Which unfortunately that iOS 18.6.1 build got unsigned by Apple.
2 weeks after iOS 26 came out. So it’s not a reality anymore for downgrading
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iOS 26 battery life thread.
- Thread starter goldmac2006
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
2 weeks after iOS 26 came out. So it’s not a reality anymore for downgrading
Weird to see that feature makes a difference in performance and speed.
Was the battery ever replaced on the iPhone 13 Pro Max?
Abazigal
Contributor
Yup, it was replaced once at the end of 2023, when my battery health was about 81%.
Inland-Empire
macrumors newbie
My battery life before and after updating is 84%, so comparable to yours in practical terms.
Abazigal
Contributor
I was at the Apple Store, I had just elected not to upgrade to the iPhone 15, and made the decision to continue hanging on to my 13 pro max. At the time, my hands were itchy, and I just didn't want it to feel like I was walking away empty handed. 😛
Funny story, that day. It seemed like everybody and their mother around me was in for a battery replacement for either their phone or Apple Watch (the attendant told me it would take 4 hours for my battery to be swapped). 😝
you got it, it’s for the future proofing or folks who don’t care 🤷 about Apple Intelligence that queued up for the Genius Bar for that reason.
I’m going to do the same when my 15 pro battery comes to the 79% mark and under, and it’s not lasting long in future years.
Abazigal
Contributor
The odd thing is that right now, I feel kinda indifferent between upgrading to the 17 pro max, and keeping my 13 pro max. I admit that it's been a very busy and hectic past few months (busy with juggling various duties in school), and I don't know if that is what's cutting into my enthusiasm for new tech products, or just the fact that my current apple devices still work great.
My purchase history so far:
2020 - M1 MBA (base model), still going strong. I have put off the decision to get the 15" M4 MBA a few times already.
2021 - 13 Pro Max. Does what I need it to do, and battery life has been great overall. Except yesterday. iOS 26 made my phone's battery drop pretty quickly. Not sure what's up with that.
2022 - Apple TV and AirPods Pro 2.
2023 - Nothing, I guess?
2024 - M4 iPad Pro (direct upgrade for my 2018 iPad Pro), plus Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. Don't regret this, because I use my iPad daily for work. Also S10 Apple Watch to replace my S5 (and you may have heard about my issues with the colour peeling). I have taken out my S5 watch to wear a couple of occasions and aside from the improved battery life, I don't really feel any difference.
2025 - Nothing yet so far. 😳 I actually just returned my APP3 yesterday, after trying it out for a week. Just didn't feel as comfortable as my APP2. And the 17 pro max is out of stock everywhere.
It feels like my apple devices are on a replacement cycle - I will get a new one when the current model breaks down or is no longer supported. I have played with the new iPhones in the Apple Store, they are nice devices, and I am fine with just sticking with my current hardware for now at least. 😀
My upgrades are of the same intervals as yours.
From the beginning:
2014: iPad mini 1, that’s where I got started with and became a fan.
2016: iPhone 5s
2017: got my first Apple Watch Series 1, wanted to get started on closing my rings and also getting around with staying connected and checking the time without having to worry about not being able to use my iPhone in situations where I can’t use it (like my private school that I went for a bit)
2018: no upgrades nor purchases. It was too expensive to snag the gold SS Apple Watch Series 4 and the iPhone XS that time.
2019: AirPods 2, and as iOS 13 dropped compatibility with my iPhone I got the red iPhone 7 (BNIB)
2020 to 2022 didn’t get anything. Covid closed Apple Stores a lot in 2020-21, and nothing relevant enough to warrant any upgrade.
2023: iPhone XR handed down from a family member that had it since launch day, 128GB.
2024 to 2025 the most purchases:
My Apple Watch Series 1 battery didn’t last a whole day (can only take in 4.5 hours of battery life) and the screen separated, so I got a BNIB sealed gold stainless steel Apple Watch Series 6. Went back a few versions to save up and get the blood oxygen feature.
iPhone 15 Pro, as I wanted Apple Intelligence, my iPhone XR wasn’t cutting it for speed and I predicted correctly that it would be dropped in iOS 26 compatibility.
