iPhone 12 Slow Performance and Battery Drain After Upgrading to iOS 26

Question

Level 1

4 points

iPhone 12 Slow Performance and Battery Drain After Upgrading to iOS 26

Hello,

I recently upgraded my iPhone 12 to iOS 26. Since the update, I’ve noticed significantly slower performance and faster battery drain. Apps take longer to open, animations feel laggy, and the battery percentage drops more quickly than before the update.

I’m wondering if this is normal for iOS 26 on the iPhone 12, and if there are recommended steps to improve performance and battery life. Should I wait for background processes to complete, adjust settings, or consider other solutions?

Any advice from the community would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

iPhone 12, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 16, 2025 10:11 AM

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Answer 1

LD150

Level 10

101,219 points

Sep 19, 2025 4:18 PM in response to hristucc

You cannot downgrade, your apps are the likely culprit

The last update killed my battery! - Apple Community

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Answer 2

hristucc

Level 1

14 points

Sep 19, 2025 4:01 PM in response to Mac Jim ID

Been doing what you said for the last couple of days, the phone is still laggy as ****, feels like it has 60Hz, getting hot for doing literally nothing on it and small bugs sometimes, like not getting notifications, the click sound when the phone is locked doesn’t work, etc. The worst update I ever encountered, I might downgrade to 18 again, I have a 14 Pro Max

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Answer 3

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

62,318 points

Sep 16, 2025 10:16 AM in response to koka64

You should expect that after EVERY update while the files are being indexed and photos are being optimized with object detection algorithms. Leave your phone plugged in while not in use and give it 3-4 days at least for a comparison. It happened with previous updates as well, such as iOS 16, 17, 18, etc. Nothing new here. These types of posts were actually predicted before iOS 26 was released as we see them every time.

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