Ever since upgrading to iOS 18, my iPhone's battery life has taken a severe hit. Issues solely acquired worse with subsequent releases, and nothing has been improved by the newest 18.3.1 safety patch. By lunchtime, my battery isn’t above 40%, and I've needed to make energy banks my new greatest buddies.
Day or night time, the battery drain has been relentless — far worse than something I bear in mind with earlier updates. Even Low Energy Mode barely makes a distinction, leaving me always trying to find a charger.
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I made a decision to analyze
So, a couple of weeks in the past, I started trying into the problem.
For any battery drain downside, the primary place I at all times look is below the Battery display in Settings. This part is a treasure trove of knowledge, not solely associated to the battery but additionally to the apps which are working and consuming energy. Two charts are displayed right here: Battery Degree, which exhibits how the cost stage modifications at 15-minute intervals, and Exercise, which makes use of a bar chart as an example which apps have been lively and utilizing battery energy in hourly intervals. You possibly can faucet on the bars for a deeper dive into what's been taking place in your iPhone throughout that interval.
However apart from elevated utilization by Residence & Lock Display screen (principally, any exercise on the lock display, equivalent to notifications or widgets), there was nothing out of the bizarre. I did attempt disabling the iPhone's always-on show — the setting to do that is below Settings > Show & Brightness > At all times On Show — however to no avail.
The issue endured.
I discovered the offender
After extra investigating, testing, tweaking settings, and quite a lot of frustration, I discovered the offender: Apple Intelligence. With Apple Intelligence enabled (the setting could be discovered below Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri), I discovered it not possible to make it by way of a day with out recharging. Nonetheless, with it disabled, my battery life returned to its former ranges, permitting me to depart the ability financial institution at house.
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And right here's the kicker: I'm not even utilizing Apple Intelligence. I had enabled it briefly for testing, however I shortly moved on to different issues. Actually, I discover it fairly underwhelming, however I didn't anticipate it to empty my battery a lot — particularly when it wasn't actively getting used.
This subject doesn't appear to be restricted to my {hardware}, both. I've come throughout loads of comparable studies, and it's not simply affecting iPhones. Some customers are blaming Apple Intelligence for extreme battery drain on MacBooks as effectively. I've seen the identical on my MacBook Professional — turning Apple Intelligence off instantly fixes the issue.
Critical optimization points
The impact is constant throughout my gadgets. On my iPhone, MacBook Professional, and even, to a lesser extent, my iPad, the sample is similar: flip Apple Intelligence on, and battery life drops like a rock; flip it off, and issues return to regular.
At this level, it's clear that Apple Intelligence has some severe optimization points. Whereas it might need potential for some customers, the battery tradeoff is tough to justify proper now.
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In case your iPhone's battery life has been particularly dangerous since upgrading to iOS 18 and also you've enabled the Apple Intelligence function, it could be the offender. I say "would possibly" as a result of that is a type of "your mileage might differ" conditions. That mentioned, in the event you're not discovering Apple Intelligence all that helpful, there's no hurt in turning it off to see if it helps.
Right here's the kicker: Apple actually desires you to make use of Apple Intelligence. Putting in iOS 18.3 routinely enabled the function, and I've heard from a number of customers that the 18.3.1 replace re-enabled it even after that they had turned it off.
Now, I'm not anti-Apple Intelligence — it has its deserves for some customers — however for individuals who don't discover it useful, the battery tradeoff is important. I actually hope Apple can deal with this battery drain within the coming months as a result of, proper now, it's fairly painful.
That mentioned, battery points appear to have change into the norm for iPhones. Perhaps it's time to just accept that the dream of all-day battery life is fading, and chargers and energy banks are simply a part of life now.