iOS 13 Photos - Background Activity High Battery Usage

https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/

I think I have fixed the issue now. However, the price was high:

1. Windows PC: all photo sync features disabled
2. On my Windows PC I used the tool "CopyTrans Cloudly" to make a full backup of all my iCloud photos to my PC.
3. Macbook: all photo sync features disabled
4. iPad: all photo sync disabled, and when it asked me, if I would want to keep or delete all iCloud-synced fotos: delete
5. iPhone: all photo sync disabled, and when it asked me, if I would want to keep or delete all iCloud-synced fotos: delete
6. Then:
7. On my PC using Cloudly to delete ALL of my photos and videos stored in iCloud (just two mouse clicks)
8. There were a few dozen remaining photos on the iPad, I had to delete them manually.
9. Some some dozen self-recorded video clips I kept on the iPad.
10. The iphone was - after removal from iCloud - almost empty, about one dozen videos and less than 10 photos remaining.
11. I waited a full day, iphone was still okay, no cpu problem with photo app.
12. Then I re-enabled iCloud on both the iPad and iPhone.
13. The few photos and videos synced both directions via iCloud and are now equal on each device.
14. Since almost a week now my iPhone is fine and Photo App load in the battery stats is low, about 5%, and battery life is back to normal. Device temperature is constantly cool. :) :)

Up to now I was not bold enough to switch Macbook and PC sync on again.

My theory is, that there might have been possible only one or a bunch of photo files, which may have gone corrupt or whatever, which made the Photo app gone crazy trying endless loops of sync attempts. Possible a thing, which might not have been an issue for years, and since the iOS update in December, this has become a serious problem for Photo app and iCloud sync.

My plan for the next couple of months is, to only make Photo backups via USB cable and iTunes.

And also want to for you guys here in the forum, which have the same problem, for your feedback within the next couple of weeks, if you were able to fix your issues too, and to hear your experienes.

Good luck!

I'm having this same issue iPhone 11Pro, running the latest software. I've tried every setting, every trick listed on every message board. Nothing works. Clearly there is something corrupt somewhere within my photos or within the Photos software and there needs to be a bug fix.

I have talked to apple support on the phone - they could not help.

I went to the Apple store - they confirmed that there was an issue and we did a restore from a Genius laptop. Problem popped back up after 2 days and has been present ever since. I would like Apple to fix this known bug. The only other option I have is to delete everything and set my device up as new. Which is exactly the opposite of what the Photos app and iCloud are for.

Same issue here. I did call Apple twice but they had a ridiculous suggestion that I should use my phone without backing up the data. How am I going to use an iPhone without any 3rd party app???

My battery continues to be used for over 100 hours of Photo app usage without any solutions. Apple support... they don’t do anything and they continue asking me if my iCloud is connected or not. I have disconnected the iCloud since I’m having this problem and continue telling them.... i guess they don’t really know what’s happening with the ios13....

Just adding my screenshot to the bunch. This is so ridiculous. I expected the Apple store to have some kind of proprietary software to run diagnostics on the phone to see what the process is actually doing, but that is not that case. Apple's online, phone, and in-person support have all suggested the same things that I already documented in a previous reply.

I also have the same issue of battery drain, i am sleeping the whole time and look the battery is draining drastically from 26% - 8%, it says usage is almost all facebook? Really? Seriously? This is even a new phone at 100% maximum battery capacity? So tell me.

Same issue here. I have an iPhone 7 running iOS 13.1.3 and for the last 10 days my Photos background activity accounts for nearly 80%. It drained my battery to zero in 4 hours this morning. I worked from home and the phone was on wifi, so I feel like it is some sort of iCloud backup/syncing thing (which I only allow on wifi). However, in Photos is says "Updated Just Now" and I can find no indications anywhere of what it is actually spending these CPU cycles on.

The "maximizing performance" article posted by corbin35 is irrelevant. This is not a rouge or poorly written 3rd party app but a system app. Obviously since it ran to 0 this morning, it has been rebooted. And that's not the first time this past week -- it took 6 hours last weekend to burn down to 0.

I am also having this issue - iPhone 6S. I have tried everything; disabling background app refresh, low power mode, every different Photos setting, disabling Photos in iCloud, resetting settings, and a DFU restore to iOS 13.2 (fresh, no restore from any kind of backup). Nothing I have done has seemed to have any affect on the background activity of the Photos app. Sometimes, it will stay active in the background for 100% of the time, even if my phone is about to die. Photos has been responsible for 58% of the battery usage over the past 10 days, and there is no indication anywhere as to what it is doing. I have been on iOS 13.2 for weeks now, and this also happened to me on previous versions of iOS 13.

I have an SE, 18 months old. battery Health is 92%. Battery charge runs down rapidly in iOS13, it seems worse (subjective opinion) in 13.2 then in earlier 13 releases. I had NO battery capacity problems in iOS 12. Apparently there is no path to revert (my understanding is that recovery mode will just reinstall current 13.2 release and I no longer have a backup of the phone on iOS 12, even if I did it would be too old to be useful).

This is a mess, I expect the phone to be functional throughout the day, now I'm constantly looking for a power source. I'm a fairly light user, can't imagine the pain a power user goes through with this release.

i got a way to solve this problem. at first use third tool export the photos(i recommend i4tool, it can keep time line and live photos).

then delete all the photos and in icloud - manage storage - photos - choise "disables & delete". you had to wait 30 days.

before the 30th day, you can import the photos without icloud sync. you could moniter if photo still use battery. my phone was normal at this step.

then after 30 days , start icloud , upload the photos , my phone was sync normally and battery was ok.

sorry for the bad endlish

I am having the same problem. Genius bar employees couldn't figure it. They exchanged it out for a new phone TWICE!. Activated it as a NEW phone and 2 days later, Photos showing consumption of 15 hours in background up to 82% battery usage. The back of the phone is uncomfortably hot. This is frustrating. Anyone got a solution(s)?

Seem here. It must be something to do with iOS13, I had updated my iPhone 8 to iOS13, it became supper hot and all photo background activity, luckily I had downgraded it to iOS12.

Then I got a iPhone 11 Pro Max and a 11 Pro, they both have the same problem!!! The temporary way to fix it is to turn the iphone off and on after every charge!

The online customer service has no use, they ran some test on my phone and told me that they can exchange one for me and ask me to wait on line for some information, after 10 mins waiting they just hang up on me without any follow up.

The store suggested to delete all photos, I haven't tried yet. but the worker weren't sound confident about the solution either.

Cannot believe there is no explanation from Apple about this issue.

Turn off and on after every charge works for me every time, but it still annoying . Some people saying it’s photo is indexing and analyzing all pictures, I do notice Photos -search screen changes after highly battery usage , but again, still annoying.

Any news regarding this topic? I still have the same problem. Turn on/off helps but it’s not a solution. How Apple can’t fix this bug? I mean yes ok, I have a mit of photos. But why can’t we just stop this indexing thing?

I backuped my phone via iTunes 2 days ago and reset iphone as a new phone for a day without any photos on, finnally the photos app is not in background. But it's so annoy without all my photos, so I reset the phone again and connected iTunes to recover my backup files. after a day using it I don't see photos app in the background so far. cant say anything right now, but may worth to try