The iPhone 16, Apple’s latest flagship, has been a hot topic since its launch, but not for all the right reasons. Early adopters of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models are flooding forums with complaints about excessive battery drain, and it’s not just limited to these devices. Reports from older iPhones running iOS 18 also indicate users are facing similar challenges, raising concerns that iOS 18 might be the common culprit behind the issue.
A Wave of Frustration: iPhone 16 Battery Drain Issues Surface
A fresh wave of complaints is pouring in from iPhone 16 users across platforms like Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and MacRumors. These complaints are adding fuel to the fire, with many users pointing out that their iPhone’s battery seems to plummet even during idle times.
As MacRumors reader T1aaj put it:
“Yes, I own the 16 Pro, and battery life goes down to almost 60% from 100% halfway through the day, through no heavy use. Definitely needs to be fixed, should’ve kept my 15 Pro!”
Others have echoed similar frustrations, sharing stories of how their new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro isn’t living up to the promises Apple made about improved battery life.
JulianL, another user, expressed his disappointment:
“I’m getting horrible battery life with my new 16 Pro Max. I upgraded from a 15 Pro Max… and now get 50 to 60% of time between charges vs what I got with my 1-year-old 15 Pro Max.”
These users, like many others, had expected the iPhone 16’s battery performance to surpass that of older models. But instead, they are seeing a drastic drop in battery health.
Standby Battery Drain: The Root of the Problem?
One major issue plaguing users seems to be excessive standby battery drain. Many users are noticing a sharp decrease in battery levels even when their phones are left untouched. This suggests that background activities could be the root cause of the battery drain.
Reddit user Ok-Interest-6561 shared their experience:
“I upgraded from my iPhone 12 and got the new 16 Pro. I upgraded mostly because of battery and speaker issues, but it drains around 10-15% overnight doing nothing, just laying on my bedside table.”
Another user, huanbrother, pointed out similar findings:
“The 16 Pro has horrible standby battery life when sleeping… I turned off AOD and frame limit, the background craze disappeared! However, the battery drain wasn’t fixed.”
It appears that even disabling features like the Always-On Display (AOD) or ProMotion (which reduces the screen’s refresh rate) isn’t enough to stop the battery from hemorrhaging power.
iOS 18: Is the Software to Blame?
With older iPhones running iOS 18 also facing similar problems, the issue seems to extend beyond just hardware. Many users are speculating that there may be a bug within iOS 18 that’s contributing to the battery drain.
From Reddit user kirbysmartdawg:
“Clearly, something isn’t right on Apple’s end. The idle battery drain is excessive. This morning, I unplugged my phone at 9 a.m., and it held at 95% (my charging limit) for only 20 minutes before starting to drop rapidly.”
Many have tried troubleshooting these issues with traditional methods like turning off background app refresh, disabling widgets, and even resetting their phones. But the results have been inconsistent at best.
For some users, the release of iOS 18.0.1 and the iOS 18.1 beta has shown slight improvements, but these updates haven’t fully resolved the problem for everyone.
Is There a Fix in Sight?
As of now, Apple has yet to issue an official statement addressing the battery drain concerns tied to iOS 18 and the iPhone 16 models. However, with an increasing number of users reporting the issue, it’s likely only a matter of time before the tech giant releases a patch to tackle this ongoing problem.
While software updates have helped some users, many are still holding out hope for a more permanent solution. Whether Apple will release an update to fix this bug or if a hardware issue is at play remains to be seen.
For now, iPhone 16 and iOS 18 users will have to keep experimenting with different settings and updates in an attempt to extend their battery life.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are undoubtedly powerful devices, but these battery drain issues are frustrating early adopters. Whether it’s a software bug or something more, Apple needs to address this problem sooner rather than later.
Until then, iPhone users experiencing these issues might want to explore disabling certain features like ProMotion and Always-On Display to mitigate the drain. Stay tuned for future updates from Apple as they work to resolve this widespread issue.
