Apple confirms iPhone 4S battery problem, fix coming

Apple has issued a statement confirming there is an issue with the iPhone 4S battery, and that a software update is coming in the next few weeks to fix it.

This follows 4S owners complaining the new smart phone has a ridiculously short battery life. Last year, Apple acknowledged the iPhone 4 had a problem with its antenna shortly after launch. On that occasion it doled out free cases, but a software fix will do nicely this time, thanks.

Apple sent the statement to All Things D, CNET News reports. It reads: "A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices. 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."

Last week Apple was contacting customers to ask about usage and offering patches to try, so clearly something wasn't quite right. One senior engineer admitted to a 4S owner that they weren't close to finding a solution.

The location service system in iOS 5 was thought to be the cause of the battery drain, with the phone accessing your location when there's no need and you haven't asked it to. Some owners said disabling the feature solved their battery woes.

Others, however, haven't reported any issues with the battery at all, so it seems Apple is right to say it's not every iPhone 4S. Those less fortunate have been having an entirely different kind of problem, however. There's no word from Apple if there's a fix incoming to echoes on voice calls when using a headset.

Have you been having battery trouble with your 4S? And have you found a solution? Let us know down in the comments or on our Facebook page.