Does signing into iCloud drain your iPhone battery rapidly?

[jdvoracek]

About 2 weeks ago my iPhone6 suddenly started draining about 5% per hour at idle. This would show up in Settings>General>Usage>Battery Usage as a very high standby usage even with the phone idle, typically about 80% of the total time. They exchanged the phone at the Austin, Texas Domain store. That did not fix the problem. I got a new sim from AT&T. That did not fix the problem. We came to Minneapolis for Christmas, and the Mall of America once more exchanged my phone, and it did not help. I got onto Apple Chat support and was passed to a senior analyst who worked with me off and on for most of a day. We determined that only when I was signed into iCloud, the massive drain happened. He checked what he could on my iCloud account, said at his level of diagnostics nothing showed up, so he said he was putting in a request for engineering to examine the issue. I've not heard back, but that was only two days ago and this is Christmas. I have a 64GB and I know of at least one other person with the identical problem. I read about severe and sudden battery life problems folks are having, and I doubt I am the only one with this issue.

I restored the phone to 8.1.2, did not load any apps, signed into iCloud and let the phone idle. Here is the usage - just look at the high usage to standby proportion:

Then all I did was sign out of iCloud, and here is the result - look at the minimal usage:

 

[chillenandy321]

^^ I'm having the same exact problem possibly. Just signed out of iCloud now to test it. For 3 weeks this has been happening. Did 2 fresh clean installs and 2 phones replaced with 8.1.2 iPhone 6+. Phone has been barely used and usage is way up near standby time.

 

[chillenandy321]

I wanna thank you for posting this situation. My battery life has went back to normal after signing out of iCloud. Hope Apple can fix this problem. Only thing I was using was find my iPhone in the cloud anyway, but still this issue needs to be addressed.

 

[jdvoracek]

Thank you! I forwarded your post, actually the entire thread, to the Apple service analyst who has been working on it. A captain with whom my son flies also has it. I have seen other sudden battery drain reports that I suspect are also the same.

 

[chillenandy321]

Checking back in after 12+ hours of iCloud being off. What an improvement having it off wow. That was certainly my culprit problem. Thanks again

 

[Applejuiced]

Im signed into icloud on all my idevices with no battery problems at all.
Its gotta be a setting you have left on that might be causing this. Do you have pictures autoupload to icloud or other options such as contacts, calendars, reminders, safari, notes, icloud drive?

 

[chillenandy321]

Im signed into icloud on all my idevices with no battery problems at all.
Its gotta be a setting you have left on that might be causing this. Do you have pictures autoupload to icloud or other options such as contacts, calendars, reminders, safari, notes, icloud drive?

I was just using find my iphone option thats it. It's bugging me why it drains.

 

[Applejuiced]

Maybe a backup bug.
You try setting up as new phone?

 

[chillenandy321]

Maybe a backup bug.
You try setting up as new phone?

I've done that 3 times very recently lol ugh

 

[Applejuiced]

I've done that 3 times very recently lol ugh

And still nothing huh?
Just find my iphone turned on and drains battery bad?
Very weird, did Apple have any idea or input to what to do?

 

[chillenandy321]

And still nothing huh?
Just find my iphone turned on and drains battery bad?
Very weird, did Apple have any idea or input to what to do?

Well I took it in 2 times for massive battery drain and they could not figure it out. Told me to set up as new so did that twice. Saw this thread other day and turned off iCloud then it went away. Something is hanging up causing this. Sucks

 

[Applejuiced]

Well I took it in 2 times for massive battery drain and they could not figure it out. Told me to set up as new so did that twice. Saw this thread other day and turned off iCloud then it went away. Something is hanging up causing this. Sucks

Sure does.
It would drive me nuts.
When you go into settings/general/usage/battery usage what process did it display as eating up most of the battery? Find iphone?

 

[chillenandy321]

Sure does.
It would drive me nuts.
When you go into settings/general/usage/battery usage what process did it display as eating up most of the battery? Find iphone?

Check out post 2 the pic. Usually settings and mail will be high. Sometimes gets higher then what it showed in the pic.

Edit: Just signed back in iCloud test it out again with find my iphone turned on. Will report back. Thanks for help

 

[Applejuiced]

Its weird how mail is draining even though its not really an email account, just find my iphone.

 

[chillenandy321]

Its weird how mail is draining even though its not really an email account, just find my iphone.

In a matter of half hour or so already see a drop than normal. So weird never had this problem till just 3 weeks ago.

 

[Applejuiced]

Wow, I hope they figure it out and issue a fix with the next iOS update or something.

 

[Learylvr.]

Anyway it could be related to you both being on AT&T ? I've seen data issues with AT&T but this is really odd. Hope Apple figures this out.

