iOS 18 Battery Life Thread

[kirbysmartsdawg]

To all:

Unfortunately, this issue hasn't been widely discussed yet on any Apple blog, which means no one has likely started working on a solution.

I encourage everyone to write to all the editorial offices and bring this up:

https://www.macrumors.com/about/ (or the bottom homepage of the main website for 'Our Staff' contact info)

Contact the 9to5Mac Team - 9to5Mac​

Contact 9to5Mac's writers, editors, and publisher to discuss articles, review opportunities, and more.

9to5mac.com

Contact Us | AppleInsider​

Contact the staff at AppleInsider | AppleInsider

appleinsider.com

The more we are and the more you will start writing to them all, the better it is and faster this issue will be highlighted and solved.

I submitted it to them this morning. We need to make this a major story for Apple to consider fixing it. Please report this, everyone. I have provided feedback in the beta, but I feel like it falls on deaf ears.

 

[jazzzyJeff]

To all:

Unfortunately, this issue hasn't been widely discussed yet on any Apple blog, which means no one has likely started working on a solution.

I encourage everyone to write to all the editorial offices and bring this up:

https://www.macrumors.com/about/ (or the bottom homepage of the main website for 'Our Staff' contact info)

Contact the 9to5Mac Team - 9to5Mac​

Contact 9to5Mac's writers, editors, and publisher to discuss articles, review opportunities, and more.

9to5mac.com

Contact Us | AppleInsider​

Contact the staff at AppleInsider | AppleInsider

appleinsider.com

The more we are and the more you will start writing to them all, the better it is and faster this issue will be highlighted and solved.

You think this is anything new?
We see these articles every year and with every new iOS version.

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

You think this is anything new?
We see these articles every year and with every new iOS version.

I don't recall any version of iOS that has had poor battery life for a large group of users without being addressed promptly. This is a software issue, not a limitation of battery size, so it is not the usual complaint about battery life with a new version of iOS.

 

[jazzzyJeff]

I don't recall any version of iOS that has had poor battery life for a large group of users without being addressed promptly. This is a software issue, not a limitation of battery size, so it is not the usual complaint about battery life with a new version of iOS.

Check back on the other releases. It’s like a broken record every year.
“My phone runs great on x.6. Why did I ever upgrade?” Or
“The latest iOS is an absolute disaster. I’m going back until x.4 at least”

Major releases are always going to be a drain as they’re not optimized and you don’t see that at least until x.2 and later. iOS 18 is a bit different as it introduced more changes than in the prior versions so optimization you might notice slightly worse battery than usual.

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

Check back on the other releases. It’s like a broken record every year.
“My phone runs great on x.6. Why did I ever upgrade?” Or
“The latest iOS is an absolute disaster. I’m going back until x.4 at least”

Major releases are always going to be a drain as they’re not optimized and you don’t see that at least until x.2 and later. iOS 18 is a bit different as it introduced more changes than in the prior versions so optimization you might notice slightly worse battery than usual.

I am not here to argue, but I have never experienced this issue with iOS on a new release before. I expect worse battery life right away, but I can't make it through a workday on my phone's battery. This is a brand new iPhone 16 Pro, and it shouldn't have this problem.

Idle battery drain has not been an issue with iOS, but it is a major problem with version 18. You can say what you want, but this is a significant difference from previous years. I have owned every iPhone since the 3G, and this is the first time I've encountered this.

 

[jazzzyJeff]

I am not here to argue, but I have never experienced this issue with iOS on a new release before. I expect worse battery life right away, but I can't make it through a workday on my phone's battery. This is a brand new iPhone 16 Pro, and it shouldn't have this problem.

Idle battery drain has not been an issue with iOS, but it is a major problem with version 18. You can say what you want, but this is a significant difference from previous years. I have owned every iPhone since the 3G, and this is the first time I've encountered this.

I’m not talking about your specific case nor implying that you’re mistaken about your battery drain. I’m merely stating that it’s nothing new and you’d see similar posts about battery being shot after each release. Out of millions of devices running the latest the # of ppl actually experiencing the drain might still be a drop in the bucket in Apple’s stats.
So you might not see a fix until they notice an issue in the code that’s causing the drain. They’re not going to prioritize optimization yet.

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

I’m not talking about your specific case nor implying that you’re mistaken about your battery drain. I’m merely stating that it’s nothing new and you’d see similar posts about battery being shot after each release. Out of millions of devices running the latest the # of ppl actually experiencing the drain might still be a drop in the bucket in Apple’s stats.
So you might not see a fix until they notice an issue in the code that’s causing the drain. They’re not going to prioritize optimization yet.

Oh, I understand what you mean now. I apologize for completely misunderstanding you. I agree that posts about "iOS this or that draining my battery" are a dime a dozen with new releases. That’s what I expect. However, as you mentioned, this seems to be a software issue that Apple hasn't found a fix for. It’s unfortunate for those of us impacted by it.

