No other company who provides OS updates does this so why should Apple? I think it's fairly common sense that more features = more energy needed to operate. That combined with naturally decreasing battery health is obvious that users aren't going to get the same battery life consistently over time.
I agree with this, I was just rephrasing what they said.
Of course iOS 6 will always be more battery efficient than iOS 16. I think you're operating under the impression that Apple seems to insinuate iOS 16 uses less battery than iOS 6 which I think the majority does not assume.
I’m not assuming anything, Apple directly states that updates help.
“Batteries, maximising performance:
Tips for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Update to the latest software.
Always make sure your device is using the latest version of iOS.”
This is entirely false, as doing this will only guarantee worse battery life.
They are indirectly saying that, in order to maximise battery, I should update my iPhone Xʀ from iOS 12, or my 6s from iOS 10, which is false.
The general idea is that major iOS releases introduced new features such as lower power mode and optimized battery charging to maintain performance and longevity of the battery. They're not talking about every single point release improving battery life which you seem to assume. Of course many point releases resolve bugs that may drain battery so they're talking about that too.
Which again, is misleading at least. They did introduce those features, but those features can’t counteract iOS updates’ harmfulness.
Low Power Mode on any version of iOS helps relative to itself, on the same iOS version, but it can’t match the original version of iOS, if updated far enough.
If the advice were truthful:
“Battery life is best on a device when it is on its original iOS version. Updates will eventually degrade battery life, but some point updates introduce bugs which are fixed in subsequent iOS versions from the same major release (major version updates will most likely decrease battery life. Battery-extending features like Low Power Mode help relative to them being off on the same iOS version, but don’t expect them to make miracles). There’s nothing like the original version of iOS, which we won’t let you downgrade to because reasons”.