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iOS 12.4 Battery Life

  • Better

    Votes: 17 25.8%
  • Same

    Votes: 31 47.0%
  • Worse

    Votes: 18 27.3%

  • Total voters
    66

jrdatrackstar1223

macrumors regular
Oct 31, 2017
215
98
Brownsburg, IN
I didn’t think there was a difference between the OTA, plus the iTunes install doesn’t come until the end of the day and I am an update junkie and need it the moment of lol.

I want to install via iTunes and restore from a backup but I swear the result is (almost) always the same and what I was expecting to be better isn’t.

There has to be either an app or something iCloud related that is resulting in me seeing no improved battery life.
 

internetrando

macrumors 6502a
Jun 5, 2018
682
499
Texas
Yes, I do the same. It’s a bit of a pain though and made me restart mid update download last time, which is why I might wait for a .1 so there isn’t another update in a short space of time.

That’s not a bad thing to do. It’s a pain because it can take some time to download the full OS (especially if the download fails..bleh!), but it’s still the only way I’ll do it.

I usually wait for a X.1 as well just because it squashed bugs that weren’t realized before the original release, but 12.4 took so long in development that I felt pretty good jumping right into it.

Considering that it’s the final software version some devices will be able to run (short of incremental X.1 updates) I figure that they wanted to get it as close to perfect as possible.
[doublepost=1565108193][/doublepost]
I didn’t think there was a difference between the OTA, plus the iTunes install doesn’t come until the end of the day and I am an update junkie and need it the moment of lol.

I want to install via iTunes and restore from a backup but I swear the result is (almost) always the same and what I was expecting to be better isn’t.

There has to be either an app or something iCloud related that is resulting in me seeing no improved battery life.

The end result is the same. You get an up to date copy of the software on your device.

The difference comes in how the update is delivered. OTA updates are software packages that update and add code to your existing software installation. You take the chance of a wonky install / update, and if your underlying software is corrupted in some way, you’re not solving the underlying issue.

Updating through iTunes downloads a fresh copy of the OS in its entirety, which negates any potential issues that could be related to your devices current software or an update failure / issue.

I like just avoiding the issue entirely and it has never caused me an issue. My experience is admittedly anecdotal, but I have never had a major software issue, battery issue, or other like has been reported in the forums.
 
Last edited:

jrdatrackstar1223

macrumors regular
Oct 31, 2017
215
98
Brownsburg, IN
I'll go ahead and do an iTunes install, but I wanted to check something before I go through the hassle of setting up my apps again. I wonder if it might be the accessory I am using to charge my iPhone 7. I use a Youse double splitter for charging while also being able to listen to music. I notice that when I connect that to my iPhone 7 and then plug my OEM charging cable in, it doesn't recognize it on my computer (or USB in my car). When I go direct from my iPhone 7 to my car USB or laptop my phone is recognized. Could it be that my phone is "incorrectly" charging?

It charges fine when I use the Youse splitter and my headphones (whether wall charging, laptop charging, car USB charging, etc), it just can't recognized as a regular OEM cable that reads my device.
 

deanzaZZR

macrumors newbie
Jul 13, 2018
5
3
South Bay, CA
I've been clawing my way back to better battery performance by closely examining app battery usage. Weather Underground got the boot and other commonly used apps like YouTube and Twitter have been set to not refresh, send notifications, track location, etc. I did a full iTunes install too. I'm not sure why my experience seems so different from others. This is on a 7+ that I purchased refurbished from the Apple Store in January.
 

Tsepz

macrumors 601
Jan 24, 2013
4,827
4,641
Johannesburg, South Africa
Can’t really tell the difference on my XS Max, battery life seems to be the same as before, TBH.


I am more concerned about the iOS 13 update, I hope we do not see a drop in battery life with that one.

iOS 12.4 seems to not have done too much in the back-end.
 

theapplehead

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 17, 2018
782
929
North Carolina
Can’t really tell the difference on my XS Max, battery life seems to be the same as before, TBH.


I am more concerned about the iOS 13 update, I hope we do not see a drop in battery life with that one.

iOS 12.4 seems to not have done too much in the back-end.
When I was running the iOS 13 beta I did not notice any decrease in battery life-if anything I noticed an increase. However, either way the difference was negligible.
 
