Hello Apple Support,
After updating my iPhone XR to iOS 18.7.2, I’ve noticed a major battery drain issue. The battery percentage drops quickly even when the phone is idle, and it sometimes gets warm during light use.
I’ve already checked background apps and battery settings, but the issue remains. Please look into this and let me know if there’s any fix or upcoming update to resolve it.
Thanks,
Fozle
Meelaya wrote:
Just posting this comment cost me 2% of battery.
Post a screenshot of what you see at Settings > Battery with the green battery graph using the last 24 hours option and the top apps consuming your battery. Some apps have background activity that will consume your battery even when they are not being used. If you updated on the day 18.7.2 was released, then you are just now at the 5 day mark where you should be seeing the file indexing and photo optimization being completed after the update. If Home & Lock Screen is showing up in that screen shot then that is a good indication that the background indexing is still going on.
Little confused when you say your Phone and Battery are new, but say that your Battery Health is 92%. That just brings up more questions:
Meelaya wrote:
Just posting this comment cost me 2% of battery.
Post a screenshot of what you see at Settings > Battery with the green battery graph using the last 24 hours option and the top apps consuming your battery. Some apps have background activity that will consume your battery even when they are not being used. If you updated on the day 18.7.2 was released, then you are just now at the 5 day mark where you should be seeing the file indexing and photo optimization being completed after the update. If Home & Lock Screen is showing up in that screen shot then that is a good indication that the background indexing is still going on.
Little confused when you say your Phone and Battery are new, but say that your Battery Health is 92%. That just brings up more questions:
After an update, it is expected for several days to increase battery drain and the phone will also get warm while the file indexing and photo optimization is being performed in the background after the update. For most this takes about 3-5 days, so with you currently at the 5 day mark, that should have just now been completed.
About Apple software updates - Apple Support
At this point if you are still experiencing the same issue, then I would recommend to first perform a Force Restart:
Then if still a problem, post the screenshot of Settings > Battery showing the green battery graph with the last 24 hour option, and also the top apps consuming the battery. I agree, you should not be having to charge your phone 2-3 times a day.
Gosh, iOS 18.7.2 is barely a day old.
It's normal for the battery to have to work harder than normal after any update because indexing can take up to a few days. A warmer battery would be normal since it is working harder during this time.
Keep an eye on things for the next few weeks and report back at that time.
Steve_133 wrote:
Mac Jim, why I had no problems with ios 18.6.2? Meta apps were working fine with ios 18.6.2. apple can do anything and they cannot control meta apps?
Because you were not using the same version of the Meta apps when you were on iOS 18.6.2. You would only notice an App update by the little blue dot that appears next to the app when first launched after the update and many times it goes unnoticed. You likely don't even pay attention to the version of the app you are using. Many of those updates have been a disaster with obvious screen bugs that required another update to resolve. There is very little in-house testing being done before the updates are released and you are the bug tester. Just take a look at the number of updates for their popular apps over just the last month.
Since you seem to think it is an Apple issue, take a look at the same problems seen with Android phones.
Both platforms have made it very easy to identify the apps that are using your battery, so it should be clear to you. Blaming Apple or even Google for the apps you install draining the battery is like blaming your TV for a bad movie you watched. Google has been more proactive calling out Meta for their practices causing the drain and I think Apple should do the same. It is going to take this sort of shaming or user push back to force them to prioritize user experience. When users believe that Meta can do no wrong and don't blame them at all, then there is no incentive for them to stop doing it. Keep your Meta apps updated in hopes that they listen.
When you can remove the apps and see the battery usage return to normal, it is not that difficult to see where the cause of your problem is. Try it! Ask yourself why Meta is doing that or ask them. I already gave my explanation.
samandar195 wrote:
After updating my iPhone X to iOS 18.7.2, I’ve noticed a major battery drain issue. The battery percentage drops quickly even when the phone is idle, and it sometimes gets warm during light use.
What is your Battery Health at Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Maximum Capacity?
It would be very unusual for an iPhone X to still be operating normally under the original battery. If it has been replaced by anyone other than Apple or Authorized Apple Service Provider, then the battery may be insufficient. Also if the device was purchased used/refurbished, you may not know the history of the device where the battery may be from a third battery. Any update will increase the demands on a battery while that is being performed and a weak or deficient battery is likely to be exposed and further degrade.