 

[TexasAggie013]

Sent an email off to the MacRumors staff and some other publications. Totally agree that “my phone dies too fast” posts are so common. Especially with new software. But this one does feel different and seems to be an actual software issue. Hoping we can get a boost in awareness and move it up apples priority list sooner than later.

If anyone else has issues like what we’ve been experiencing here, it may help to send a note in also. The bigger the group experiencing the issue, the better the story and more likely something would be written.

Not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Just trying to do what we can to get some assistance.

 

[TexasAggie013]

Been a good day so far. 2 hours SOT and down to 52%. May crack 4 today! 🎉 (16pro)

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

I guess this could be worse. Haven’t really used my phone all that much, so I don’t think this is super impressive either. Also, since this is a measure of the last 24 hours, I am not sure how we actually calculate SOT. That was just since 3:25pm yesterday, and I charged the battery in that time.

 

[jazzzyJeff]

I guess this could be worse. Haven’t really used my phone all that much, so I don’t think this is super impressive either. Also, since this is a measure of the last 24 hours, I am not sure how we actually calculate SOT. That was just since 3:25pm yesterday, and I charged the battery in that time.

Can you try resetting only settings and see if that makes any difference?

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

Can you try resetting only settings and see if that makes any difference?

Unfortunately, that was done on a support call with Apple a week ago.

 

[TexasAggie013]

Unfortunately, that was done on a support call with Apple a week ago.

I tried the same as well

 

[jazzzyJeff]

Unfortunately, that was done on a support call with Apple a week ago.

Try deleting Insta and FB and see if that helps. That’s my last hope for you unless an update fixes it in the (near) future.

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

Try deleting Insta and FB and see if that helps. That’s my last hope for you unless an update fixes it in the (near) future.

Yeah, I actually tried deleting IG and nothing. I use pretty regularly, so I am not surprised it’s high in the list. Not much background usage either. It’s the home and Lock Screen that is abnormal.

 

[TexasAggie013]

Just to add one more data point, I haven’t had ig or fb installed.

 

[jazzzyJeff]

Yeah, I actually tried deleting IG and nothing. I use pretty regularly, so I am not surprised it’s high in the list. Not much background usage either. It’s the home and Lock Screen that is abnormal.

Other than my prayers, I got nothing else for you. Or maybe disabling “share across devices” for Focus and Screen Time.

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

Other than my prayers, I got nothing else for you. Or maybe disabling “share across devices” for Focus and Screen Time.

Thank you! I need all the prayers. I will turn share across devices and see if that helps any.

 

[Carlsberg69]

Getting some more coverage out there about iOS 18 battery drain. Here is an example, but not so encouraging really for affected users.

PSA: shorter iPhone battery life is normal when you first update iOS

Users are posting on social media that iOS 18 is causing their iPhone batteries to drain quickly. Historically, it's been temporary and is common with new hardware and a big OS update.

appleinsider.com

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

Getting some more coverage out there about iOS 18 battery drain. Here is an example, but not so encouraging really for affected users.

PSA: shorter iPhone battery life is normal when you first update iOS

Users are posting on social media that iOS 18 is causing their iPhone batteries to drain quickly. Historically, it's been temporary and is common with new hardware and a big OS update.

appleinsider.com

It seems there’s little support available, and it feels like they’re dismissing the same old complaints.

Has anyone reached out to support about this? I’ve hesitated in the past because it often leads to the tedious cycle of resetting network settings, resetting all settings, and even wiping the phone to set it up as new—only to find that it doesn’t resolve the issue.

I’ve submitted feedback to Apple through the feedback app, but I doubt they pay much attention to it.

I can take one for the team and start a support chat and see what comes of it.

 

[TexasAggie013]

Tried a support chat last night. Got the “you’re on the beta so there may be bugs” response. Figured I’d try again once it’s officially released. (If not fixed by then)

 

[Legar]

16PM, 50% battery used every day with 6-7 hours of screen activity.

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

Tried a support chat last night. Got the “you’re on the beta so there may be bugs” response. Figured I’d try again once it’s officially released. (If not fixed by then)

What phone are you coming from? I am just curious as I haven’t had a pro in a couple of generations what to expect. I remember on the 12 pro I could run it all day and finish the day with 30-40% left. Pro max was around 50-60 with days being closer to 70.

 

[kirbysmartsdawg]

We got on the front page.

iPhone 16 Users Complain About Excessive iOS 18 Battery Drain

iPhone 16 Users Complain About Excessive iOS 18 Battery Drain

Some iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro users have been experiencing excessive and unexplainable battery drain, according to complaints on Reddit, the Apple...

www.macrumors.com

 

[TexasAggie013]

What phone are you coming from? I am just curious as I haven’t had a pro in a couple of generations what to expect. I remember on the 12 pro I could run it all day and finish the day with 30-40% left. Pro max was around 50-60 with days being closer to 70.

13 pro. It was very reasonable even being 3 years old. I could get up to 6 hours screen on time easy. 8 if I pushed it with tweaking some settings.