iOS 18.4 update "kills" iPhone battery — what's wrong with it

Many iPhone owners who rushed to install the fresh iOS 18.4 update have begun to complain en masse about the rapid battery drain. Social media users are posting indignant posts calling the battery condition "terrible", and some have to charge their phones several times a day.

The DailyMail writes about it.

What's wrong with the new iOS update?

Some have also noticed sharp "drops" in the percentage of battery health immediately after the update. Users write that the "Battery Health" indicator (for example, which was at 87%) suddenly dropped to 79%. Some believe that regular updates intentionally reduce battery life, although Apple has never confirmed this.

Experts advise giving the system a few days to "optimize": new versions of iOS usually perform a lot of background tasks, and during this period, the phone may discharge faster. If the situation does not normalize, it is useful to check the "Battery status and charging" indicators in the "Settings" — "Battery" section. Over time, any lithium-ion battery loses capacity, so a decrease in health can be a signal for replacement.

It is also worth turning off functions that imperceptibly consume a lot of energy, for example, Wi-Fi Assist, which automatically connects to mobile data when the Wi-Fi signal is weak. If there are no noticeable improvements, users are advised to contact the official support service or authorized Apple service centers to determine whether it is time to replace the battery.

After any large-scale iOS update, such problems with autonomy sometimes occur. Apple usually releases the following "minor" fixes to eliminate shortcomings and stabilize the operation of devices. If the battery drains too quickly, even a few weeks after the update, it is worth investigating whether there are technical reasons and, if necessary, seeking expert advice.

As a reminder, the reliable insider has named the iPhone models that will not receive the update to iOS 19. These models have the A12 Bionic chip, which will probably no longer be supported by Apple.

We also wrote that the network is actively discussing the upcoming design of the iOS 19 update. It is known that its interface will be inspired by visionOS, and you can already try it out on your own iPhone using a live mockup.