Facebook kills iPhone

Facebook's app has been identified as one of the main causes of battery life problems with Apple's iPhone.

Two developers working separately have identified Facebook's repeated polling of its systems for new posts and data as a principal cause of battery drain. "Disable Background App Refresh for Facebook or other apps you don't absolutely need to stay up-to-date all the time," says Scott Loveless, an ex-Apple Genius bar employee who says he routinely dealt with battery life complaints in that job.

Apple’s iPhone has a relatively small battery with a capacity of 1,560 milliamp-hours (mAh), compared to other flagship smartphones which can have capacities of 2,600mAh. Short battery life has thus become a primary user complaint, prompting Apple to issue advice on battery care and a plethora of articles and tips on how to extend an iPhone’s battery life.

Loveless found that the Facebook app will if allowed constantly use Apple’s location services and background app refresh – a feature that keeps apps up to date by periodically polling the internet for new data such as tweets or Facebook posts.


/The Guardian/