While Apple’s iOS 11.4 update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch last month introduced several highly-anticipated new features like AirPlay 2 and Messages in iCloud, it seems to have also included a nasty side effect. Dozens of users on Apple’s support forums are reporting battery issues after updating to the latest version of the mobile OS. It appears to be affecting a variety of models too, from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone X to the iPhone SE.
“My iPhone 6 was working perfectly fine until I updated to iOS 11.4 and ever since I did that my battery is draining rapidly even without me using it at all,” said one user. “I used to go a full day without charging it [and] now it may last half a day. I am just wondering if something got turned on with this new update that I have to turn off to save battery life. It is just weird I have not done anything other than update the iOS and now this happening.”
Unfortunately, despite the initial complaints being posted on the forums nearly two weeks ago, Apple has yet to issue an official response. A “Community Specialist” on the support forums provided links to articles about iPhone batteries and repair costs, but didn’t actually share any solutions. For now, it’s up to the community to find a fix.
It’s unclear what is causing the issue, or how widespread it really is, but some users suggest turning off WiFi to stop the battery from draining as quickly. Others say switching from a 5GHz network to a 2.4Ghz network made an impact, but many have been unable to find an effective workaround. If you’ve held off on updating to iOS 11.4, you might want to wait a bit longer until Apple addresses the issue or sends out a fix.
