The battery life problem that has plagued many iPhone 4S models has been a mystery for Apple and its customers over the past few weeks, its source elusive as the company searched for a cure. However, a new report suggests that constant time zone checks could be to blame for drained 4S batteries all over the globe.

“There may be light at the end of the tunnel. Switching one little toggle in iOS 5?s Settings app may hold the key to curing your iPhone 4S battery,” writes Oliver Haslam for iDownloadBlog. “See, it appears that iOS 5?s GM release introduced a bug that causes the Setting Time Zone function to keep the location tracking circuitry running constantly, draining battery power considerably. Switching it off may mean that your iPhone will no longer set its own time zone when you travel, but that’s a small price to pay for having your iPhone last more than 12 hours on a full charge.”

While not all iPhone 4S owners have had to deal with a frustratingly-low battery life over the past couple of weeks, a good amount have. The iPhone 4S was released to much fanfare earlier this month, breaking sales records thanks to several impressive features and specs, ironically including improved battery life.