Phone & Tablet

Beginner

4 min read 6 stepsApril 20, 2026Verified April 2026

iPhone Battery Draining Fast After an Update? Here Is How to Fix It

It's normal for an iPhone to use extra battery for 24–48 hours after a big iOS update while it catches up on background tasks.

At a Glance

Wait 24–48 hours after the update before troubleshooting

~15s

Give your iPhone time to finish its background work after a big update. Plug it in to charge at night as usual. If battery life is still noticeably worse after a full 48 hours, move on to the steps below.

Check which apps are using the most battery

~34s

Go to SettingsBattery. Scroll down to see a list of apps with their battery usage percentage for the last 24 hours and the last 10 days. If one app is using a disproportionate amount — for example, 50% or more — that app is the main problem. Tap the app name to see whether the usage is from time on screen or time in the background. High background time means the app is active even when you are not using it.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: If you see an app called "Background App Refresh" using a lot of battery, see Step 3.

Turn off Background App Refresh for apps that don't need it

~24s

Go to SettingsGeneralBackground App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone with a toggle. Turn off Background App Refresh for apps that do not need to update in the background — games, shopping apps, and entertainment apps generally do not need this. Leave it on for apps you actually need real-time updates from, like Messages or your email.

Update all your apps

~28s

Open the App Store and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Scroll down to see apps with available updates. Tap "Update All" to install them all at once. App developers release compatibility updates alongside new iOS versions — installing these often resolves battery issues caused by apps that had not been updated for the new iOS version.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: You can turn on automatic app updates so this happens without you thinking about it: SettingsApp StoreApp Updates → toggle on.

Check your battery health

~32s

Go to SettingsBatteryBattery Health & Charging. Look at the Maximum Capacity percentage. A brand-new battery starts at 100%. Below 80% means your battery has aged a lot and may no longer hold a full charge — this is when genuine battery life problems begin. Apple will replace the battery at the Apple Store or an authorized repair shop. The service takes about an hour and costs $89 for most iPhone models.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Apple's official battery service info is at support.apple.com/iphone/repair. You can also schedule an appointment at any Apple Store via the Apple Support app.

Try a soft reset if the problem persists

~24s

A soft reset clears the phone's memory without deleting any of your data. On iPhone 8 and newer: press and quickly release Volume Up, press and quickly release Volume Down, then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo. Your phone restarts fresh. On iPhone 7: hold the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button together for 10 seconds until you see the Apple logo.

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After any major iPhone update, it is completely normal for your battery to drain faster than usual for the first day or two. Your iPhone has a lot of work to do after an update. It rebuilds its search index, re-downloads cached content, checks for compatibility with your apps, and reoptimizes your photos. All of this happens in the background. And it uses extra battery while it runs.

If your battery is still draining unusually fast after 48 hours, something else is likely going on. The most common causes are an app that started misbehaving after the update, a background process that got stuck, or a setting that the update changed without you noticing.

The good news is that most iPhone battery problems after an update are fixed by one of a handful of free steps — no trips to the Apple Store needed in most cases.

If you check your Battery settings and notice one specific app is using a surprisingly large percentage of your battery, that app is the most likely culprit. Try deleting and reinstalling it. Many apps have their own updates released alongside iOS updates to stay compatible, and installing those app updates often fixes the battery drain.

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Official Resources

Apple Support — iPhone Google Help — Android Samsung Support

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