It’s a common complaint following the release of an iOS update and once again social media sites contain posts from iPhone users complaining that the latest iOS update (in this case, iOS 16.5) is the reason why their phone’s battery is draining faster. As one Twitter user who goes by the name @Ismascarade tweeted (via Tom’sGuide), “iOS 16.5 is deadly for the battery.” And there are more complaints.
Another Twitter subscriber, @cowsmi1k, wrote, “Coincidental or not, since iOS 16.5, not only is my battery life horrific, charging time has slowed drastically, and for some reason, my Battery is reaching seriously hot temperatures, whilst barely processing anything.” So what can you do? Well, to be honest, panicking about this is not the solution. The best thing you can do, according to Apple, is wait for time to pass. In fact, we’d be surprised if Apple even considers sending out a quick fix for an iOS 16.5 battery issue-at least right now.
Apple notes that iPhone users should give their battery at least 48 hours following an update to bounce back
It’s not that Apple wants you to suffer with a reduction in battery life until you are so frustrated that you buy a new phone. What happens is that when a new version of iOS is installed, so many things are taking place in the background such as the re-scanning of your photos using new algorithms, the optimization of your data, and even the recalibration of your phone’s battery. All of these actions consume battery power and some of the algorithms used to optimize battery life need to go through several cycles to get back to work.
As a result, before taking your current iPhone unit and throwing it at the wall, you might want to wait a few days to see if there is any improvement in battery life. How long should you wait? In March of last year, Apple Support disseminated a tweet that read, “Thanks for reaching out! We’ll be happy to help. It’s normal for your apps and features to need to adjust up to 48 hours after an update.”
So there you have it. Apple says to give your iPhone up to 48 hours after installing an iOS update to see if the battery life returns to pre-update levels. And frankly, we might even toss in an extra couple of days. At that point, if you’re not happy with the post-update battery life of your iPhone, you can contact Apple Support.
