iPhone 14 Plus iOS 16.4 Battery Drain

I have noticed the same problem. I have a 14 pro max. What I did is turn off the 'always on display' and that seems to have stabilized my battery drain. I had the same problem with the initial release of IOS 16 .. looks like they've regressed yet again. I suspect they already have a fix for 16.4.1 .. as is usually the case. If you have a similar issue, I would just turn it off until the next update. If nothing else, it'll lessen the drain.

Yes all were restored… except text messages… including the battery drain problem! ☹️ Email had to be re-set up, non-Apple apps re-downloaded. Third time I had to do this. Finally got the email “link” for Apple about this issue, but it’s the same email form as usual: http://apple.com/feedback

At least this time I can add a couple of case numbers. 🤷‍♀️ Frustrating, futile day…

Ladyjopan wrote:

Yes all were restored… except text messages…

Going forward, make sure you have iCloud Sync for Messages enabled.

Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices - Apple Support

Once you log back into you Apple ID on your device (iPad, iPhone, Mac), the messages will re-populate.

I encourage everyone to hit Apple with complaints about this issue. Besides contacting them by phone, where you’ll speak to a representative or a “specialist” (very polite, but don’t do much), here’s a feedback link to report “bugs”. This particular battery drain issue has gotten too big. 😡

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

RESOLVED!

I've been dealing with the battery drain issue since upgrading to iOS 16.4. I tried implementing various battery-saving settings. That didn't work. I tried updating to iOS 16.5. No dice. I tried signing in and out of iCloud. Nada.

Finally, I had enough and called Apple Support. This resulted in a three-hour support call where we were able to fix the issue. It appears that iOS 16.4 didn't load properly on my iPhone. We therefore restored my iPhone to factory settings, downloaded iOS 16.5 again, and restored my apps/data from an iCloud backup.

I used these resources to complete the process:

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings 

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup

Since going through this process, my battery consumption has more or less returned to what it was before the iOS 16.4 upgrade. Just make sure you follow the instructions carefully. That is, make sure you have an iCloud backup to restore from and that you've signed out of Find My iPhone beforehand.

I hope this method helps all of you.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to provide a quick update about my experience, as there have been a few developments since I last posted.

As I stated previously, restoring to factory default settings helped me to restore my battery's drain time prior to iOS 16.4. My phone worked brilliantly...for a time. But with the release of iOS 16.5, iOS 16.5.1, and iOS 16.5.1 (c), my battery quickly degraded in performance. Which brings me to yesterday. I decided to restore to factory default settings again and restore from backup again. And once again, the battery's performance is working as it did before iOS 16.4.

I called Apple to explain what had happened across these two factory resets. They directed me to bring it into an Apple store. I did that this morning. They ran some diagnostics and found nothing wrong with the battery. (It's at 97% maximum capacity at the moment.) They said they wouldn't recommend getting a battery replacement, and they thought the issue might have to do with the OS updates.

I just got off the phone with Apple again to explain what happened during my appointment. They didn't provide much in the way of help. They said that I could send the phone to Apple directly, but I don't see the need to get back the same answer as I did this morning with an even longer turnaround time. They didn't say anything about the OS updates when I brought it up during my call.

Even so, it seems to me at this point that there's something off in the iOS 16 updates or in the update mechanism itself. I've seen some promising posts about the iOS 16.6 beta, and then there's always iOS 17 in September, so maybe one of those updates will fix it.

Resetting your phone to factory default settings will restore battery capacity for a while. I'm also thinking about trying this advice here so that I don't have to keep resetting my phone: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254371223?answerId=258230131022#258230131022.

I was hoping for more promising news. Maybe we'll all get it in the next few weeks.

I understand your frustration with the decrease in battery life after updating to iOS 16.4 on your iPhone 14 Plus. While it can be frustrating, it's important to note that software updates sometimes introduce new features or improvements that may affect battery performance differently on various devices.

To address the battery drain issue, you can try the following steps:

1. Check for further software updates: Apple frequently releases updates to address software bugs and improve performance. Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for any available updates.
2. Reset settings: Resetting your iPhone's settings can help resolve any software-related issues that may be causing battery drain. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. Keep in mind that this will reset your preferences and settings, but your data will not be affected.
3. Restore from backup: If the battery drain persists, you can try restoring your iPhone from a backup. This can help resolve any software conflicts or glitches that may be causing the issue. Make sure to create a backup of your device before proceeding.
4. Contact Apple Support: If the above steps don't resolve the battery drain problem, it's recommended to reach out to Apple Support directly. They have specialized knowledge and tools to diagnose and assist with such issues. They can provide further guidance and potential solutions.

Regarding your concern about Apple's actions, it's important to note that software updates aim to provide new features, security enhancements, and bug fixes. However, as with any software update, there may be unforeseen issues that arise on specific devices or configurations. Apple typically addresses such issues through subsequent updates and support channels.

Engaging with the Apple community, reaching out to support, and staying updated with software releases are crucial steps to address and resolve any issues you may encounter.

Here is a photo of my husband’s IPhone SE. it’s been sitting on the table and the battery has drained 20% in 3 1/2 hours. And you can see no apps are running. It will be completely dead by morning. This is completely unacceptable.

On the left of the screenshot above, from 9 pm to 3 am, the phone was set in airplane mode and low battery mode and even shut down while I was sleeping. But the battery was still draining from 90ish to 51 when I woke up. Why?

It generally takes between 24 and 48 hours after doing an update for the phone to complete all the behind the scenes tasks. While it's doing that, your battery may drain more quickly than you're used to. Give it another day or so.

aramana wrote:

However, I have also noticed that my phone is draining battery even when it is not in use or in standby mode. I have disabled background app refresh and location services for apps that I don't use frequently, but the battery drain issue still persists.

Yes, it still persists because the phone is busy doing things that you can't turn off.

Do you have any other suggestions for resolving this issue, or is it possible that there may be a hardware problem with my device?

You need to wait. It is highly unlikely that there is something wrong with your phone.

Hi Aramana,

Same has happened to me. I had 3-4calls with apple support. They had ran diagnostics on my phone and did couple of other things to find out what’s the exact issue but everything seems good to them. I told them if I leave my phone on standby, it still drops battery. Usually when it was on 16.3, it dropped 1%in 8-9mins. And now in 4-6mins it drops 1%. That is why it had 9-10hrs screen on time battery at that time.

It was best when we were on 16.3. Just getting some 21emojis and compromising battery life is a bad deal to upgrade to newer version.

I realized that it is better to move back to iphone 13pro rather than using this hectic 16.4 on a flagship phone.

12 pro. Since updating to 16.4 phone is always a little bit warm. As previous people have mentioned, battery life is a joke now. But this is nothing compared to 21 emojis.

Constant fear of SW update is now a part of iphone users life.

The biggest company in the world, take months to deliver an update that drains the battery, before the day ends on a phone that costs £1500. No battery problem on 16.3. Who is coding this - kids? Who is checking these updates before release ! The start of Apple downfall…