Some iPhone users have reported a sudden drop in battery life after the iOS 18 update, with some experiencing a 20% to 30% reduction in battery percentage within just one hour. This level of power consumption makes it difficult for users to get through the day on a single charge. Fortunately, Apple has outlined several steps users can take to identify the cause of the battery drain and improve battery life on their iPhones.
The sudden drop in battery life could be related to the iOS 18 update
If you’ve noticed a sudden drop in your iPhone’s battery life—whether you’re using an iPhone 15 series device, like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any of the iPhone 16 series devices—this article is for you.
To begin with, the drop in battery life is normal for people using iOS 18 beta. Beta testers previously reported a significant drop in battery life. Alan Friedman from PhoneArena also noted that he is facing similar issues and will eventually return to the stable version of iOS 18.
While users can use their iPhones immediately after an update, certain processes run for some time after the update. “Even though you can use your iPhone immediately after an update, certain tasks related to the update continue in the background and might affect battery life and thermal performance,” notes Apple Support.
If you’re noticing a drop in battery performance after installing iOS 18, there’s no need for major concern. The situation may resolve itself over time, as sometimes battery optimization stabilizes after a few days of use.
Steps to minimize battery life drop in an iPhone
While your iPhone optimizes the battery life based on your use cases, you can follow certain steps to reduce power usage. For instance, you can enable auto brightness mode or turn on Auto-lock. Another important step is to check if an app is using your location in the background. Using Wi-Fi whenever possible should also improve the battery life as it uses less battery power than cellular networks.
Users can also extend the battery life of their iPhones by turning on Low Power Mode. It reduces the amount of power that your iPhone uses. When Low Power Mode is on, certain settings and features like Background App Refresh, and some visual effects, are reduced or disabled.
To get an overview of your battery usage, users can go to Settings > Battery and check the Activity chart and Battery Usage by App.