Apple iPhone users complain: "iOS 15.4 update is draining my batteries rapidly"

At the start of this week, Apple released iOS 15.4 which allows iPhone users to unlock their phones using Face ID even if they are wearing a mask. Last year, Apple disseminated an update allowing face mask-wearing iPhone users to employ Face ID to unlock their iPhone, but only if they are wearing an unlocked Apple Watch.

The new update is important because not everyone can afford to buy an Apple Watch. With iOS 15.4 installed, iPhone users set up Face ID once again with the third facial scan taking longer to complete. To gather enough information from a user's face even with a mask blocking most of it, Face ID will now focus on the space around the user's eyes to find unique characteristics that allow Face ID to verify a user's identity.

We should point out that this feature is only available for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. The iOS 15.4 update also adds a new American voice for Siri, but one without a particular gender. And any merchant can use his iPhone to accept Apple Pay and contactless credit and debit cards from Visa, American Express, Mastercard, and Discover.

As we pointed out the other day, installing iOS 15.4 also adds patches to fix a mind-numbing 39 vulnerabilities! But there is another problem. According to a tweet from podcaster Alex Kretzschmar (@IronicBadger), "iOS 15.4 has mad battery drain. I’d say my battery life today is half what it was last week. Shocking!"

And he isn't the only one who thinks so. Tech fan Maxim Shishko (@lamaks_3) wrote in a tweet, "Battery life on iOS 15.4 is really bad. After 24 hours - 80%, but active screen no more then 2 hours and I using only Safari, YouTube, Instagram, Uber.(iPhone 11 battery capacity 93%)."

Whenever an operating system update takes place, it could take a few days before the battery returns to normal. Things are taking place in the background and other things are happening that could make it seem as though the battery is draining rapidly. You might be tempted to throw your iPhone into a lake if you are experiencing this battery drain, but it could clear up after a few days.

And certainly, Apple isn't going to sit by idly as the iPhone 13 Pro Max battery life drops sharply. So you'll be fine whether the battery life returns to normal by itself, or if Apple sends out a fix.

iOS 15.4 is killing the battery in my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I could go for days without charging, but it’s down to half capacity by mid-day.

— Oded Shopen (@odedia) March 17, 2022