Angry iPhone owners warn latest update causes ‘MASSIVE battery drain’

IPHONE owners have warned that the latest software update released by Apple has killed the battery life of their devices.

In posts to social media and Apple forums this week, angry users have reported severe battery drain after downloading iOS 14.2.

The issue appears to affect a range of iPhone models, and in some cases allegedly forces users to charge their mobile multiple times a day.

“After updating to 14.2 the battery will drain over night even when it’s 100 per cent in the evening,” one user wrote on Apple’s developer forums.

“That’s crazy, please fix it.”

Another posted: “I updated to iOS 14.2 and battery drains even on airplane mode.

In posts to social media this week, angry users have reported severe battery drain after downloading iOS 14.2Credit: Alamy

“I might have to charge my phone 4x a day. I don’t know how to fix this.”

According to some of the posters, iPhones are also taking longer to charge following the update, which Apple rolled out last month.

Handsets are additionally running hotter than before, particularly while charging.

The issue appears to affect older iPhones, with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus appearing frequently in forum complaints.

It’s not clear what’s causing the battery problems, as Apple has not commented on the reports.

Apple released iOS 14.2 on November 18. It’s likely any battery issues caused by the download will be fixed in a future software update.

In the meantime, there are a number of ways you can boost your iPhone battery life to help get you through the day.

One option is to cut down your use of power-hungry apps such as Google, Facebook, Amazon Alexa, TikTok and WhatsApp.

iPhone tricks to try today

Here are some of the best…

Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier

You can also turn on Low Power mode, which temporarily shuts down some apps, tools and features on your phone in exchange for extra battery life.

To turn Low Power Mode on, go into Settings > Battery and toggle the switch at the top.

The iPhone model you’re using can also make a difference. If you’ve got a brand new iPhone 12, it’ll likely last longer than an ailing iPhone 6.

Phone batteries degrade over time, too, so a mobile used for more than two years will likely hold less than 80 per cent of its original power capacity.

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