iPhone Battery Dies Quickly When Out of Range

[Bostonian1976]

My SE S710a used to do this too, but my SE W810i didn't at all.

My only guess is that, when out of range, the phone is constantly looking for a signal and runs the battery right down.

I go up to a farm in NH frequently that is out of range, and wish this wasn't the case. Maybe they'll fix it next release....

 

[G4R2]

Just a suggestion if it hasn't occurred to you already: If you're frequently going to an area that you know has a dead spot you could try going to Airplane Mode to turn off the cellular radio while you're there.

 

[Bostonian1976]

Just a suggestion if it hasn't occurred to you already: If you're frequently going to an area that you know has a dead spot you could try going to Airplane Mode to turn off the cellular radio while you're there.

an obvious solution that I didn't think of. thank you!!

the only thing is that I stay connected to the router while I'm there, to keep up w/ email and internet, etc....

 

[Deanster]

Seems to be near-universal for GSM phones (surprised to hear this wasn't a problem with your W810!) - when it's not in range of a tower, it broadcasts 'HERE I AM!' at max power constantly, in hopes of getting an answer back from a distant tower. Naturally, this sucks battery at a very high rate, much faster than even talking, which usually uses a power level moderated to reach the nearest tower.

 

[brbubba]

Yep, happened on my old Nokia 7610 and also happens on my Sony-Ericsson K790a. Sucks that apple won't let you disable cellular service without disabling WiFi. Although I have a feeling that someone sooner or later will get Skype on the phone and ATT would be none too happy about user's skirting minutes through VoIP.

 

[SirOmega]

This is one thing I hope Apple fixes - Airplane mode shuts off both WiFi and Cellular.

JetBlue is looking to put WiFi in their cabins for internet access in the next few years (they just put out an RFP). If the FAA signs off on it then it could happen. But the iPhone wouldnt work because cellular signals would still be banned - and there is no way to decouple (from the UI) the cellular signal and the wifi signal.

 

[Rojo]

This is one thing I hope Apple fixes - Airplane mode shuts off both WiFi and Cellular.

JetBlue is looking to put WiFi in their cabins for internet access in the next few years (they just put out an RFP). If the FAA signs off on it then it could happen. But the iPhone wouldnt work because cellular signals would still be banned - and there is no way to decouple (from the UI) the cellular signal and the wifi signal.

That would be pretty cool of JetBlue.

If that's the case, I'm sure Apple could easily make it so JUST the cellular part is shut off, yes?

 

[Rodimus Prime]

To bad it does not do what a lot of phones will do when they go into a dead zone. They shut down in to a sleep mode and only check once every 5 mins or so for a signal or when ever one would wake up the phone. It helps save battery life and it works pretty well when you have to drive though a dead zone.