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Here’s what to do if the iOS 8.1 update hurt your iPhone 6’s battery life

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:53PM EST
iPhone 6 Battery Life Tips
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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It seems as though each new iOS update Apple releases has a negative impact on battery life for some users. There are plenty of theories on why that might be, and they range from updated iPhones and iPads having to re-index files, to some users simply being unaware of increased usage as they explore new features. The truth is that there are numerous issues that can impact iPhone and iPad battery life following an update, and it varies on a case by case basis.

Since Apple released iOS 8.1 earlier this month, BGR has received several emails from iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who say that their battery life took a noticeable hit after updating to Apple’s latest software. While there unfortunately isn’t one solution for everyone, we have found a simple trick that seems to help many users.

DON’T MISS: This secret trick will dramatically improve your iPhone’s battery life

thread on Reddit started by user “keithkman” on Sunday detailed a problem impacting a number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users following Apple’s iOS 8.1 update. The user noted that on iOS 8, his iPhone 6 Plus battery would provide more than 6 hours of usage and about 24 hours of standby time per charge. Following the update, however, standby time dropped to about 15 hours per charge with the same amount of usage.

After reading the Reddit thread, BGR emailed a number of users who had contacted us describing similar experiences, and we linked them to a simple suggestion in the comments on that thread. User “DatGuyWitDaGlasses” said that after seeing similar battery life changes on his phone, he contacted Apple support and they were able to solve his problem.

“I contacted Apple support and went into a chat room with a Genius with the same issue. I was recommended to go to my settings and ‘Reset all Settings,'” he wrote. “Apparently I had a lot of system programs crashing in the background, and once I reset my settings my battery life returned to normal.”

As noted in a subsequent post, this procedure will not delete any user data but it will return many settings to their default states.

BGR has heard back from a number of people saying that this trick appears to have resolved the issues on their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, so it’s definitely something to consider if your handset is having problems with reduced battery life following the iOS 8.1 update.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.