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iPhone iOS 13 is a serious battery drainer & Apple locked us from downgrading back to iOS12 using iTunes!

GoodGuy12345

GoodGuy12345

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 26, 2018
70
29
Canada
Help! My iPhone 6s is sucking the battery down with iOS 13.1.1. I have tried to downgrade back to iOS 12.4.1, but that option is not even available any more. The only option is to restore and upgrade. There was used to be a command to hold Option when clicking restore on iTunes, but it appears it doesn't work anymore since Apple updated iTunes on both Mac and Windows. What is Apple doing to us?
 
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GoodGuy12345 said:
Help! My iPhone 6s is sucking the battery down with iOS 13.1.1. I have tried to downgrade back to iOS 12.4.1, but that option is not even available any more. The only option is to restore and upgrade. There was used to be a command to hold Option when clicking restore on iTunes, but it appears it doesn't work anymore since Apple updated iTunes on both Mac and Windows. What is Apple doing to us?
Click to expand...
Upgrading begins some housekeeping tasks, such as indexing, which could impact battery life. I would give it a day and see how your battery life is. Also, isn’t 13.1.2 available to you yet?
 
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Sorry about that, it's actually 13.1.2, I kept updating when a new 13.x update got released hoping that it would fix it. It's been weeks now, and my 6S still can not last a day without being charged at least 5 times a day. It drops heavily during use, or even powered off. Overnight, it would be 100% to 50% in the morning.
 
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GoodGuy12345 said:
Sorry about that, it's actually 13.1.2, I kept updating when a new 13.x update got released hoping that it would fix it. It's been weeks now, and my 6S still can not last a day without being charged at least 5 times a day. It drops heavily during use, or even powered off. Overnight, it would be 100% to 50% in the morning.
Click to expand...
Ah, ok, no worries. I would recommend letting the phone “settle in” for a day or two and then worry about battery life. I have always gotten great battery life on my devices.. except just after upgrading to the next version of the operating system.

You also might want to look into the possibility of an app that is hogging the battery: Settings > Battery

I had a 6s, loved that phone.
 
It's been running the same version since 13.1.2 got released. I don't think it has settled in yet, unless it takes a week. Also, my battery health is 75%, but lasts the entire day with 12.4.1.
 
GoodGuy12345 said:
Help! My iPhone 6s is sucking the battery down with iOS 13.1.1. I have tried to downgrade back to iOS 12.4.1, but that option is not even available any more. The only option is to restore and upgrade. There was used to be a command to hold Option when clicking restore on iTunes, but it appears it doesn't work anymore since Apple updated iTunes on both Mac and Windows. What is Apple doing to us?
Click to expand...

6s iPhone.
still love this phone.

but you are correct. i have also started a thread on this issue elsewhere.
iOS 13.1 really killed ability to use the phone in the way that i had been.
was able to get 7 to 8 hours before, but now about 4 to 5 hours.
i can not use the phone in the same ways i was before.
but i have tried literally everything;
no background app refresh; almost all location following turned off. no heavy viewing of videos. etc etc.
still something is eating it.
i have also experiemented with enabling low power mode more or less constantly.
still something is eating battery with this update.

but i also have a macbook air as well. and macOS 10.14.6 battery duration has also taken a stark decrease.

i believe the two issues are caused by the recent updates. i think that they are related.
i think that iOS 13 and macOS Catalina preparation in Mojave's final updates has changed how the mac and the phone are seeking either network or iCloud services.
on the iPhone, carrier signals that were strong before are no longer strong.they are very weak now.

i am hoping that once Catalina comes out, things settle down between these two devices.

again, you and i both share the fact: iPhone 6s ran well using iOS 12 all versions.

we pray that the 2020 spring iPhone rumored to be an iPhone 8 replacement is worthy.
 
In the past I’d go into Settings/General/Reset/Reset All Settings and that has fixed the battery drain.

Granted you’ll have to re-enter WiFi password, notifications, and such
 
Is there anything in the battery section of settings that indicates excessive usage from specific apps
 
My 6S battery totally blows on 13.1.2. Health is 99%, and I didn’t have a problem with any of the 13.1 betas. Once public release hit it just tanked. Drains faster in Low Power Mode and screen off than when I’m actually using it.

My 2017 iPad, with the same processor, is doing better than ever on 13.1.2. Go figure.
 
