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iPhone users: battery dying in the cold, any tips or advice?
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wlFree Member
My iPhone 5S is dying in the cold when the battery gets to around 20% – it just cuts out and needs a recharge or plugging in. Is it game over, or is there something I can do (that’s cost-effective) like pay for a new battery, take it to a store etc? Had the phone around two years and I’m otherwise happy with it, apart from the below issue…
Also, what’s the best way to free up storage – I keep getting the ‘phone full’ message. Got around 1,000 photos on there – is that the problem?
Thanks for any help.
simondbarnesFull MemberCharge before 20%
Keep in a warm pocket
Delete photos and apps.trademarkFree MemberI’ve recently had the “phone storage almost full” message on my HTC as I didn’t realise the photos were saving to the phone.
I simply transferred them to the sd card. Easy, didn’t have to delete any.cvillaFull MemberI used to put i4s in backpack but it would get cold and shutdown (only during freezing temps) so now lives in shorts pocket to keep warm, give it a try and see if it helps.
simondbarnesFull MemberI simply transferred them to the sd card. Easy, didn’t have to delete any.
I don’t think apple do sd cards
trademarkFree MemberI simply transferred them to the sd card. Easy, didn’t have to delete any.
I don’t think apple do sd cardsA quick Google agrees.
wlFree MemberCheers. Problem is I don’t generally wear a jacket and having the phone in my shorts pocket will be a bit of a pain. Also, yesterday the change was at 50% when I headed out but it dropped fast and died mid-ride.
mikewsmithFree MemberPhoto’s to the cloud as soon as they are taken, clean them out unless you need all 1000 every day.
Charge your phone more often.deadkennyFree MemberDon’t know what Apple’s cloudy thing does but Google has an option to free up photo space because it’s synced it all to the cloud anyway. Or you can manually delete them on the phone if you have them in the cloud or backed up elsewhere.
Cold commonly affects battery runtime. Been out in sub zero snow conditions often with a phone and it lasts half as long as a warm day. However once it’s back in the warm it will seem to have more juice or drains less slowly.
If it’s dying mid ride though then the battery is probably on the way out. Depending how long you’ve had it, you might get a free replacement from Apple. I notice they say about cover in warranty but also “consumer law” so might be UK consumer law will let you have a free replacement if it knackered after only a couple of years (I’d expect longer life than two years). https://support.apple.com/en-gb/iphone/repair/battery-power
FrankersFree MemberI’ve had this problem in the cold. Easiest solution is to get battery replaced, easy to do yourself.
Malvern RiderFree MemberI had the same problem a month ago as was living without a heat source. It wouldn’t even recharge for the longest time I thought the battery was a goner. But it came back to life and recharged eventually
Anyway, keep it warm if poss. If worried about current wear/life-expectancy of battery I recommend downloading this app which will run a check for you and tell if it needs replacing. I’d probably do this in the warm with a decent charge
Battery Life by RBT Digital LLC
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/battery-life/id1080930585?mt=8charliewFull MemberPay 79p a month for 50Gb cloud storage with Apple, then there is a setting which will make your phone use that to free up storage (and maintain it) on your phone.
It can be a bit of a pain when browsing photos and you don’t have a local copy though.
I think the way to recalibrate your phones battery is to run it down to below 10% and then leave it on an uninterrupted charge to 100%
If you think your battery is totally gone then you can replace it yourself for ~£20, I recently did this on my 5S. I bought the iFixit battery and took set and followed the guide:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+5s+Battery+Replacement/19239It’s easy enough, most difficult bit is removing the glue which holds the battery in place. The tooth floss technique sorted me out for 1 tab of glue. I guess the connectors can be a bit fiddly if you’re not used to them. Also be careful removing the old battery, if you damage it they do go bang quite spectacularly.
matt_outandaboutFull MemberMrs_oab has a 5s, less than two years old that also cuts out in cold – last week it was on more than 50% charge, just switches off. 10 mins back indoors and it just comes on again.
It is also not responding to about two thirds of incoming calls – I can have it on table in front of me, full reception, when I call it doesn’t ring, just goes through to answerphone.Less than two years and in contract – do I go back to EE, as in is it under warranty still?
slowoldmanFull Memberwl – do you use your phone in conjunction with a PC? They’re not really intended as a storage medium for masses of photos, so sync with PC/mac and remove them from the phone, or go for cloud storage as mentioned earlier.
kiwifizFree MemberNew battery solved the same problem for me in my old iPhone 5. Don’t think fiddling with apps and storage is going to sort the underlying problem that it’s a relatively old battery now in phone terms. My 6S is starting to do a little of the same now with the battery getting on to 2+ years.
CountZeroFull MemberAll batteries dislike cold conditions, regardless of what they’re fitted into, torches, phones, cars, etc.
