“Sleep” vs. Shutting down

We’ve received a few questions about the iPhone’s sleep mode; specifically, how it compares to actually shutting down the phone. Here’s the 411:

When you shut down—by holding down the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds and then swiping the red slider control that appears—the iPhone is completely turned off. This is akin to using your Mac’s Shut Down command. (In fact, when you turn on the iPhone again, you’ll see the Apple logo on the screen as the phone boots up.) None of the iPhone’s functions work while shut down, and incoming calls are sent directly to voicemail.

When you “sleep” the iPhone—by pressing the Sleep/Wake button briefly—the screen is turned off and locked (meaning it won’t respond to touches), but the iPhone is still turned on; you can still receive calls and text (SMS) messages, and if you’ve got Mail set to automatically check for new email, it will continue to do so. The hardware buttons on the side of the phone for Ring/Silent mode and volume also continue to function, and if you were previously listening to audio via the iPod section, the audio will continue to play (and can be controlled using the pod on the iPhone’s included earbuds). The Ring/Silent setting is also honored: if set to Ring, you’ll hear the ring, even if the phone is in sleep mode.

We’ve also been asked about charging. The iPhone will charge in either state, off or sleeping. Presumably, as with a laptop, the iPhone will charge more quickly when turned off than when in sleep mode; however, unless you need to charge the battery in the shortest possible time, the drawback to turning the phone off to charge it—not being able to use it—probably outweighs the benefit of a somewhat shorter full-recharge time.

Finally, one reader asked whether or not she should turn the iPhone off at night when not near a power source for charging. If you don’t need to be available for emergency calls or messages, turning the iPhone off completely will conserve maximum battery life. If you want to use just the iPhone’s alarm-clock feature, turn on Airplane Mode; this disables all wireless functionality (phone, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) but lets you use the iPhone’s non-Internet applications. On the other hand, if you do need to be able to receive emergency calls or messages, here’s how to do so while using the least amount of battery power: in Settings, disable Wi-Fi; in Settings: General, disable Bluetooth; in Settings: Mail, set Auto-Check to Manual; finally, in Settings: Sounds, turn off Vibrate. Then put the iPhone into sleep mode.

(Update: Forgot to include Bluetooth in the list of wireless features that are disabled in Airplane Mode and that should be disabled to conserve battery life.)

Category: Tips & Troubleshooting

Posted by Dan Frakes on Jul 8 2007, 5:07 PM ET

• © 2007 Mac Publishing, LLC.
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Community Standards