How to Fix iOS 18 Battery Draining Issue on Any iPhone

Apple recently announced iOS 18 at the WWDC 2024 event which comes with significant changes and new features. It includes more customizations than ever where users can stay connected with friends & family, relive their memories, etc. With the help of Apple Intelligence, the same daily usage will become more enjoyable. This time Apple has focused on customizations that improve user experience and allow visual satisfaction. But this new version also brings several bugs or issues like battery draining. Are you facing an iOS 18 Battery Draining Issue on any iPhone?

Talking about the customizations, it brings home screen layouts, new app icons, locked and hidden apps, an improved control centre, lock screen controls, an improved library, new Messages features like emoji or stickers, Messages via Satellite, message scheduling, RCS messaging, Apple Mail categorization, etc. It also brings an improved Safari browser, seamless password manager, Topographic maps and trail networks in Apple Maps, dedicated Game Mode, new Apple Wallet, life audio transcription, and more.

However, these new features or improvements may fall short if your iPhone can’t hold its battery life for a full working day no matter which model you’re using. If you have recently installed or updated the iOS 18 beta/stable on your iPhone and the battery starts draining faster than before, this article is for you. For the beta builds, it’s quite common to experience some additional battery drain due to stability issues or lack of app compatibility. Whereas even with the stable build for the first time, you may face the same problem.

Why is iOS 18 Draining Battery So Fast?

Well, this is quite normal with the newly released iOS version no matter whether you’ve installed the beta build or a stable build. Once you shift from the previous software version to the new version, there are plenty of new improvements & features added that you can expect. This isn’t a new thing for iOS because if we go back to a couple of years ago, the official Apple Support acknowledged that battery draining with a newly installed iOS version is common.

This type of issue usually happens within 48 hours after an update because the installed applications and iOS features require adjustment with the iPhone or usage patterns. However, if you’re still encountering the same issue for a few days or weeks, don’t worry. Mostly, you may face battery-draining issues on your iPhone due to a lack of optimizations or some user settings that can be adjusted. But if your iPhone becomes older or the battery is almost dead, you’ll require a battery replacement for sure.

How to Fix iOS 18 Battery Draining Issue on Any iPhone

Fortunately, here we’ve shared with you some potential workarounds that may help in fixing battery-draining issues on your iPhone. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

1. Soft Reset Your iPhone

As an iPhone user, you can easily perform a soft reset on your iPhone by following the steps below to remove any kind of temporary system glitches after updating to the latest iOS version.

• Quickly press the Volume Up (+) key and release.
• Press the Volume Down (-) key and release quickly.
• Then quickly press & hold the Power (side key) button for a few seconds until the Apple boot logo appears on the screen.
• Now, you can release the Power (side key) button.
• Wait for your iPhone to boot to the system.
• Once done, check for battery draining again.

2. Turn Off Wireless Networks

It’s highly recommended to turn off wireless networks on your iPhone such as Wi-Fi, mobile data, hotspots, Bluetooth, and more to reduce excessive battery draining in most scenarios.

• Open the Settings menu on your iPhone.
• Tap on Wi-Fi > Turn Off Wi-Fi.
• Go back to Settings > Tap on Cellular.
• Turn Off Cellular Data.
• Go back and Turn Off the Personal Hotspot.
• Now, go back > Turn Off Bluetooth.
• Once done, you can check for the battery draining issue again.

3. Enable and Disable Airplane Mode

You can also try turning on the Airplane Mode on your iPhone and then turning it off to ensure there is no issue with the networking glitch.

• Open the Settings app > Tap on Airplane Mode.
• Make sure to Turn On the toggle.
• Wait for a few seconds.
• Turn Off the toggle again and check for the issue.

4. Adjust the Display and Brightness

Auto-brightness is enabled on iPhones by default to automatically adjust the screen brightness level depending on the ambient lighting. But if you’re feeling that the brightness level is quite high for your eyes then you can manually reduce the auto-brightness slider according to your preference. This will allow the device to consume less battery and improve battery performance.

• Open the Settings menu > Go to Display & Brightness.
• Reduce the auto-brightness slider as per your choice.
• Enable the True Tone toggle.

5. Schedule Night Shift

Try activating the Night Shift mode on your iPhone from the evening or nighttime as per your timezone so that the colour temperature can shift to a warmer end at night. It usually reduces battery draining and eye strain.

• Open Settings > Go to Display & Brightness.
• Tap on Night Shift.
• Enable the Scheduled toggle.
• Set the timer from your preferred hour to the morning hour.
• You can also use Manually Enable Until Tomorrow if you don’t go with the specific timing.

6. Use Low Power Mode

Another thing you can do is to use the low power mode on your iPhone by following the steps below to minimize the battery drain during idle conditions. By using this feature, your device’s system will only run useful apps or services in the background and disable power-hungry apps to optimize the battery life.

• Open Settings > Go to Battery.
• Turn On the Low Power Mode.
• Tap on Continue when prompted.

