iPhone Battery Bug Fixed By iOS 5.0.1: Early ReportsiPhone Battery Bug Fixed By iOS 5.0.1: Early Reports

Apple seeded a test build of iOS 5.0.1 to a lucky few iPhone owners recently. The iPhone operating system update is meant to help fix a bug that Apple says is affecting iPhone battery life on devices running iOS 5. Based on what some of these early testers say, the update solves the problem for most users.

Wired reader Donald Kuntzman offered the magazine an explanation of his experience with iOS 5.0.1 on his iPhone 4.

"Frankly, the difference is nothing short of amazing," he said. "To go almost an entire day without a change in the meter reading seems unbelievable. Where before I could almost watch the battery drain, now it doesn't move at all."

Kuntzman said that he first noticed the battery issue on his device after installing iOS 5. As many others have complained, Kuntzman noted that he could practically see the battery lose power by looking at his phone. With the update installed, everything appears to be fixed.

[Still waiting for the iOS upgrade? We've put together some fixes to improve 4S battery in the meantime. See 4 Fixes For iPhone 4S Battery Woes.]

Another Wired reader shared an image via Twitter noting the improvement in battery life as experienced on an iPhone 4S. The reader claimed that with iOS 5, his iPhone was losing 15% of its power an hour. With iOS 5.0.1, his iPhone is losing 3% to 4% power an hour.

A number of other iOS 5.0.1 users have made similar claims about battery life improvement, though that doesn't mean it has worked for everyone. At least one person noted that there's been no improvement in battery life with iOS 5.0.1, and yet another noted that battery life actually got worse with iOS 5.0.1.

Apple has said only that the battery fix will arrive in several weeks. It hasn't provided extensive details on what's causing the battery drain, nor what it is doing exactly to remedy the situation.

If your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S is experiencing battery problems, be sure to take a look at several battery cases that information assembled to help you get through the day.