Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > Travel Technology
Reload this Page >

Battery Drain After SIM Change

Community
Wiki Posts
Search

Battery Drain After SIM Change

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 3, 2025 | 3:49 pm
  #1  
Original Poster
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
10 Countries Visited
Conversation Starter
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 47,218
Battery Drain After SIM Change

I recently switched from T-Mobile to US Mobile and added an e-sim.

Since the change, my iPhone 13PM battery has been draining very quickly, its definitely abnormal.

I removed the old TMobile physical sim and its still draining. I switched between a couple US Mobile networks and removed any unused e-sims - still draining.

Any ideas?
bocastephen is online now  
Old May 3, 2025 | 5:30 pm
  #2  
All eyes on you!
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,739
Originally Posted by bocastephen
I recently switched from T-Mobile to US Mobile and added an e-sim.
Since the change, my iPhone 13PM battery has been draining very quickly, its definitely abnormal.
I removed the old TMobile physical sim and its still draining. I switched between a couple US Mobile networks and removed any unused e-sims - still draining.
Any ideas?
Shouldn't make a difference, however, a couple of things do come to mind... the broadcast frequencies used by US Mobile might not be some of the more "energy efficient" (eg, they don't penetrate physical infrastructure as well). It might also cause your iphone to scan for towers more often.

Not sure if this is a feature iphones have (modern Android do....at least stock and Samsung ones), but shortly after using my phone for a while (few weeks), I was asked if I wanted to change charging styles (eg, re-calibrate to charge to 80% to preserve battery life).... doing the 80% is definitely noticeable. That said, I was asked explicitly about this "feature", it wasn't forced on me. The %% goes down noticeably faster (at least for me).
StuckInYYZ is offline  
Old May 3, 2025 | 8:08 pm
  #3  
Original Poster
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
10 Countries Visited
Conversation Starter
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 47,218
US Mobile uses Verizon, T-Mobile or ATT networks. I cant remember if it happened when I first switched or if it got really noticeable when I switched from their Verizon network to the ATT network and received a new eSIM.
bocastephen is online now  
Old May 9, 2025 | 1:32 am
  #4  
All eyes on you!
10 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,605
One other thought were you connecting to 5G or mm-wave networks previously? You said you had a legacy in the other thread.

5G *can be* very energy-intensive, Im not sure what factors contribute. I find my 13 mini loses almost double the battery using 5G over LTE (Im outside the US), so Ive set my usage to LTE max (or 3G/2G), not 5G On or 5G Auto.

Or, perhaps its just time to replace the battery; its nearing 4 years now since the 13 released. Im in the 70% range myself.
bocastephen likes this.

Last edited by crackjack; May 9, 2025 at 2:11 am
crackjack is offline  
Old May 9, 2025 | 1:02 pm
  #5  
Original Poster
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
10 Countries Visited
Conversation Starter
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 47,218
Originally Posted by crackjack
One other thought were you connecting to 5G or mm-wave networks previously? You said you had a legacy in the other thread.

5G *can be* very energy-intensive, Im not sure what factors contribute. I find my 13 mini loses almost double the battery using 5G over LTE (Im outside the US), so Ive set my usage to LTE max (or 3G/2G), not 5G On or 5G Auto.

Or, perhaps its just time to replace the battery; its nearing 4 years now since the 13 released. Im in the 70% range myself.
The only change to the phone was activating a USM eSIM on Verizon, then having that eSIM replaced with a new one for ATT - then finding and removing the physical Tmobile SIM was still in the tray
bocastephen is online now  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.