Filed under: Hardware, Software Update, Apple, iPhone
Apple says iPhone battery charging problem is a fixable firmware issue
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?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Josh said 9:28PM on 7-12-2007
Mine had this problem. Apple Store Pasadena replaced it no problem.
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Brendan Lim said 9:33PM on 7-12-2007
I get stellar performance ... But no glow... Hope this gets fixed
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Tony said 9:34PM on 7-12-2007
I found it funny when most reviews told you simultaneously that the charge indicator stays full forever, then rapidly decreases. No wonder that it would go the other way back up? It's the meter display program/algorithm/gnome/whatever, not the battery. They need to tune the meter. My iPod and I believe my MacBook both did that too.
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Zack said 9:50PM on 7-12-2007
Sync, Sync, Sync. Pleeease.
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Aron Trimble said 9:55PM on 7-12-2007
What could be next you ask?
Deleting / marking 'read' multiple messages in mail at a time
Landscape view for text messaging
Fewer Safari crashes
Custom ringtones... the list goes on
Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone and have no intention of going back anytime soon; but there are definitely some things that could be changed/fixed.
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Attabui said 9:59PM on 7-12-2007
What's next? Ideas:
-iChat
-ToDo list
-full-fledged API
-increased volume
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Attabui said 9:59PM on 7-12-2007
What's next? Ideas:
-iChat
-ToDo list
-full-fledged API
-increased volume
Reply
jimmie said 10:05PM on 7-12-2007
Please give us the ability to manually manage music and video!!!
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Peter said 10:57PM on 7-12-2007
My iPhone took forever to fully charge for the first few charge cycles, and the battery life seemed a bit shorter than advertised. Even with light use, I would have to charge it after 1-2 days.
However, it now seems to finish charging more quickly, and the battery life seems to be better. I'm at the end of the second day and still have 50% battery left.
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iDan said 11:25PM on 7-12-2007
If all apple did was add iChat I would be perfectly happy.
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neil said 11:42PM on 7-12-2007
sorry for the cross commenting - but just trying to spread useful info:
flickr'd this a week ago: http://flickr.com/photos/neps/715755491
though since then, I fixed it. On friday I restored the iPhone with the original SW, and since then I've had 4 complete charges.
Another side affect of the original issue is that you don't have anything listed for Usage & Standby times, just '--'. Restoring the phone also fixed this for me.
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Brian said 12:12AM on 7-13-2007
yes I can cofirm one thing that it appears the life span gets better after every charge. I was at an apple store today and they are still replacing units for battery issues.
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basscadet said 3:21AM on 7-13-2007
all lithium batteries need at least 3 full recharge cycles to perform at their best capacity so it's normal that battery gets better after the initial charges.
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Kellsworth said 8:35AM on 7-13-2007
Anyone else having wifi issues? It'll use edge even when my router is about 10 feet from the phone. I thought i fixed it with a link i saw here - it worked for about a week then it went right back to the Edge. Fix it Apple!
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dayhill said 9:17AM on 7-13-2007
I noticed the battery issue a day or two after I got the iPhone home. I turned it off, back on again and then the battery would show as fully charged after several hours in the dock. No problems since then. Safari does crash a lot though... And as far as iChat - Beejive is great in the meantime...
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William said 12:21PM on 7-13-2007
What could/should be fixed/added in the patch/update?
- being able to send a SMS to more than one person
- being able to send a MMS at all
- iChat
- being able to use the keyboard in landscape mode in apps besides just Safari
- smart dialing [start typing in a number or a name and having the iPhone automatically search through your contacts, like Windows Mobile devices]
- being able to rearrange icons on the home screen
ummm...that's all I can think of off the top of my head right now.
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seth said 12:29PM on 7-13-2007
I had this exact problem -- took it to the apple store last week, and they swapped out a new iphone without asking any questions. The new one fully charges, and holds its battery much longer!
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Ankur said 2:27PM on 7-13-2007
I noticed that it wouldn't fully charge. Turns out it was because I was using my iPod USB cable to charge it. As soon as I plugged in the iPhone cable, it showed the fully charged icon.
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Meg said 11:07PM on 7-23-2007
I have a problem with charging. Not the battery itself, but the wall chargers don't seem to be working. Infact, the cables themselves work fine if I charge at the computer, but the wall by my bed is out, which is a little inconvenient seeing as how i use the alarm on my iphone. Anyone else having this problem?
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Laura said 1:04PM on 7-27-2007
I'm just not liking the iphone battery issues. I'm afraid we will be handing over the $85 for a replacement sooner than we want to. I did some looking though and found ipodjuice.com, they already have an iPhone battery replacement service offered for less than apple's. Good to know there are options.
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