Numerous owners of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro started complaining about unexpected battery drain, with the first posts surfacing on platforms like Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and MacRumors forums. In addition to newer devices running iPhone 16, other iPhone models running iOS 18 began to report similar issues with battery performance. Complaints regarding battery life often occur after the major release of iOS. However, these complaints suggest that iOS 18 may be causing a much larger issue.
Reports of battery drain started immediately after the release of the iPhone 16 models and the arrival of iOS 18. Some users, out of curiosity, were testing iOS 18 even since the beta release, and such experience can be traced on the MacRumors forums. After the release of iPhone 16, such complaints became even more numerous since the massive loss of the battery persisted even at times when it was unused.
However, as pointed out by one of the users: “I own the iPhone 16 Pro, and the battery life decreases down to almost 60% from 100% at the middle of the day with no heavy use.” Another upgraded user who was using iPhone 15 Pro Max also asserted seeing a decrease in battery performance when Apple had touted improvement of the iPhone 16 series.
One user has commented: “I own the iPhone 16 Pro, and the battery life goes down to almost 60% from 100% halfway through the day with no heavy use.” Another user, who upgraded from an iPhone 15 Pro Max, reported encountering a decrease in battery life despite Apple’s claim of improved battery life for the iPhone 16 series.
Possible causes of the battery drain
Some users went on to explain possible causes, such as the background activity interfering with battery drain. Indeed, turning off features like Always On Display, or AOD, and ProMotion, Apple’s adaptive refresh rate technology, could reduce background activity without addressing the matter itself. One user said that even disabling ProMotion and AOD, his iPhone dropped 11% in four hours while in standby mode.
Besides these observations, users have tried other solutions such as turning off background app refresh, resetting the phone itself or turning off cellular services. Some had reported marginal improvements, while others still do not see the conclusion.
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Older iPhone models also affected
The iPhone 16 models aren’t the only ones facing battery complaints. Older iPhones, including iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 12, are also reporting battery issues shortly after upgrading to iOS 18. For instance, a user compared his iPhone 16 Pro with the performance of an iPhone 14 Pro under the same conditions, in which the iPhone 16 Pro had a battery life decrease to 58% within 36 hours, while the iPhone 14 Pro remained at 85%.
Software updates and potential fixes
Some users have reported that their problems with the latest updates of iOS 18.0.1, and even iOS 18.1 beta seem to be resolved, but it doesn’t appear to be fixed for everyone. Although Apple has not officially commented on this issue, they might address these battery-performance concerns in later iOS updates.
For now, users experiencing battery drain can try the following steps to optimize battery life:
- Disable background app refresh to minimize background activity.
- Turn off the Always On Display (AOD) to reduce battery consumption during standby.
- Limit the refresh rate to 60Hz instead of using ProMotion’s adaptive refresh rate.
- Remove widgets from the home screen, as they can sometimes contribute to background activity.
Battery performance issues after big iOS updates are far from a surprise. However, a lot of users reported the battery drain on iPhone 16 models, as well as older devices running on iOS 18, that makes us suspect that there might be a bit broader issue. The number of users who have managed to improve their situation through troubleshooting or simply by using software updates is relatively small, while others have to live with their problems. Future iOS updates may once and for all bring answers and possible solutions for the devices that have issues.