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minimo3

macrumors 6502a
Oct 18, 2010
810
975
What iPhone model is this? 1,5 hours looks like a joke. I have recently updated my iPad Pro 10.5 12.1>12.4, and the battery life became significantly better. 2,5 hours of YouTube + Safari ate 25% of charge only. On 12.1 it was 50%. But I still do not update my iPhone 8 Plus. Still not sure if the battery behavior will be the same.

It’s a 6s. Yes battery life is awful even with a newish battery and a “install as new iphone” with background refresh turned off. The primary reason is that even though this is an unlocked (Verizon) iphone I’m using it on a different carrier (AT&T) than it was originally released on. The radios keep scanning for a Verizon signal and it kills battery life. If I use a Verizon sim battery life improves by 50-100%. You can see the same effect by popping in a google fi sim or using a local SIM card when you travel overseas. In some cases it can bring a plus model to its knees by midday.
 

Hi Tek

macrumors regular
Sep 27, 2015
155
105
Canada, Hali
Battery life has improved noticeably. Wondering if it's worth reinstalling via iTunes ?

I originally installed OTA
[doublepost=1565558485][/doublepost]Battery life has improved noticeably. Wondering if it's worth reinstalling via iTunes ?

I originally installed OTA
 

jschnee21

macrumors regular
Sep 26, 2018
163
78
So, I’d like to wipe my phone, install the current iOS from iTunes, and the setup my phone as new.

BUT, given the hundreds of Apps I have, all of their settings and content, and all of my photos and iOS/watch settings and customizations, I then STILL have to restore from an iCloud backup — so what’s the point?

All of the benefit that seems to come from wiping and re-installing (either through iTunes or OTA) seems to mainly come from setting your phone up as new and then NOT restoring from a backup.

Seems like a lot to give up unless your phone is really whacked.

Am I wrong?
 

JerseyDoug

macrumors 6502
May 10, 2012
286
27
My iPhone 6s+ was fine until I installed 12.4 via OTA. Battery life went straight in the toilet. I shut off all background refresh and updates. No help. Installed as new via iTunes, but then loaded apps from back-up. No difference. Battery life is at 85%.

Given that I had a cracked screen I decided it was time for a new phone. I'm enjoying my new Xr.

As an aside, my insists this is the result of Apple's planned obsolescence. Perhaps she is correct.
 

iMelhado

macrumors member
Jan 15, 2018
76
48
United States
All day battery after a few modifications. Background refresh off and certain location privacy off. I yielded 4 hours of screen on time from 6:30am(100%) to 10:33pm (18%).
 

Bogstandard

macrumors regular
Aug 24, 2018
192
218
Mid West
iPhone x...excellent battery life and 93% capacity on iOS 12.4.
A day after updating to iOS 12.4.1 daily battery life drops 10% and battery capacity drops to 91%.
iPhone xs...erratic behavior and less battery life after iOS 12.4.1 update.

m
 

homo

macrumors newbie
Sep 19, 2014
4
4
hello to all, i have 8 plus, ios 11.4.1, battery health 92%.
Do you think that its ok to upgrade to 12.4.1? Is the new ios fast for my iphone or it will be slow? And what about battery drain? Give me your advice please. Thank you, sorry about my bad English.
 

Paddle1

macrumors 601
May 1, 2013
4,818
3,137
hello to all, i have 8 plus, ios 11.4.1, battery health 92%.
Do you think that its ok to upgrade to 12.4.1? Is the new ios fast for my iphone or it will be slow? And what about battery drain? Give me your advice please. Thank you, sorry about my bad English.
iOS 12 has better performance than iOS 11 in general and an iPhone 8 Plus should have no trouble running it.
 

tranceking26

macrumors 65816
Apr 16, 2013
1,389
1,542
6s user here. 12.4 and 12.4.1 were the same as always.

It's been the same since the day I bought it and iOS 9.1 came out.
 

minimo3

macrumors 6502a
Oct 18, 2010
810
975
I got an extra 1 hour of screen on time on a SE with 12.4.1 by:

1. Doing an iTunes “restore iPhone” where it downloads the full firmware and flashes it back to factory state
2. Setting up as new phone

Takes at least half a day to reinstall everything, re-enter all the passwords, copy over music, photos, etc, but the improvement in battery life is fantastic. Even with heavy usage I end the day with 25% left.
 

Slash787

macrumors regular
Jul 9, 2019
182
389
It has been really really bad for my iPhone 7, it has been acting this way since I installed the first version of iOS 12, I make 3 calls and from 100% it goes down to 30%
 
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