My Battery Life Is Shot Since Updating To iOS 11!

by can_admin | Oct 19, 2017 | Uncategorized

As of last week, nearly 50% of compatible iPhones have been updated to the new iOS 11 that was released a few weeks ago.  Hopefully many of you are enjoying the new features….but more than likely you’ve noticed that since the update your battery life on your phone has significantly decreased.  Sound familiar?  Actually, there’s reports of this happening with any new update to a phone (iPhone or Android), so it happens to all smartphone users.  We’re going to run down a few things to check with the newest iOS update…and see if we can minimize that drain with a few simple tips.

One probable cause you don’t want to discount is USER ACTIVITY when you’re checking out all those new features.  You get the new software, and things look different, so you spend time logging into everything, trying apps and setting things up, and all of that drains your battery because it’s more use than normal.  I know, I know….it’s not the only cause of your battery issues, but it’s definitely something to throw into the mix.

Luckily, iOS makes it easy to look at what’s hogging your battery.  Go into Settings > Battery, and there’s a whole menu devoted to battery usage.  See what the top apps are in both the last 24 hours, and in the last 7 days.  Try uninstalling and reinstalling some of the biggest apps to see if that makes a difference (like Facebook or Instagram), as it’s possible that some apps haven’t been updated for the new operating system yet, and are inefficiently using battery.  You can also get more information about an app by clicking on the biggest apps to see how much battery drain was on the screen versus in the background.  If a good chunk of the battery life was spent in the background, consider disabling Background App Refresh for those apps (Settings > General > Background App Refresh).

The next thing to check is Location Services- or what’s tracking your location. Here’s where it saved me a LOT of battery life.  I had several apps that were all using my location in the background all of the time.  Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services at the top.  Review this list of your apps that can get your location, and consider shutting off access to many of them.  Remember those popups we sometimes get when we first open an app?  It will ask us if it’s ok to use the location- and sometimes we’re so anxious to just use the app we say yes to get into the program we don’t fully read what it says.  Here’s how you can turn it off, and stop things from tracking where you are.  (Do note….blocking location from weather or GPS apps significantly diminish their usability….so consider simply changing it from Always using your location to “While Using” if you’re unsure.

Similar to location is GPS programs.  The biggest battery draining apps on the phone are almost always GPS programs.  Sure, it’s convenient to use Apple Maps or Waze on your phone, but if you do it for a few hours, your battery will significantly be depleted.  To help that, make sure you turn off the GPS app when you’re done using it (i.e. get to your destination, double tap the home button and find the GPS app, and swipe up to stop it from running at all).  It won’t access your location in the background (if you set it to “while using” above), and will significantly save your battery life.

If you review these features, and make some changes, give it a day or two and see if things are better on your phone.  I know in those first few days after updating, it was painfully draining….but now it’s significantly better.  If you think you have a problem with the phone, and these tips aren’t helping it, reach out to Canyonero Consulting, and we’ll see how we can help!

My Internet Isn’t Working….What Can I Do?

by can_admin | Oct 12, 2017 | Uncategorized

Here’s a question we get all of the time: “My internet goes down a lot, or doesn’t work reliably….what can I do to fix it?”  It’s a multi-leveled question, and not always an easy answer, but there’s a few factors to look at when talking about internet speed and performance:

• Check Your Speed.  If you question your internet speed and performance, go to http://speedtest.net, and run a test of your internet speeds.  It will tell you how fast you’re downloading and uploading, and it’s a good baseline to have these numbers before you start working to correct the problem.
• Contact Your Provider.  Most people in our service area have cable based internet (from Comcast, WOW, etc), and it comes into their homes and businesses through a coax cable to a box called a cable modem.  If your computer is hooked directly up to that cable modem and it’s having issues with speed or connecting to the internet, chances are that your first call needs to be your cable provider.  If what’s coming into your home isn’t working, then they need to fix it, and likely there is no charge for this service.  In many cases, you might just have an outdated box, and they can come bring you a new one, or they can refresh the service on their end to see if that helps.  Once your internet provider has confirmed the internet coming into your home is good, then it’s time to move to the next step.
• Look At Your Router.  Chances are, most of you have a wireless internet connection available at your home/office, and often times that can be the source of internet problems.  By default, most of the cable internet providers will provide a combo cable modem/wireless router that they pre-configure for you when you first get the service and rent to you for around $10/month.  Sometimes those combo units aren’t set up as strong as they can be, or they have a lot of interference (see below), or are simply older and need to be newer technology to connect reliably with newer devices.  If you are renting your unit, see if your provider will upgrade/update your unit at no cost, or consider having Canyonero come out to put a higher quality external wireless router in your home.  Purchasing your own wireless routers can be an inexpensive yet significant performance upgrade to the standard rented equipment.  They make hundreds of different boosters and routers out there, so it’s a good idea to get professional advice before buying something new.  We can also purchase a cable modem, which will allow you to forego that monthly rental fee all-together and get you newer, more reliable equipment!
• Location, Location, Location!  Having a good central location on your wireless router is key in getting internet in your home.  Is the wireless router located in an area with a lot of interference from other electronic devices, metals, stones or brick walls?  Lots of times, the wireless signal can be affected by both walls and hard structures as well as electronic interference from things like your cordless telephone or microwave oven.  Try moving the wireless router to the most central location in your home, or away from other electronics and see if that helps the speed and stability of your service.  In some cases, you may need a wireless extender or 2 wireless routers if your square footage is too large or oblong for a standard wireless signal.

If you can identify where the performance problems are coming from, that’s usually the first step in the process.  In many cases, a phone call to your provider can help address or identify problems, but if not, there are many things we can try to help boost the performance, speed, and reliability of your internet service.