Two weeks after Apple released iOS 16, users continue to complain that the mobile operating system drains their battery too quickly.
Battery life tends to take an initial hit when new operating systems are deployed, as software and app updates, as well as reindexing of files, photos, and other features, require the processor and therefore the battery . But over time, these background updates cease and battery usage levels usually return to normal levels.
According to business analytics service Mixpanel, around 13,3% of iPhone users have upgraded to iOS 16 since its release on September 12. That's when reports of battery issues started popping up.
"I'm using a 13 Pro and have noticeable battery drain compared to iOS 15.6.1," said one user commenting on MacRumors' iOS 16 battery drain thread. "I had to charge it in the middle of the day (I don't let my phone drop below 30% to keep my battery healthy). FYI my battery health is 99% And yes this it is iOS 16 production (not beta).
Another poster wrote yesterday: “This is ridiculous. How long has it been 16 years? My phone is still warming up... and the battery is draining much faster than before 16. I just got this popup. And I don't even do anything!
MacRumors
A MacRumors user posted this image of a notification that iOS 16 gave him about overheating. The user claimed that he was in an air-conditioned room at the time.
Apple news site 9to5Mac surveyed its readers last week and found that 63% of iPhone users said their battery life got worse after installing iOS 16.
"This seems to broadly align with public sentiment regarding the battery life impact of iOS 16," the site reported.
Gordon Kelly, a senior writer for "Forbes," said the problem is so widespread that Apple iPhone owners should consider sticking with iOS 15 until Apple fixes the problem.
“The problem is hidden in plain sight. In my iOS 16 upgrade guide, I reported several reports of battery drain, but the reindexing process after updates makes this difficult to verify," Kelly wrote. "Yet a week later, the complaints keep coming and the evidence that Apple has a big problem on its hands is mounting."
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
Since its introduction, iOS 16 has had its share of problems. The mobile operating system received two urgent updates to fix bugs and security issues, as well as iMessage and FaceTime loading issues, among others. And users are more cautious when it comes to updating to iOS 16.
"It's not uncommon for newer versions of iOS (and apps) to have issues, but they're usually caught during pre-launch testing. If the battery life issue is real, Apple hasn't done proper testing before launch. release. the update. And that's a problem with their quality control," said Jack Gold, principal analyst at research firm J. Gold Associates.
Generally speaking, Gold said, many things can cause such problems from one OS generation to the next. New features and functions added to an operating system can cause power consumption if not properly optimized. New operating system features running in the background can also lead to battery drain. Also, things like not putting operating system components to sleep when not in use, or not optimizing low-level processor and architecture-specific hardcoded functions, can affect battery life.
"There are many reasons why OS or app updates can cause excessive battery drain, but the fundamental problem is that they should not have been pushed to the user base if proper testing and optimizations had been done on the preview code". says gold.
Users of iPhone 13 or earlier devices that have already updated to iOS 16 can downgrade to iOS 15.7. But owners of Apple's new iPhone 14 lineup can't roll back any version of iOS earlier than 16, which comes with newer phones.
"It could be some kind of misconfiguration in the operating system, but most users wouldn't have the knowledge to fix this problem if that were the case," Gold said. "They basically have to wait for Apple to fix the problem. But Apple looks bad when these things happen, especially because Apple sends a strong message about its security and the simplicity of its operations."
Copyright © 2022 IDG Communications, Inc.