Some Users Reporting Excessive Battery Drain Following iOS 14.6 Update

[MacRumors]

Following the release of iOS and iPadOS 14.6 last week, some users have taken to social media and online forums to note that their devices have been experiencing excessive battery drain since installing the software updates.

The Apple Support Community and MacRumors forums are riddled with posts from users stating their device now drains faster following the update. One user on the Apple support forums notes their experience with their iPhone 11 Pro and Apple Smart Cover draining faster than normal following the update:

iPhone 11Pro did the same after update. I have had an Apple Smart Cover on it since day 2 of being new. Never had to remove it. Today, after yesterday’s update, it wiped out my phone to 2% and ran my cover down to 15%. Normally the phone stays at 100% and the cover might get as low as 20% after a 15 hour day with no plugging in. Battery health has maintained 100% for over a year. Must be part of the health recalibration. The Smart Cover battery icon is no longer on the lock or Home Screen when plugging or unplugging it.

It is worth noting that many factors contribute to a device's battery life, including its battery health. Users with degraded batteries can expect shorter battery life. According to the forums, however, the issue seems to be impacting all devices, regardless of specific battery health.

On the MacRumors forums, one user notes that their iPhone 12 Pro not only drained faster than normal but also began to overheat while simply browsing Safari. An accompanying post recalls a similar experience with an iPhone 12 mini:

Yes I updated my 12 mini from 14.2 to 14.6 a couple days ago, and in the proceeding last 2 mornings when I woke up i used my phone for a few minutes looking at messages and checking Macrumours, and battery dropped suddenly with the back of phone warming up just like others have reported. School boy mistake on my part, I always check reports of battery drains before updating IOS versions, but didnt this time

With iOS 14.5, Apple introduced a new battery health recalibration feature for iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The new feature allows the system to recalibrate the battery health of the device in order to address possibly inaccurate battery health readings. Following the update released last month, users have noticed that their iPhone 11 battery health has changed following the recalibration process.

After any iOS update, users can expect normal battery drain in the days following due to the system reindexing Spotlight and conducting other housekeeping tasks. However, iOS 14.6 was released more than a week ago, and users continue to note the battery drain on their devices. If the issue is indeed software related, Apple may decide to address it in a subsequent update to iOS 14.6 or provide a patch in iOS 14.7, currently in beta testing.

Article Link: Some Users Reporting Excessive Battery Drain Following iOS 14.6 Update

 

[ghostface147]

Doesn’t this apply to nearly every iOS update? Some users complain of battery drain?

 

[nt5672]

New hardware coming in September, need to get as many as possible to replace their aging and faulty devices.

 

[erniefairchild1]

Have absolutely had this issue. I was shocked. I usually finished the day with about 50% left on my 12 mini. After updating, I've been getting down to 0% with the same use! My poor mini, it already struggles enough with battery life lol

EDIT: I also experienced the unexpected heating issue while doing basic tasks like looking at email.

 

[Carlson-online]

And there was me thinking I was going mad that my battery wasn’t lasting !

 

[Falcon9]

Weird. I actually found 14.6 improved my battery life compared to 14.5 on my XS.

 

[thadoggfather]

Are iPad users experiencing this too or just iPhone, or just iPhone and some specific models?

I dont have anything on iOS 14.6 yet so curious (iPad would be the main one I'd update to if I were to)

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Why is Apple battling battery drainage issues in 2021? Makes no sense.. I don’t get it.

 

[kenni417]

i mean this happens with every update………

 

[erniefairchild1]

i mean this happens with every update………

I've experienced nothing like this with any other update. So, no.

 

[Tony_YYZ]

My 11” iPad Pro battery drain has been insane since 14.5. I frequently have to charge during the day now rather than charging once every day or two at night.

 

[steevn]

My drainage issues have always involved my Apple Watch so far, including the latest release. There’s been four updates since I’ve had the watch where battery would be at 10% halfway through the day.

I’ve had luck resetting the watch but a few times I’ve had to unpair and reset the watch. There has to be an easier way eventually….

 

[PhillyGuy72]

14.5 was fine, almost hated to update it. I did and....yeah. ?

I hate to beat a dead horse, but MacRumors...Apple needs to address BATTERY HEALTH DRAIN in the 12's!

Recall the darn batteries!

 

[**maestro**]

I have an iPhone 12 Pro Max and also have this issue. A normal day before the update would take me to around 50%, since the update, I end up with only around 5% at the end of the day.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

My 11” iPad Pro battery drain has been insane since 14.5. I frequently have to charge during the day now rather than charging once every day or two at night.

