Apple Confirms iOS 5 Bugs Causing Battery Issues for Some iPhones

Apple on Wednesday said it had found a few problems that are leading some iPhone customers to experience less-than-expected battery life with iPhones running its latest software.

“A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices,” Apple said in a statement to AllThingsD. “We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.”

Apple declined to comment beyond the statement.

Complaints about battery life issues have been growing on the Web in recent days, but began shortly after both iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S were made publicly available last month.

The problems appear to vary based on what network a user is on, usage patterns and other factors.

While Apple has been mum until now about the issues, its support forums have been filled with postings on the issue. And, although Apple is not offering any advice on what customers should do until the software update is released, those same forums contain various potential fixes that may help. Some customers have found some success by limiting notifications and by turning off a feature that automatically adjusts to new time zones.

Despite the battery issues, the iPhone 4S has been a huge seller, with Sprint and AT&T setting records for initial sales.