iPhone 5s and EDGE

[crazy_cat]

You can't.. Basically it has two modes since introduction of LTE in iPhone 5, ie
normal - 2G+, 3G+
LTE mode - LTE

So u can't force 2G+ only to make the battery last long

So I went ahead and jailbroke my phone for fun and from what I can see is that VC has provided Apple with LTE carrier settings only. i.e. an iphone 5s on the VC network will only work using 3g/LTE bands which sucks. However, since the phone is now jailbroken there may be a way to mod the carrier settings.

 

[crazy_cat]

@crazy_cat, for comparison: how long does your battery last + what does your typical day to day activity comprise of?

Typically, when using my iphone4 on EDGE the whole I used to get about 24-36 hours. I did however switch to 3g when required to watch videos etc. Almost all push notifications are not enabled and WhatsApp is used continuously throuhout the day.

With the new 5s though, similar setup in terms of notifications and usage - however because its stuck on 3g I'm lucky to see 24 hours.

 

[crazy_cat]

Apparently I'm wasting my time as your comprehension of this technology seems to be hampered somewhat by retentiveness in your lower extremities.

But nevertheless I'll try: if the LTE network is unstable, then it's quite probably that the iPhone could be spending quite a bit of time trying to negotiate connections, and this signal negotiation process is probably one of the most energy taxing operations on the device, hence it's often advised to turn off LTE to conserve battery (most appropriate when LTE signal is proven to be a problem)

VC 3g is not as grand as everyone seems to think, let alone LTE. As far as i can recall I have never gotten a full 3g signal on both the 4 and 5s (granted the 4 did have some reception issues). This become a further issue when sitting in an office with a lot of concrete around you....

 

[crazy_cat]

I manually chose a Carrier from the Settings menu. I chose something else beside VC, switched Airplane mode on and off and then set the Carrier to Automatic and yay EDGE connection with old 3g toggle back. Now my phone is connected to EDGE however I have NO data throughput because there is no way to update the APN settings -> SO DONT TRY THIS because i have not figured how to get data back...

 

[[)roi(]]

Typically, when using my iphone4 on EDGE the whole I used to get about 24-36 hours. I did however switch to 3g when required to watch videos etc. Almost all push notifications are not enabled and WhatsApp is used continuously throuhout the day.

With the new 5s though, similar setup in terms of notifications and usage - however because its stuck on 3g I'm lucky to see 24 hours.

Have you tried a battery drain test to check how your 5S measures up against Apple's numbers? At least then you'd have a fairly good idea how your battery holds to their advertised numbers.

Talk time: Up to 10 hours on 3G
Standby time: Up to 250 hours
Internet use: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 10 hours
Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

Apple acknowledged battery issue There certainly were some initial problems with some of the devices produced by Apple, but that was primarily during October and was reported by Apple to affect a few thousand: the problems with those devices were much more severe, for example: failure to charge, maximum 11 hours on standby, ...

Signal quality (or more specifically bad signal quality) definitely has a role to play with battery duration, some thing which is quite often overlooked, basically your device ends up draining faster even when in standby, this happens because it's constantly hunting for a stable signal and faster connection. If you happen to be in an area where the LTE connection suffers from lower connection quality (frequency is greater near the edge of the signal area), you certainly will experience a lot more switching on and off of the LTE connection, these switches alone are quite taxing on your battery, as the GSM antennas are boosted to their maximum power output during times of connection seeking and negotiation. Here's a good write up on how LTE works and what to expect: http://www.motorolasolutions.com/we...ealistic_LTE_Experience_White_Paper_FINAL.pdf

So your approach to try to switch off the LTE features (when you don't need it) in settings is always the best route to extend battery life (especially in cases where the LTE signal is unreliable), similarly consider turning off WIFI and Bluetooth when these are not needed or available.

Unfortunately there's no way to force your iPhone to stay on edge; which sounds like what you prefer.

New iOS 7 & 5S featuresThe other thing you have to note is that iOS7 and the 5S brings a whole new set of abilities ito the motion co-processor (M7). I.e. Apps can now, even in the background, constantly poll the M7 for updates on location, movement, etc. and these background activities could be a factor in reduce battery life. Through the settings panel you can easily identify which apps have been authorized for both scenarios.

 

[crazy_cat]

I manually chose a Carrier from the Settings menu. I chose something else beside VC, switched Airplane mode on and off and then set the Carrier to Automatic and yay EDGE connection with old 3g toggle back. Now my phone is connected to EDGE however I have NO data throughput because there is no way to update the APN settings -> SO DONT TRY THIS because i have not figured how to get data back...

Ok.. after some hit and miss approaches, Data connection is now enabled. I ended up using http://www.unlockit.co.nz/unlockit/ to download a custom APN settings/profile which now allows me to use data, but still unable to edit the settings. It seems that this is the older APN settings (non-LTE) using the iphone.vodacom.za values.

I can now switch between EDGE and 3G..

Next up..how to enable EDGE/3G and 3G/LTE toggles...

 

[crazy_cat]

Have you tried a battery drain test to check how your 5S measures up against Apple's numbers? At least then you'd have a fairly good idea how your battery holds to their advertised numbers.

Would this be just by inspection or are you referring to an app?

Internet use: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi

I find this a bit weird... LTE gives better battery life than 3G

 

[[)roi(]]

Would this be just by inspection or are you referring to an app?

Inspection, your impression of your phone vs. these times. For example: Engadget did a continuous video drain test and ended up with 11hours vs 10 reported

I find this a bit weird... LTE gives better battery life than 3G

LTE was certainly designed to be to superior to 3G (all factors, not just speed), so it should be expected.

 

[dagwood4455]

i tried to phone the istore to discuss this issue but I might as well just have phoned the SPCA

 

[dh_za]

I switch my LTE off ..... i get better battery and it seemliness switches from 3g to e back to 3g ..LTE would from from LTE to nothing...

I have also found and not sure how possible this it, but doing speed tests my 3g is faster than LTE in downloads ... only uploads that LTE kicks A.

so I am happy keeping my phone on LTE .. and have no problems since I have made this change ..... even changed my APN back to internet