I'll have my iPad Pro 12.9" connected to the charger...wired. I'll have my weather radar app open or my Wyze cam app open...I'll turn those apps off 1-2 hours later and notice my battery is 75-80%! Huh!!??

 

[roncron]

I feel for the folks experiencing horrible battery life. But my experience is different:

I'm getting at least 10 hours screen-on time on my 12 Pro Max on 14.6, consistently. On 14.5, only got 6-7 hours, so I'm pretty happy.

My iPad Pro 11" (2020) is getting around 10 hours screen-on time on iPadOS 14.6, as well.

 

[Populus]

Thank you MacRumors for making this issues public on the frontpage, making it visible to more people. Even to Apple. Hopefully they will focus on battery life on iOS 14.7 because I really want to update from iOS 14.4.2 because of the security issues that were addressed on iOS 14.5.1 and iOS 14.6, but I won‘t until the performance and efficiency are good enough. On iOS, there’s no way back once you update.

 

[Sasparilla]

Seems to be hit or miss if you're going to get it, but definitely seems to be out there.

Why is Apple battling battery drainage issues in 2021? Makes no sense.. I don’t get it.

Complex software development and unintended consequences of changes - will always happen. Some folks were pointing the finger at the podcast / music software but who knows. Definitely need a patch though.

 

[twoframesperminute]

Following the release of iOS and iPadOS 14.6 last week, some users have taken to social media and online forums to note that their devices have been experiencing excessive battery drain since installing the software updates.

The Apple Support Community and MacRumors forums are riddled with posts from users stating their device now drains faster following the update. One user on the Apple support forums notes their experience with their iPhone 11 Pro and Apple Smart Cover draining faster than normal following the update:
It is worth noting that many factors contribute to a device's battery life, including its battery health. Users with degraded batteries can expect shorter battery life. According to the forums, however, the issue seems to be impacting all devices, regardless of specific battery health.

On the MacRumors forums, one user notes that their iPhone 12 Pro not only drained faster than normal but also began to overheat while simply browsing Safari. An accompanying post recalls a similar experience with an iPhone 12 mini:
With iOS 14.5, Apple introduced a new battery health recalibration feature for iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The new feature allows the system to recalibrate the battery health of the device in order to address possibly inaccurate battery health readings. Following the update released last month, users have noticed that their iPhone 11 battery health has changed following the recalibration process.

After any iOS update, users can expect normal battery drain in the days following due to the system reindexing Spotlight and conducting other housekeeping tasks. However, iOS 14.6 was released more than a week ago, and users continue to note the battery drain on their devices. If the issue is indeed software related, Apple may decide to address it in a subsequent update to iOS 14.6 or provide a patch in iOS 14.7, currently in beta testing.

Article Link: Some Users Reporting Excessive Battery Drain Following iOS 14.6 Update

I thought Macrumors would know this is a tradition: Apple releases a new version with some security updates, 20% of people immediately think everything feels snappier, 60% notices an increase in battery drain and 20% say their screen is either green or yellow.

 

[Complex757]

Mine is coming from when I use the podcast app. My phone gets hot and I'll lose 50% in less than two hours.

 

[pioneer9k]

Yep lol i noticed my phone doesn’t last all day anymore.

 

[rumormiller]

Ever since I turned off optimised battery charging these problems went away - I get many hours run time. Before my iPhone would go into meltdown from say 100% to 4% in a matter of minutes. I suspect some battery calibration issues.

 

[Donar]

Noticed it for about two days after the upgrade on iPhone 12 and iPad Pro 11“ but i think it is back to normal now. Maybe the devices were re-downloading music and were also busy doing some fancy ML stuff with photos.

 

[GeoStructural]

Have absolutely had this issue. I was shocked. I usually finished the day with about 50% left on my 12 mini. After updating, I've been getting down to 0% with the same use! My poor mini, it already struggles enough with battery life lol

EDIT: I also experienced the unexpected heating issue while doing basic tasks like looking at email.

Exactly the same. Battery life on my Pro Max had been outstanding until iOS 14.6, and I have also noticed that heating issue but not only on Mail, using other apps too.

 

[Marco Klobas]

Yes, it happens with every update for many users.

This time it seems to me worse than usual, though.

Luckily for me I don't need to carry my iPhone outside all the day lately, otherwise I'd have to rely on a power bank or look often for a charging spot especially with a sustained use.

Before the update the charge of my iPhone X lasted way longer.