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iOS 18.3 update draining your iPhone battery? 5 potential causes, and how to fix them
Another day, another iOS update for the iPhone, and that means it’s time to venture into the wilderness of social media to see what users have to say about iOS 18.3, especially relating to battery life.
First, the good news. As far as iOS releases go, this one doesn’t seem so bad. We’re a little over a day into the official release, and I’m not seeing much in the way of show-stopping issues or catastrophic battery drain issues. In fact, things seem to tip-toe between neutral and positive, with a lot of posts along the lines of: “Better battery life, no freezing, and I’m not seeing any problems yet.”
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But, don’t let this fool you into thinking that there aren’t any issues. There are still plenty of battery screams, too.
Predictably, users are complaining about Apple Intelligence, and how this is now enabled by default. This seems to be causing new battery issues where it’s stuck in a perpetual state of trying to download the data set it needs to work with no way to disable it. I’m sure that as the load of Apple’s servers decreases, this problem will sort itself out.
I also came across a user complaining that their iPhone was stuck with a core on a CPU running constantly. I’m assuming that this is just a side effect of the normal background housekeeping tasks the iPhone has to carry out after installing an update, as I’ve been unable to recreate the bug.
Still, if you’re suffering from battery drain issues after installing iOS 18.3, here’s my advice:
It’s completely normal to notice a drop in battery life after installing a new iOS update. This happens because your iPhone is busy performing a bunch of background tasks that require extra power.
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With iOS 18, Apple made it easier to see what’s going on behind the scenes. If you head over to Settings > Battery, you might spot an entry under Activity labeled Device Setup & Updates. This indicates that your phone is running additional processes that can temporarily drain your battery.
Don’t worry, though — your battery life should return to normal once these tasks are completed. It’s just a matter of giving your device a little time to settle down.
While you’re waiting for your iPhone to finish its post-update tasks, here are a few tips that might help extend your battery life:
- Turn Down Screen Brightness: Lowering your screen brightness can significantly reduce battery consumption.
- Disable Wi-Fi Assist: This feature uses cellular data when your Wi-Fi connection is weak, which can drain your battery. To turn it off, go to Settings > Cellular, then scroll down and switch off Wi-Fi Assist.
- Reset Network Settings: Although it’s not entirely clear why, many people have found that resetting network settings can dramatically improve battery life. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone, then tapping on Reset and selecting Reset Network Settings.
- Use Dark Mode: Enabling Dark Mode can make a noticeable difference in battery life, especially on OLED screens.
If you’ve tried all the previous steps and your battery issues persist, it might be due to a rogue app consuming more power than it should. I see this quite often, even with people who don’t update their apps regularly. Fortunately, iOS provides tools to help you track down these misbehaving apps.
Go to Settings > Battery: Here, you’ll find a wealth of information, including Battery Usage By App. This section shows you which apps are using the most power.
Switch to Activity By App: By tapping on this, you can see a breakdown of how much power each app is using while on the screen and in the background.
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You can use this information to diagnose battery drain issues. Here are some other things you can use this information for:
- Identify Background Activity: If an app shows a lot of background activity compared to screen activity, it might be running excessively in the background. You can try disabling background activity for that app by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turning it off for the problematic app.
- Spot Charging Issues: This data can also help you determine if your phone was charging when you thought it was.
- Detect Poor Battery Performance: Look for instances where the battery charge drops rapidly, which might indicate a problem.
These insights can help you diagnose and address battery drain issues effectively.
Sometimes, bugs can slip through the cracks, and all you can do is wait for Apple to address the issue with a new update. Apple has been improving its response to fixing these problems, but it does require some patience. There’s always a bit of a gamble involved, as you hope the new update resolves the issue without introducing new ones.
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Despite the occasional bugs, it’s important to keep your iPhone updated. Each update typically includes important iOS security fixes, which help protect your device from vulnerabilities and potential attacks. So, even if you’re hesitant about new updates, it’s generally a good idea to install them to keep your iPhone secure.
I know it sounds like giving up, and that we should expect a smartphone’s battery to last an entire day, but sometimes you have to work with where you are and what you have. I now carry a power bank with me during the day as an insurance policy.
Also: The best power banks you can buy in 2025: Expert tested and reviewed
Power banks are cheap enough, small enough, and lightweight enough that they aren’t a burden, and something like the Sharge CarbonMag 5K is so thin and light as to almost be unnoticeable when attached to an iPhone.
