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New YouTube app update will finally stop killing your iPhone battery

Published Nov 27th, 2017 12:46PM EST
iPhone Battery Problems
Image: YouTube

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iPhone and iPad users who have recently experienced severe battery draining and overheating while watching YouTube videos should know that there’s finally a fix. Google has rolled out a new update for its mobile app which should fix the issues.

It’s unclear what caused the battery issues, but they started becoming widespread after Apple issued one of the recent iOS 11 updates. That’s not to say that YouTube wasn’t somewhat of a battery hog before these particular issues surfaced.

YouTube version 12.45, available for download right now, does say that it brings a fix for a battery issue. In fact, that’s the entire changelog for the update, which means you should not expect any other new features or fixes.

Still, it’s a pretty good “feature” if you’re a hardcore YouTube user on iPhone. The previous version of the app would kill more than 10% battery life for every 15-minute clip, 9to5Mac explains. That’s definitely not what you want to happen while watching mobile video. Add to that the temperature increase, and you end up with a crappy YouTube experience.

Go ahead and download the YouTube update by going to the App Store app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, to fix those issue — that is, if your device doesn’t download app updates automatically, as it should.

If you still experience battery issues after updating the app, you should check out what causes the issues in the Battery section of the Settings app. If you’re rocking an older iPhone model, you may also consider replacing the battery with a new one.

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.