I haven't noticed much of a difference on my iPhone 6S. Don't get me wrong, its not great but it wasn't great with iOS 12 either.
 
fastbagger said:
Apple planned obsolescence
Click to expand...

Thats probably it, his 4+ year old iPhone got the latest operating system and features that the hardware supports to make it obsolete.

While I'm not denying that the speed apps open/close and geekbench scores aren't factors that would make someone upgrade its not what makes something obsolete. What would make his iPhone obsolete is if it was still on iOS 10 with no access to current apps from the app store, access to current cloud services or features you cellular provider provides that Apple has baked into iOS (VoLTE, calling from iCloud devices, etc).
 
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My 6S has 94% battery health. It ran well on iOS 12, with no battery issues. Now that it's running iOS 13 (any and all versions up to and including 13.1.2) I swear I can sometimes watch the battery percentage ticking down. This is ridiculous.
 
I remember the time were I could use the 6s Plus for more than 2 days. They are really killing old devices with all the updates
 
Not sure what’s worse, flat earth types or the “PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE!!!111” trolls.

I’ve noticed a bit of a dip as well on my XS Max and iPad Pro, I’m assuming it’s a bug that will be fixed with an update.
 
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Derived said:
Not sure what’s worse, flat earth types or the “PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE!!!111” trolls.

I’ve noticed a bit of a dip as well on my XS Max and iPad Pro, I’m assuming it’s a bug that will be fixed with an update.
Click to expand...

Nice straw man argument with the flat earthers. Sure is coincidental all of these "trolls" came out all claiming the same thing, isn't it?

If you're so confident these are in fact trolls and not legitimate people with legitimate claims, just post some evidence that disproves them?

Take an older device, put it on iOS 13, and show the battery life performance? Find an older device running an earlier iOS version and compare the two? It would be quite a simple experiment to run.

We'll be eagerly awaiting your results.
 
My iPhone 7 is also suffering from heavy battery drain with this latest beta. This phone has always had excellent battery life. It drops 10% after 5 min of web browsing. A 20 min phone call drops it a good 30 to 40 %. Safari shows biggest battery usage even when I’m barely using that app.
It’s been a couple of days since install but I’ve never had an update take that long to “settle”. Battery health is at 85%. Will be trying the settings reset tip from an above post to see if that helps.
 
trfc54 said:
Nice straw man argument with the flat earthers. Sure is coincidental all of these "trolls" came out all claiming the same thing, isn't it?

If you're so confident these are in fact trolls and not legitimate people with legitimate claims, just post some evidence that disproves them?

Take an older device, put it on iOS 13, and show the battery life performance? Find an older device running an earlier iOS version and compare the two? It would be quite a simple experiment to run.

We'll be eagerly awaiting your results.
Click to expand...
The burden of proof isn’t in negating something that was claimed.

That said, since one example that doesn’t fit is enough to negate it: iOS 12.
[automerge]1570383227[/automerge]
cbreze said:
My iPhone 7 is also suffering from heavy battery drain with this latest beta. This phone has always had excellent battery life. It drops 10% after 5 min of web browsing. A 20 min phone call drops it a good 30 to 40 %. Safari shows biggest battery usage even when I’m barely using that app.
It’s been a couple of days since install but I’ve never had an update take that long to “settle”. Battery health is at 85%. Will be trying the settings reset tip from an above post to see if that helps.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately once the battery drops below 90% things start to become more and more noticeable as far as battery usage goes, especially at it gets closer to 80% (which is basically where the battery is not considered to be all that useful anymore).

In your case, trying something like resetting settings or even reinstalling might be worth a try.
 
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C DM said:
The burden of proof isn’t in negating something that was claimed.

That said, since one example that doesn’t fit is enough to negate it: iOS 12.
[automerge]1570383227[/automerge]

Unfortunately once the battery drops below 90% things start to become more and more noticeable as far as battery usage goes, especially at it gets closer to 80% (which is basically where the battery is not considered to be all that useful anymore).

In your case, trying something like resetting settings or even reinstalling might be worth a try.
Click to expand...

I'd like for you to show me how to revert my device back to iOS 9-10 and then I'll gladly prove it. I think enough claims have been made here that it's happening to warrant a discussion. If you think it's not happening, show me with your older device. It's not that complicated.
 
I feel your pain OP, my 6s doesn't last long on charges since iOS 13 and the updates after that.

It's at 78% so getting the battery replaced tomorrow.
 
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