MacBook Pro M4 Pro 48GB RAM, 14 inch. To replace the iPad mini I abandoned in the drawer and the Chromebook that didn’t work well for my needs
NrFive
macrumors member
Reporting also as I just installed my new iPhone. It is currently hot and looking at the battery for just a few minutes.
8% drain for just 21 minutes of Safari?! What the actual F….
8% drain for just 21 minutes of Safari?! What the actual F….
NrFive
macrumors member
Yeah. Did a new install yesterday.
Atm disabled the Liquid Glass animation and it seems to be more stable now and my phone doesn’t turn into a toaster.
NrFive
macrumors member
Does anyone have an app that uses background bluetooth and sees increased battery usage with that app? I have an app called SensorPush that does this to connect to temperature sensors through bluetooth. And before iOS 26 it uses up about 2% of the battery doing its thing daily--no big deal. Now it's up at about 8% and nothing really changed with that app.
Does anyone have a problem with mail app in the background? My settings are off for all background activity and it still drains the battery😓
What’s your mail settings for all your emails? Fetch or push? If fetch, how often bro 👊?
Only fitness+ depends on Bluetooth devices on the background to update metrics on time to walk or time to run episodes when the iPhone is locked, besides wearing AirPods and listening to music and Apple Watch
I do see the benefit of it though I used it only for a week. Hinders charging due to excessive temperature more often but my iPhone doesn’t heat up too much vs without it. Still on iOS 26 public release
This is not true at all. There are lots of apps out there that use the Core Bluetooth API to allow background processing and connection with all kinds of peripherals and not just fitness related ones. Anyway, this app connects to tiny battery powered bluetooth sensors and gather temperature and humidity data. The app has not been updated in a year and now iOS is reporting increased battery usage in the background after iOS 26 was installed. Something is definitely not optimized there, and I'm hoping it gets fixed in 26.1.
Ohhhh I see. My bad for not reading it properly!
So you use third party temperature sensors that connect via Bluetooth and your iPhone tells how hot your iPhone gets?
Any examples?
Everythink is on fetch. I don’t want to ruin my battery on new iPhone with something in first month. Also dynamic charging isnt still set makes me really nervous 🫣😅
Reverend Benny
macrumors 68000
From a "stand-by" or light user perspective iOS 26 seems very good.
Tried it on an iPhone 16 and 14, the 14 isn't hooked up to cellular, its only a testdevice that's connected via Wifi. and that has 40% left after 7 days. Haven't been used much tho, just sitting there.
The iPhone 16 is used a little bit more (but not much), a little bit of Teams chat and checking email. Has MS Defender running on it in the background. Been running for 8 days and are now down to 12% battery left.
The screen is an obvious batterymuncher so not having used it much obviously boost the numbers.
Not been using low powermode or anything.
The above might not be interesing for regular to power users. But for people like my parents that don't use their phones that much its great to see that the stand-by power consumtion still as good or better than it has been.
Tried it on an iPhone 16 and 14, the 14 isn't hooked up to cellular, its only a testdevice that's connected via Wifi. and that has 40% left after 7 days. Haven't been used much tho, just sitting there.
The iPhone 16 is used a little bit more (but not much), a little bit of Teams chat and checking email. Has MS Defender running on it in the background. Been running for 8 days and are now down to 12% battery left.
The screen is an obvious batterymuncher so not having used it much obviously boost the numbers.
Not been using low powermode or anything.
The above might not be interesing for regular to power users. But for people like my parents that don't use their phones that much its great to see that the stand-by power consumtion still as good or better than it has been.
Inland-Empire
macrumors newbie
With iOS 26.0.1 released, how are your batteries faring?
Any noticeable difference in battery life?
Any noticeable difference in battery life?
Are you seriously asking about battery life 3 hours after release?