7. Disable Background App Refresh

Another thing you should disable the background app refresh feature on your iPhone running iOS 18 by following the steps below. This specific method will help the system restrict background app activity to improve battery juice and performance.

• Go to the Settings app > Tap on General.
• Tap on Background App Refresh > Tap on Off for all apps.

8. Turn Off Location Services

Well, the Location Services feature in your iPhone allows applications to use the current location access for online payments, booking cabs, ordering foods, using maps, etc. But unnecessarily using this feature can consume a lot of battery juice and your iPhone may also overheat unexpectedly. If the location services option isn’t necessary for you to use all the time, you should turn it off completely.

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone
• Scroll down and tap on Privacy.
• Tap on Location Services.
• Tap on Never. (if you don’t want to use it)

Note: Whenever you use any app or service that requires location services, manually enable the location services option. Once the specific work is done, you can turn it off again.

9. Reduce White Point to 100%

Reducing the white point on the iPhone can tone down the intensity of the bright colours on the screen. This will help in reducing additional battery drain up to some extent.

• Go to the Settings menu on your iPhone.
• Tap on Accessibility.
• Go to Display & Text Size.
• Enable the Reduce White Point toggle.
• Drag the slider to 100%.

10. Check for Software Updates

Ensure to check for available software updates on your iPhone by following the steps below to install any pending OTA update. If you’re using an outdated iOS build version, some of the performance issues or battery-draining issues may appear.

• Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Tap on General.
• Tap on Software Update.
• Select Automatic Updates to On.
• The system will automatically check for available updates.
• If available, tap on Download and Install.
• Enter the device passcode, if prompted.

If you already have the latest iOS version or build number, you’ll see the iOS is up-to-date notification on the screen.

11. Check Battery Usage for Apps

Try checking out the battery usage for applications on your iPhone by following the steps below. This will let you know which apps are consuming higher system resources in the last 24 hours. Check the specific battery-hungry application and then uninstall or offload the app to reduce battery drain.

• Open Settings > Go to Battery.
• Check the active apps on your device.

12. Uninstall Unnecessary Apps

Once you recognize all unused or battery-consuming apps, make sure to manually uninstall those apps by following the steps below. This will be the best way to free up your storage space too.

• Tap and hold the app icon that you want to delete.
• Select Remove App > Hit Delete App.
• Tap on Delete.
• Do the same steps for the apps you want to remove.
• Once done, reboot the iPhone to refresh the system.

13. Check Battery Health and Charging

The chances are high that your iPhone doesn’t have enabled the optimized battery charging feature out of the box. You should manually turn it on to optimize the battery charging depending on your usage pattern. Additionally, the battery draining will be reduced to some extent. This will allow the system to charge up the battery level during midnight up to 80% and the battery will complete to 100% in the morning to avoid overheating.

• Open the Settings app > Tap on Battery.
• Tap on Battery Health.
• Enable the Optimised Battery Charging toggle.

Another thing you’ll need to check the battery health to ensure whether your iPhone’s battery is physically in good condition or not. To do so:

• Go to the Settings menu.
• Tap on Battery.
• Tap on Battery Health.
• If the battery health seems good, you can skip to the next method.

Please Note: If the battery health is bad or severe and the system warns you to replace the battery, don’t wait further & replace the battery from an authorised Apple store.

14. Install All Pending App Updates

We should also mention that running an outdated application on your iPhone may also cause battery-draining issues with iOS 18. It’s suggested to install all pending app updates manually by following the steps below.

• Go to the App Store on your iPhone.
• Tap your Profile icon on the top right.
• Swipe down the screen from the middle to refresh the page.
• Now, tap on Update All to install all pending apps.
• Once done, restart the device to apply changes.

15. Free Up the Storage Space

In case, your iPhone storage becomes low, you should follow the steps below to free up storage space.

• Go to Settings > Tap on General.
• Tap on iPhone Storage.
• Check for the list of recommendations for optimising your device’s storage.
• Tap on the specific app name from the list.
• Now, you can manage the app data by tapping on Offload Unused Apps or Optimize Photos.

Please Note: Cached data and temporary data may not be counted as storage usage.

16. Reset All Settings

Ensure to reset all settings on your iPhone by following the steps below. Sometimes the networking settings on the device can also cause issues with the battery optimization or performance.

Note: Make sure to note down all the saved Wi-Fi passwords and other user-configured settings because resetting all settings will wipe out all settings to the factory default.

• Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Go to General > Scroll down and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
• Now, tap on Reset.
• Hit Reset All Settings.
• If prompted, enter the lock screen passcode to confirm it.
• Wait for the process to be completed.
• Now, you can restart your iPhone to apply changes.

17. Replace the Battery

Last but not least, you’ll need to visit the nearest Apple-authorized service centre to get your iPhone checked by professionals. If required, you should replace the battery for your model to get a better experience.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.