 

[chillenandy321]

15% drop in 6 hours of zero use with it back on. Yeah Apple needs to fix this issue. Going on a week trip out of the country in few weeks need phone to be superb

 

[jdvoracek]

Update pending final resolution

Apple got back to me recently. I was given a particular password to use for my Apple ID/iCloud. The service analyst said this came from engineering, and he didn't know exactly (or couldn't tell) the logic behind this, but it did allow engineering to more closely look at my iCloud usage. He also mentioned this might have an effect on the high usage. So I dutifully changed to that password, and I was able to log into iCloud and not have the massive battery drain. I am at 57% battery, and I took the phone off the charger about 44 hours ago with light usage obviously. I reported this back, and he told me he would report to engineering and then advise me, but he was sure I would have to change my password from that given to me to something I chose when this is all said and done. I have heard of another two friends of friends with this issue. I also gave him the link to this thread. Hoping this gets resolved for everyone!

 

[Applejuiced]

Weird.
So they told you to change your password to something predetermined and drain stopped?

 

[chillenandy321]

Apple got back to me recently. I was given a particular password to use for my Apple ID/iCloud. The service analyst said this came from engineering, and he didn't know exactly (or couldn't tell) the logic behind this, but it did allow engineering to more closely look at my iCloud usage. He also mentioned this might have an effect on the high usage. So I dutifully changed to that password, and I was able to log into iCloud and not have the massive battery drain. I am at 57% battery, and I took the phone off the charger about 44 hours ago with light usage obviously. I reported this back, and he told me he would report to engineering and then advise me, but he was sure I would have to change my password from that given to me to something I chose when this is all said and done. I have heard of another two friends of friends with this issue. I also gave him the link to this thread. Hoping this gets resolved for everyone!

Thanks for the info. Will give Apple a buzz when I get back from my trip to see how to handle going about a fix.

 

[jdvoracek]

The end

Thought I'd bring this up to date. Apple called again and said to go ahead and change from the AppleID/iCloud password they gave me to whatever I wanted and that would end their extra ability to watch my iCloud activity. They never said if anything was found or fixed. So I changed, but not to the password I was using when the problem began, and it's still okay. Thus as crazy as it sounds, if you have this same problem - - signing into iCloud drains your battery like crazy - - you might just try to change your iCloud password. All I can think of is that process might reset something that is amiss. Fingers crossed!

 

[Applejuiced]

Thought I'd bring this up to date. Apple called again and said to go ahead and change from the AppleID/iCloud password they gave me to whatever I wanted and that would end their extra ability to watch my iCloud activity. They never said if anything was found or fixed. So I changed, but not to the password I was using when the problem began, and it's still okay. Thus as crazy as it sounds, if you have this same problem - - signing into iCloud drains your battery like crazy - - you might just try to change your iCloud password. All I can think of is that process might reset something that is amiss. Fingers crossed!

Great info and could be useful for many with a similar issue in the future.
Thanks for the update.

 

[Sandyberg]

Wow! I have searched everywhere for people with this problem and can't believe I couldn't find it on the support forums.

I have troubleshot for 3 weeks and can 100% confirm that I have this exact issue. If I am just signed into iCloud, with EVERYTHING switched off my phone drains at 5% an hour or faster. With it signed out it loses 1% in 5 hours! I reset all my iCloud's on every device, cleaned up calendar, contacts, iCloud drive at source and then only signed in on one device, my iPhone. Same problem. Funny thing is it doesn't happen on my iPad mini, which has cellular and is running the same software version.

Can anyone confirm that just changing the iCloud password has fixed this problem?!? It seems ridiculous that this would be the case, and every 'genius' I've spoken to has given me the usual rubbish about 'screen brightness' or 'GPS' when they don't even know the settings themselves!

I hold out in hope of someone with a confirmed solution, otherwise I have to try and transfer all mine, and more troubling, my wife's calendars/email/contacts to google - it took long enough to get her onto iCloud by saying 'it just works dear'. Funny thing is, hers still does....

 

[zorinlynx]

Apple got back to me recently. I was given a particular password to use for my Apple ID/iCloud. The service analyst said this came from engineering, and he didn't know exactly (or couldn't tell) the logic behind this, but it did allow engineering to more closely look at my iCloud usage. He also mentioned this might have an effect on the high usage. So I dutifully changed to that password, and I was able to log into iCloud and not have the massive battery drain. I am at 57% battery, and I took the phone off the charger about 44 hours ago with light usage obviously. I reported this back, and he told me he would report to engineering and then advise me, but he was sure I would have to change my password from that given to me to something I chose when this is all said and done. I have heard of another two friends of friends with this issue. I also gave him the link to this thread. Hoping this gets resolved for everyone!

This sounds incredibly suspicious. Are you sure it was Apple you were dealing? There is no reason for them to ask you to change your password for them to be able to monitor your account. They control the systems and your account.

As a system administrator, this screams "SCAM!!!" so loudly it makes my head spin. Your password is yours and yours only. Be careful and watch your back online over the next few weeks. I suggest setting up 2-factor authentication and changing your password again, just in case.