the device will ping Apple to see whether an update is available -- and it should be available for everyone at this point -- and then the iOS 5.0.1 prompt appears. Once a user initiates the software download, the device will ask the user to plug the gadget into a power adapter. Voila! It is downloaded and installed. The update is available for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, first-generation iPad and third- and fourth-generation iPod Touch.
This sounds great, but there is a problem. Many users are complaining that the iOS 5.01 fix actually made the battery drain faster. Some are reporting that it drains at the rate of 1% per minute. Wow! That would mean your battery will be completely dead in less than 2 hours. This doesnt sound like it fixed much of anything with regards to the battery issue. So what was the real reason behind the update?
Apple denied there were problems with the iOS 5 software, or at least until so much publicity over the issues made Apple come clean. According to an article by Nick Farrell, Tech Eye, the real reason behind the update was to fix some other flaws. iOS 5.01 should fix a variety of flaws, such as a flaw in the OS that may allow hackers to build apps that secretly install programs to steal data. Apple was told about this flaw recently and responded by kicking the developer (Charlie Miller) who found it out of the walled garden of delights for creating an app which proved it. That sounds like they were shooting the messenger.
Meanwhile, while you wait for a real fix, you may want to try an alternative. You can get an iPhone 4 Power Charging Case which has a built in back-up battery in it. You simply charge it and when your iPhone 4S battery goes low, it automatically kicks in to give you another 1500mAh of charge time. The case is sleek and not much bigger than the phone itself, plus it will double your talk time.