Plus Li-ion batteries have a charging life, usually around 500 cycles, so after four years or so it’s going to be a bit flakey. And don’t forget, Apple don’t make phone batteries, I believe theirs are supplied by Samsung or Sony, but I could easily be wrong, the point being is that regardless of phone make, the battery will be likely to come from an outside source, and subject to whatever QC applies.
Or not, in the case of the Samsung Note 8, or whichever it was that spontaneously combusted in people’s pockets…MartynSFull MemberStorage,
Have a look at a sandisk iXpand
I put photos on that then transfer from that to a hard drive.Are you running iOS 11.2
There were problems yesterday with stuff shutting down randomly.
Turn down your screen brightness. Turn off Bluetooth when you don’t need it. Turn off push notifications.,Sounds like you might need a new battery. You could get one of those battery cases as a solution as well.
maccruiskeenFull MemberI keep getting the ‘phone full’ message
This can be a problem with backing up to iCloud (or rather not backing up). If you’re not logged into iCloud for an extended period (not entering your password when prompted) the phone is create backup files but not able to send them, over time it accumulates more an more until you’ve maxed out the memory. So its worth making sure you’re logged in and going into the iCloud settings and triggering a backup manually which will get rid of all the hidden backup files and free up a lot of space.
jambalayaFree MemberDo you have a Mac ? Download Coconut to check battery health but as above they don’t like the cold and maybe thats compounding a tired battery which needs replacing. Apple best but spendy, or a good high st fixers or post to @wysiwyg on here (£35 all in I recall)
For phone full check storage under settings/general/storage then app by app – delete what you don’t want (just looked on mine and I had 4gb of old channel 4 programmes in their app which althogh watched & expired don’t auto delete, ditto 2gb in iPlayer, WhatsApp can be a real hog too)
Also do a backup to itunes on a computer then a restore, we find this often clears up space
wlFree MemberThanks all – loads of useful info here. I’m pretty certain the battery is buggered, so I’ll check and replace if so. I was riding in one layer yesterday so it can’t have been that cold, but the phone still cut out due to sudden lack of power. Need to get that storage sorted too, and now I know how. Cheers again.
wobbliscottFree MemberNot so sure it is to do with the cold. The 5s is an old creaking phone now. My 5 battery life is pretty crap now and if it is below 20% and I start using it then it very quickly, within a matter of a few minutes drops to the point you get the low battery notification through.
My work issued 6 on the other hand seems to battle on for ages at low battery levels even in this chilly weather.
I just thing the batteries degrade anyway over time.
shakers97Free MemberFor storage I can recommend the iCloud 79p a month plan.
Beg to differ on the SD card suggestion. You can backup on an SD card but you need the adaptor – search IOS flash drive on Amazon, some come with interchangeable SD card adapters.
For the battery have you updated to IOS 11? I have and it’s eating my battery. Wait for the update that will fix it.
You can try calibrating the battery (Google search) or do what I did and get a battery case. The one I’ve got is great re-charges the phone more than once and doesn’t add much in the way of bulk -£15 well spent. I got for when I’m on a ride as it gives me the added confidence of knowing I’ve got that in the bank should I need it.
rocketmanFree MemberApple have fixed the battery issues with the latest OS
if (battery_life < 100)
battery_life = 100;High five
footflapsFull MemberGet a Samsung – they don’t have problems with cold batteries
Yep, the Note 7 was so good you can heat your whole house using one.
docrobsterFree MemberI got a battery case for my 6 to stop this happening. Other option is to carry round a charge bank thingy and a wire. Also use iCloud for photos. I just back them up onto a physical hard drive when you be use up my free storage, but 79p a month for all that in the cloud is certainly an option.
This is why teenagers have always got wires from Ming out of their pockets. Keeping the creaking batteries of their old iPhones alive!seosamh77Free Membertrademark – Member
I’ve recently had the “phone storage almost full” message on my HTC as I didn’t realise the photos were saving to the phone.
I simply transferred them to the sd card. Easy, didn’t have to delete any.You’ll be a bit gutted when they delete themselves or if someone robs your phone, photos gone(wasn’t a pretty sight seeing a mate in lisbon lose all his weans baby photos when someone ran past and grabbed it out his hand as he was speaking on it.)!
It’s mental to keep photos on a phone, send them to google photos or whatever cloud service, dropbox, apple..
maccruiskeenFull MemberThis is why teenagers have always got wires from Ming out of their pockets.
If you choose your pockets carefully you can style the wire like an old school watch chain 🙂
ghostlymachineFree MemberNot so sure it is to do with the cold.
It is.
Have had my factory fresh, almost brand new 6s die a couple of times when i’ve put it on the dash of a car in the cold chamber while trying to to start the car. 50-70% charged to dead in 20-30 minutes, it’s usually around -30 in the chamber. I’m not the only one either.
They usually come back once you get them out of the chamber, the screen comes back last.
Dunno what my personal phone does, as i don’t need access to that, so it stays in my inside jacket pocket!
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