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Here’s how to fix iOS 8’s battery drain problems on your iPhone or iPad

Updated Dec 26th, 2019 11:37PM EST
iOS 8 Battery Drain Fix
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Two of the most annoying iOS 8 problems, at least for some iPhone and iPad users who have updated to Apple’s most recent iOS update, include Wi-Fi connectivity and/or speed issues, and faster than expected battery drain. Apple is expected to soon roll out iOS 8.0.1 to fix a bunch of issues, though Wi-Fi issues and battery draining have not been mentioned in the leaked changelog.

Meanwhile, users can take try fixing their Wi-Fi on iPhone and iPad on their own — and the same goes for battery problems. Gizmodo has put together a quick list of tips to help out with the process, and many of them will be familiar to longtime iOS users who have fought fast-depleting batteries before.

These “old” measures include turning off the parallax effects, turning off AirDrop, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and location services when not using any of them, turning off background app updates and app refreshing, as well as turning off auto-brigthness and 4G LTE connectivity.

However, iOS 8 users can also inspect what apps are responsible for severe battery drain and turn them off completely to further save battery power.

One method not included in Gizmodo’s list (available at the source link below) that could help out with this particular battery problem without you having to cripple your phone’s functionality in any of the ways described above involves using an iPad charger, but that only works on the newest iPhone models. In case you’re not happy with iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus battery life as it is now, you should know you can charge them even faster with an iPad charger than by using the default ones.

It’s always possible that Apple will improve battery life in iOS 8 in following updates, especially considering that iOS 8.0.1 isn’t the only update hitting devices soon. Apple is expected to enable Apple Pay, HealthKit and SMS Continuity for Macs in a major update next month.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.