iPhone 13 battery drain after iOS updates 18.6 and 18.6.2

Chances are very good that the phone is still indexing all the data on the phone since the update. That may take 3-4 days to complete. The battery works overtime during this period.

My phone has slowed considerably and the battery declines twice as fast since I ran 18.6.2.

Give things 3-4 days and check again at that time.

Curbman95 wrote:

Every day I start using my iPhone 13 at 7am with 100% battery it used to keep charged all day until I get home around 5pm that’s playing music half the day. Now after the 18.2.6 update my phone is like 30% before noon without playing music. @apple please fix this issue

• And what is your Battery Health at Settings > Battery > Battery Health > Maximum Capacity?
• If you are still on your original battery, it is likely close to needing replaced when the Battery Health drops below 80%.
• After EVERY update indexing will be performed in the background for 3 -4 days that will continue to use the Battery. That is why you see the same posts all the time after an update, then they mysteriously go away.

Along with posting the Battery Health, you can also post a screenshot of what you see at Setting > Battery and include the green battery graph with the last 24 hours option and at least the top 5 apps responsible for the most amount of battery drain. Some apps will even use background processes that drain your battery when you are not using them and they will be noted in that screenshot.

The iOS 18.2.6 update was just a small security patch that had no effect on your battery performance other than the standard indexing needed after an update.

The only thing missing from these posts is the Battery Health at Settings > Battery > Battery Health > Maximum Capacity and the apps that are using the battery including the green battery graph with the last 24 hours option at Settings > Battery. Only the 2 most important things to consider with a battery draining issue.

As always after every update, you will need to give your phone about a week to finish indexing and updating photo object detection algorithms. Of course we see the same battery draining posts after every update and they eventually go away. This has gone on for years with iOS 15, iOS 16, iOS 17, iOS 18, etc and every point update in between. Be prepared for the next round of posts after iOS 26.

What is the Maximum Capacity of your battery? Have you had the battery checked and tested at the Apple Store / Genius Bar or authorized Apple service shop?

What did the technician say?

Have you thought about what you will do when iOS 26 is introduced soon? I assume that you already know the 3 possibilities regarding battery performance when/if you decide to update to iOS 26.

The iOS 26 update will do 1 of 3 things regarding battery performance:

1. Improve it.....not likely in my opinion.
2. Worsen it......we always see some posts about this after any update, but if this were a real issue, the site would be flooded with posts....and it never is.
3. Do nothing.....this has always been my experience with every update after a few days of indexing.

Apple Support can usually test your battery over a remote connection, so you might want to ask about this possibility:

Support

Every day I start using my iPhone 13 at 7am with 100% battery it used to keep charged all day until I get home around 5pm that’s playing music half the day. Now after the 18.2.6 update my phone is like 30% before noon without playing music. @apple please fix this issue

He actualizado mi ipnone 13 normal a 18.6.1 y he notado un redimiéndome increíble en esta actualización pero a la vez se desgasta bastante rápido hasta que no arreglen el problema del calentamiento y el problema del rendimiento no lo actualizaré más espero que resuelvan por favor 😭

Hmm not so sure Bob, because I have a work iPhone 14 and an 18 mth old iPad and my wife has he same iPhone and both of us have experienced significant battery drain and it’s been two weeks now! My iPad would hold its charge all day even when using zoom for meets now I have to charge it once or twice a day, yet my iPhone 16 is absolutely fine!! I really hope Apple aren’t up to their old tricks again as even people that I work with have the same issue with various apple phone types…. Something doesn’t add up here and Apple need to sort it. The fact that I have queried this through the x support team and not received a response speaks volumes to me.

iPhone13. Everything was fine till this update.It has been at least a week since I updated. I live alone. This is my only device and I have to leave it plugged in or else it’s shutting down. This is very scary for me. I Have no back up cell to use or borrow when I leave the house. This is terrifying for me. Apple you are putting my life at risk now. Even the battery life drained strangely after the update. This needs to be fixed. ASAP!