For further evaluation as long as your battery is not the issue, then post the green battery graph with the last 24 hour option along with the top 5 apps consuming the battery at Settings > Battery. I do have an iPhone X in my family with iOS 18.7.2 that still has all day battery life without any issue with the battery draining rapidly, so I suspect there is something different between our devices where you are seeing that problem.
Meelaya wrote:
if a majority of people here are experiencing the same or similar issues with battery drainage, then it's mostly likely the update itself rather than what apps people are on would be the most logical conclusion.
You are ignoring that the update has already been installed on millions of devices and users are suggested to post issues here for any issue with their devices and those seen here are relatively small for a site that is accessible worldwide.
This is a support site to assist others when possible and if not, it is recommended to contact Apple directly or schedule an appointment. It is not a Social Media site and Apple is not going to provide support here. They do have those contact options for direct support or you can provide feedback to them if the purpose is solely to make them aware of your experience.
There are many causes of battery drain on devices where the most common one is the Battery Health of a device being below 80%, and increased demands on performing an update can put further strain on an already degraded battery, where a user would immediately think the cause is a bug in iOS. That does not change the fact that the battery needs to be replaced and it would not have been a bug in iOS that did that. The other common cause is the apps on the device that are draining the battery. Those have been identified here by users who had the issue resolved when removed and also on other platforms, such as Android/Google where the exact same thing has been reported. And yes, there have been iOS updates that caused battery drain.
It is not my intention to sound dismissive and am only interested in solving a problem when I can. The single definitive way to determine a bug, if it is not related to Battery Health, is to first do an archived backup to a computer, then Factory Reset the phone without restoring and compare your results. You always have that archived backup for restoration so there is no data loss. If you are getting all day battery life as intended with the installed apps at that point, then you must look elsewhere. Some may not want to do the Factory Reset, so we end up working backwards to remove any possibilities. Apple will perform a Factory Reset as that is quickest way to determine without spending a lot of time.
There have been many bugs seen in iOS and even apps, but what is unique here is that it only affects a few users out of the install base, so that leads to some unique circumstance and that is what we may help to determine. In the past we have seen some specific issues with battery drain from an app, and a developer update resolved the problem. That would need to be ruled out first.
Steve_133 wrote:
Why Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp work so much in the background? I have disabled app background refresh,
Not surprising they are all Meta apps and you would have to ask them why they are consuming so much of your battery. Turning off Background App Refresh is only to prevent UI updates for apps in the background, they are still running background processes that consume your battery even when the apps are not being used.
Meta allows you to use their apps for free and that means you are the product they are selling to generate the billions of dollars every quarter. It was actually $2.71 billion dollars last quarter. The amount of information that they are gathering from you does take power on your device and that data is sold to advertisers for income. Just take Instagram for example and look in the App Store what data they are using, and multiply that by 3 to account for their other apps on your device:
Just do a simple test and remove those 3 apps and compare your Battery usage. You will be amazed. Apple gives you the tools to see the apps that are consuming your battery, and it is up to you if you want to use them or not. If you do not like the way an app performs on your iPhone, the developer of the app is the one who could provide an update to resolve the problem. Even Google has called out Meta for draining the battery on their Android phones, so it is not specific to Apple, and you will see the same reports in the Samsung/Android Support Sites too.
Steve_133 wrote:
I agree with you. Mac Jim does not want to focus on our concerns. Apple is always perfect according to him. He takes as granted that all people update meta apps. Personally I do not do it because I know what is going on
I have always said a bug can be introduced by an app or OS even by Apple. That is undisputed and why you see updates to the OS. Yes, most users do have Automatic app updates turned on and it is the default setting. Ironically you say you don't update the Meta apps because you know what is going on, yet it does not seem you put any blame on Meta for an update to their app that does increase a users battery consumption.
All I suggest is to perform the simple test of removing any app seen as a Top Contributor to drain in your Battery Settings and compare your results. It does not get any more basic than that for any sort of troubleshooting and if you see improvements without those apps, then you have found the issue.
