iPhone users say Apple’s iOS 17 update is ruining their battery life, with reports of battery draining within hours – here’s what to do if your phone is affected
Ever since Apple launched the long-awaited iOS 17 update last night, millions of eager iPhone users have rushed to download it.
However, it seems many are already regretting their decision, amid claims that the latest update will shorten their battery life.
Complaints have taken X (formerly Twitter) by storm over the past 24 hours, as users claim the latest iOS 17 release has destroyed their device’s battery.
One user wrote, “Is iOS 17 killing anyone else’s battery,” while another user said, “Battery life is terrible on iOS 17 so far.”
Others claimed their costs had dropped ‘sharply’ after the update, while another admitted they were too eager to download.
iPhone users have been hacking into the latest Apple update, amid claims it is draining their batteries
“Afraid to upgrade to iOS 17 due to fear of what might happen to my battery,” they wrote.
iOS 17 was released yesterday as Apple looked to make big changes to messaging and FaceTime on iPhones.
The update includes several exciting new features, including customizable contact posters, live voicemails, and the ability to share your contact information by simply touching your iPhone to another.
However, many users claim that the update also wreaks havoc on their iPhone’s battery life.
“iPhone battery life drops sharply after upgrading to iOS 17,” someone wrote on
Another added: ‘@AppleSupport @Apple battery drains massively after upgrading to iOS 17.’
One even claimed that their device overheated due to the update, writing: “iOS 17 overheated my phone like crazy… never seen it so slow.”
Complaints flooded X, formerly Twitter, after the launch of Apple’s iOS 17 update
While Apple hasn’t commented on these issues yet, it’s actually quite normal for battery drain in the wake of power-intensive updates.
Sometimes it can take hours or even days for software changes to take effect, meaning battery status can fluctuate in the meantime, according to ZDNET.
“Installing a new operating system on an iPhone does a lot of things in the background, from indexing to battery recalibration, and this can go on for hours or even days,” said Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, a researcher at ZDNet, explained earlier.
‘Not only does this consume power, but recalibrating the battery can give the impression that the battery is draining faster, when in reality this is not the case.’
However, if the problems persist for longer, it may be a good idea to check the maximum capacity of your phone’s battery.
An iPhone’s ability to hold a charge decreases as the battery chemically ages, which can result in fewer hours of use and poorer performance between charges.
The maximum capacity can be found on the Battery tab in the Settings menu on the home page of an iPhone.
On iOS17, users can add contact posters, which allows them to customize how they appear to their contacts. There are also new stickers for Messages
This new update was unveiled alongside the iPhone 15 last week at Apple’s highly anticipated Wanderlust launch event
If your battery needs to be replaced, an ‘important battery message’ will appear indicating that its health has deteriorated significantly.
But if you previously replaced your battery at a non-Apple phone store, this information may not be visible.
Instead, an ‘unknown item’ pop-up may appear. When clicked, it may read: ‘Cannot verify that this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery. Health information not available for this battery.’
Users should also check that the ‘vampire setting’ – better known as Wi-Fi Assist – is also enabled.
Whether you’re streaming Netflix on the bus or downloading a file in the mountains, this can be an incredibly useful tool on the go.
But users should be aware that this can also quickly reduce battery life as the tool is automatically enabled on all iPhones.
Finally, Apple advises that users can take a number of other steps to maximize their battery life.
To prolong battery life, it is essential that you keep your device away from extreme temperatures above 35°C (95°F).
Certain cases should also be removed while charging a device if they generate excess heat, to prevent unexpected device shutdown.
For long-term health, Apple recommends that users not “put away” their phone at 100 percent or let it run out of battery completely.
Keeping a device fully charged for extended periods of time can actually reduce a battery’s capacity. Therefore, it can usually be better to charge the battery to 50 percent.
MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment.