Ever since upgrading to iOS 18, my iPhone’s battery life has taken a severe hit. Issues solely bought worse with subsequent releases, and nothing has been improved by the most recent 18.3.1 safety patch. By lunchtime, my battery isn’t above 40%, and I’ve needed to make energy banks my new greatest associates.
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 continually looking for a charger.
I made a decision to research
So, a couple of weeks in the past, I started wanting into the problem.
For any battery drain downside, the primary place I at all times look is underneath the Battery display in Settings. This part is a treasure trove of knowledge, not solely associated to the battery but in addition to the apps which are working and consuming energy. Two charts are displayed right here: Battery Stage, which exhibits how the cost stage adjustments at 15-minute intervals, and Exercise, which makes use of a bar chart as an example which apps have been energetic 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 Dwelling & Lock Display (mainly, any exercise on the lock display, equivalent to notifications or widgets), there was nothing out of the unusual. I did strive disabling the iPhone’s always-on show — the setting to do that is underneath Settings > Show & Brightness > At all times On Show — however to no avail.
The issue endured.
I discovered the wrongdoer
After extra investigating, testing, tweaking settings, and a whole lot of frustration, I discovered the wrongdoer: Apple Intelligence. With Apple Intelligence enabled (the setting could be discovered underneath Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri), I discovered it unattainable to make it via 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.
And this is the kicker: I am not even utilizing Apple Intelligence. I had enabled it briefly for testing, however I rapidly moved on to different issues. Truthfully, I discover it fairly underwhelming, however I did not count on it to empty my battery a lot — particularly when it wasn’t actively getting used.
This concern does not appear to be restricted to my {hardware}, both. I’ve come throughout loads of related stories, and it isn’t simply affecting iPhones. Some customers are blaming Apple Intelligence for extreme battery drain on MacBooks as nicely. I’ve observed the identical on my MacBook Professional — turning Apple Intelligence off instantly fixes the issue.
Severe optimization points
The impact is constant throughout my units. On my iPhone, MacBook Professional, and even, to a lesser extent, my iPad, the sample is identical: flip Apple Intelligence on, and battery life drops like a rock; flip it off, and issues return to regular.
At this level, it is 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.
In case your iPhone’s battery life has been particularly unhealthy since upgrading to iOS 18 and you have enabled the Apple Intelligence characteristic, it may be the wrongdoer. I say “would possibly” as a result of that is a kind of “your mileage might fluctuate” conditions. That stated, if you happen to’re not discovering Apple Intelligence all that helpful, there isn’t any hurt in turning it off to see if it helps.
Here is the kicker: Apple actually needs you to make use of Apple Intelligence. Putting in iOS 18.3 robotically enabled the characteristic, and I’ve heard from a number of customers that the 18.3.1 replace re-enabled it even after they’d turned it off.
Now, I am not anti-Apple Intelligence — it has its deserves for some customers — however for many who do not discover it useful, the battery tradeoff is important. I actually hope Apple can tackle this battery drain within the coming months as a result of, proper now, it is fairly painful.
That stated, battery points appear to have develop into the norm for iPhones. Perhaps it is time to settle for that the dream of all-day battery life is fading, and chargers and energy banks are simply a part of life now.