The users who have done that and even used the Web version of those Meta services have seen a dramatic improvement in battery life. I just don't understand the resistance to perform a simple test. It seems like it is just much easier to sit back and complain than actually find out where the problem is.
Steve_133 wrote:
Your solution is to delete all meta apps from the iphone? I do not see any reply to my specific comment that I had the same version of meta apps during the transition from ios 18.6.2 to ios 18.7.1. Why you avoid commenting on that?
I haven't seen where you have provided any information from your Battery settings that shows what is draining your battery or even the Battery Health of your battery, so could not speculate what your issue is without any data.
From those that have provided the information showing Instagram was consuming 38% of their battery, it has been explained why that happens, that the same thing has been seen on other iOS versions and even completely different phone platforms, and why some users will see it and not others.
I don't think everyone should just delete all Meta apps and some have no problem with them. The recommendation to test without your top battery consumers is about as basic as it gets, and if that is a Meta app then so be it. Once you determine the specific app(s) that are causing a problem for you where there is no battery drain issue when removed, then you have a choice to make on what you want to do about it. And if it is the iOS version that is causing the problem, then you will see the same battery drain issue without the app, assuming the issue is not with your Battery Health or possibly an aftermarket battery. The resistance to even perform a troubleshooting step cannot be explained by me.
All of the usual experience based advice is moot. Just the fact that people are coming in here to ask the question means there is a problem. I have a 7th gen 2197 and 18.7.2 has almost bricked it. And it is battery related.
I’ve completed reformatted it, and slowly brought back apps to no avail. Safari crashes into a reboot at random. The same exact symptoms persist. It randomly force restarts in random apps. I’m not Meta user, and the memory is one quarter full. The battery has had 385 cycles (well under the prescribed 1,000) and the capacity percentage is over 80.
There is a small delay in the forced restarts syndrome if I run it at Low Power.
There is something fatally wrong with 18.7.2 because none of this happened before this update. We have three 7th gens. All the same symptoms.
It’s not the users. It’s not the hardware.
So any send me a screenshot advice is a waste of time. Any did you do this, did you do that advice is a waste of time.
Apple needs to fix the problem they created. Or are they trying to get the entire world to all of sudden buy new product? Well that is not going to happen.
Hi, so a bit of an update. What helped a little to improve the battery drain was to manually go and turn off background refresh for each app, I noticed that even when I had battery refresh toggled off for all apps - there were still some newly installed apps that still had the background refresh on that I wasn't able to toggle off. So I had to untangle the main button under batter refresh, ensure all the apps had it toggled off and then toggled off the main button again. Also, by turning off 'mobile data' for almost all apps except phone, camera, maps and banking. This doesn't help a lot though. I also turned off a lot of other features recommended by expert youtubers, under accessibility and also privacy and security. The issues with the iOS 18.7.2 are still there.
And yes Mac Jim is right that META apps drain a lot of battery, but we've been using these apps on previous iOS updates/versions as well so it shouldn't change that much.
In the end the only way out of this is either to get a newer apple phone, or buy an older refurbished one that is still operating on an older iOS and NOT update. I don't know how much longer the iOS 18.7.2. update will be available, as eventually they want all users with phones that are compatible to move to iOS26.
I plan to hold out till as long as I can, even if it means I may not get all the security updates with iOS 18.7.2.x or the new features with iOS 26.1 (which is still very unstable).
They want people to constantly be buying their latest phones hence create intentional bugs in older operating systems. This also is why repair is often not possible - unless you go to skilled 'unofficial' repairers, which then makes you lose your warranty and ability to go to the Genius bar for support. These big tech corporations have created a throw-away economy, and unless we start pushing back there's no way out of it.
Good luck to everyone out there, just trying to get by, having to worry about their phone dying and charging it several times a day!
Meelaya wrote:
I think everyone on here understands that the more data points the more your phone will need to work hence the battery drain. But what we are talking about here isn't just apps zapping the battery but battery drain of 1% every 5 mins even when its idle.
