Some iPhone users have noticed a sharp drop in battery life recently
If you've noticed a drop in the battery life of your iPhone lately, you can probably blame one of two things-both software-related. If you joined the iOS 18 beta program, a decline in battery life is normal. I've personally seen the battery life of my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18.1 beta 5 take a huge beating. On the other hand, I can use the Apple Intelligence features that Apple has released with the iOS 18.1 beta. I am looking forward to eventually returning to the stable iOS path and will hopefully get my long battery life back when I do..
The other reason that your iPhone battery life might be declining has to do with the release of iOS 18. According to Apple's own support page, "If you notice that your battery life has decreased after updating your iPhone, wait a few days and then check again. Even though you can use your iPhone immediately after an update, certain tasks related to the update continue in the background and might affect battery life and thermal performance."
Unlike the drop in battery life that occurs when you install a beta update, the normal decline that occurs after installing an iOS update will be reversed after a few days. So if you installed the stable version of iOS 18 and have noticed that you are having to look for an outlet much earlier in the day than before you installed the new iOS build, you are not alone. But remember, things could reverse automatically if you wait a few days.
Using Low Power Mode can extend the battery life on your iPhone. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Picking up a power bank, especially one of the magnetic units that can easily attach to the back of your iPhone, is a solid option if you plan on remaining in the iOS 18 beta program for some time. On the other hand, spending the cash to purchase a power bank when your iPhone's battery life could return to normal in a few days could be a waste of money.
There is one thing that you can do regardless of why your iPhone battery is running short of expectations, and it won't cost you a dime. Go to Settings > Battery and toggle on Low Power Mode. This will stop the stuff that goes on in the background like downloads and mail fetch. "Hey Siri" will also be disabled and some visual effects will be reduced or cut out in order to save battery life.
If you toggle on Low Power Mode, you can toggle the feature off by going to Settings > Battery and turning off Low Power Mode.
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