That is the point of the conversation and how those apps are using Background Processing to gain those data points. Those background processes are done while those apps are not being used and why you see Battery Drain when you are not using them. Also anytime you get a Notification from those apps, they include a payload of data that wakes the app up and processes the data. The apps that are using the Battery are made very clear to you in the Battery Settings, so you know exactly where your battery usage is going. To be clear, turning off Background App Refresh has nothing to do with the Background Processes we are talking about here, that is only to update the UI and is not the biggest contributor of battery drain, which is why you see very little difference with it turned off.
What's the point of having smart phones if we can't run our usual apps on it
The apps you use are your choice and the Developer of the app chooses the processes that affect your battery. For Instagram, you are talking about a simple photos sharing app and WhatsApp is nothing more than a Messaging app. Neither require any significant amount of battery resources and you don't see the Messages app on your phone consuming nearly the amount of WhatsApp. The real question is why Meta cannot make either of these simple apps without the battery drain and the answer is they could, but they would not have the data harvested from your activities to sell to advertisers. Those are just 2 examples.
You have already seen this is not specific to the iPhone or any iOS version as Google has called out Meta and you see the same complaints over on the Samsung/Android support sites. That should be a clue. I think Google is taking the correct approach and Apple should follow, where those apps are going to be identified and users should see an alert right on their phone.
More needs to be done other than just showing their usage in Battery settings as users are not making the connection what that means to the daily battery life of their device. The option to uninstall the app should be right in that alert so users know they are making a willful choice to continue using the app at the expense of the use time.
Steve_133 wrote:
What is the point on deleting meta apps and use them on safari? Of course the battery will be better because it is not pleasant to use instagram on safari. What is the point having an iPhone without whatsapp? You do not provide any specific solution. Only supporting Apple
I have given you the solutions you just don't like what they are. It has nothing to do with supporting Apple, it is all about identifying where the problem is by simple troubleshooting where you can remove the apps and compare the results.
I suggest you view the same recent questions about Battery Draining with the app on the Android Support Site where ironically many will blame that device or even a specific Android version even though the same problem is seen across many devices and OS versions, but the culprit is exactly the same along with the solution.
Is it really that difficult to develop a Messaging app that does not drain your battery? The answer is No, and the question is why does WhatsApp drain your battery. That is a question only Meta can answer and they don't seem to have an acceptable answer.
mcwrt wrote:
There is something fatally wrong with 18.7.2 because none of this happened before this update. We have three 7th gens. All the same symptoms.
It’s not the users. It’s not the hardware.
I would suggest scheduling an appointment with Apple. All we can do is suggest things for you to try based on information that you have provided. I don't know what apps are consuming your battery and don't know if you compared battery performance before you added the apps backs after reformatting. Don't know if this was a refurbished device with aftermarket battery or if there is something else going on.
I have iOS 18.7.2 on a phone in my family and they do not experience any of the battery drain or crashes so a systemic problem with iOS 18.7.2 is clearly not the case as that would be seen by everyone. I have had bugs in iOS before and even in apps, but I am not seeing it here and others have reported no problems too.
In your case, I hope it is a bug that affects some unique configuration that I do not have and an update will resolve it. For me I would not put off contacting Apple and simply waiting to see what happens would not be an option.
Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple
So, have you removed the Meta apps as a test to compare your results. That is the most basic troubleshooting step to perform and takes very little effort on your part. Feel free to document with the battery graph and usage before and after removal.
As for any other device, I would strongly recommend to get the one that suits you the best. I am not opposed to anyone choosing an Android device if they wish, in fact I have family members that have them too. There are many options to choose from. As you have seen in the links provided, you should expect the same battery draining with the Meta apps until Meta decides to improve their efficiency by concentrating on what the users need out of there services instead of using the battery to get what they need to know about you to sell to advertisers.
Not sure if you are looking for a solution or not. You have all the tools available to you, yet you do not want to follow through with the simple test provided. Or, post your Battery Health percentage and the green battery graph with the previous 24 hour option along with the apps consuming the battery. That should tell you everything you need to know. What you do with that information is up to you.
I would also recommend you take a look at the Android Support Sites where you can see the same problems. For example, here is for Samsung and you can also search for "Facebook" or "Meta" on the site to get a better understanding.
Battery drain issue after iOS 18.7.2 update
