iPhone 17 battery drains quickly with normal use

📱 @Apple I recently upgraded to the #iPhone17 and the battery drain issue is really disappointing. Even with normal use, the phone loses charge way too fast. For such a premium device, this shouldn’t be happening.




Please address this with a fix/update soon. 🔋⚡



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Battery Drain

iPhone 17, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 23, 2025 7:30 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 11, 2025 4:19 AM

larouche wrote:

Same issue battery goes from 100 to 0 at the speed of light for their latest phone thats a problem.


If you’re stating actual performance you have a defective battery. Please contact Apple Support.


You need to have Apple perform diagnostics on your iPhone. It can be done in person at an Apple Retail Store or at an Apple Authorized Service Provider. You can also contact Apple Support and request remote diagnostics.


If you’re in the US please call  1-800-MY-APPLE or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada call 1-800-263-3394


Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support


Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple


Explore Service Locations

87 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 11, 2025 4:19 AM in response to larouche

larouche wrote:

Same issue battery goes from 100 to 0 at the speed of light for their latest phone thats a problem.


If you’re stating actual performance you have a defective battery. Please contact Apple Support.


You need to have Apple perform diagnostics on your iPhone. It can be done in person at an Apple Retail Store or at an Apple Authorized Service Provider. You can also contact Apple Support and request remote diagnostics.


If you’re in the US please call  1-800-MY-APPLE or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada call 1-800-263-3394


Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support


Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple


Explore Service Locations

Oct 21, 2025 9:11 AM in response to Lily575

Lily575 wrote:

Why is this not common knowledge? Is there a way to test if that’s what’s happening or something else?

It is also detailed in the Apple Support Article here:

  • Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance. This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps.

About Apple software updates - Apple Support


There is no message when the background processing is complete, but if you see a lot of Battery usage showing Home & Lock Screen, that is an indicator that it is still indexing. Usually it should be done in about 3 days, give it a week to be sure. The alternative is to include the indexing/setup in the update, which would dramatically increase the update time where your device would not be usable.



Oct 1, 2025 8:59 AM in response to shaili81

shaili81 wrote:

Im experiencing the same issue I was about to return my iPhone.
I had iPhone 15 Plus I loved it because of its bigger screen It has 85% battery health even in this condition it was way much better than brand new iPhone 17.
what I should do now?
  • If you are not happy with your new phone, you should absolutely return it as long as you are within the 14 days.
  • As for the battery drain, review the previously provided link on what you should expect after updating. It does take at least 3-5 days to complete the spotlight indexing of files and also the object detection algorithms of your photo library. For very large photo libraries, it may take a little longer.
  • We have no idea what the rate of drain you are experiencing is. Post the screenshot of Settings > Battery, that show the green battery graph for the previous 24 hours and the top apps consuming the battery.
  • Have you tried a Force Restart? Force restart iPhone - Apple Support
  • Have you tried a Factory Reset without restoring from a backup to compare the drain without third party apps installed? You would want to make sure to have an archived backup with a computer to prevent your iCloud backup from being overwritten.


Oct 10, 2025 9:34 PM in response to larouche

larouche wrote:

Same issue battery goes from 100 to 0 at the speed of light for their latest phone thats a problem.

If you are within the 14 days of purchase, then return it. What you are experiencing is not what has been seen by the latest 3rd party reviews. Pay particular attention to the section on battery performance in each of these reviews that were released in just the last week.


If you think there is a problem with your Software, then do a factory reset using a computer. And if you think there is a problem with the phone and it is after the 14 days for a return, then schedule an appointment for service.

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple


Nov 13, 2025 8:09 AM in response to DebbiZ

Find My may be trying to find devices connected to your Apple Account. The most common reason is that Location services for Find My is set incorrectly. Follow this path,


iPhone > Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Find My > While Using App > If While using app is selected, please momentarily change to Never and then back to While Using App.


The other devices on your account should be set to the same settings. Please restart your devices after changing the settings and check for 24 hours. Another possibility is one of the users on your account is constantly tracking your device or you are constantly tracking another device from your iPhone.

Dec 7, 2025 8:47 AM in response to S19_80H

S19_80H wrote:

I am very disappointed. I have traded my iPhone 15 Pro Max in which has had a ways better battery life than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. After Apple had promised an improved battery for the new iPhone 17.

It is not just Apple that says the battery life has improved with the iPhone 17, you can find many third party sites that have actually done controlled tests that not only compared it to previous iPhones, but also from other phone manufacturers. Here are just 2 examples.


Your issue is most likely due to the apps you have installed. Some have already been identified as poor performers and you likely would not even notice an app update that introduced a battery draining bug as the only indication is a little blue dot next to the app.


For further analysis you would need to post a screenshot of the green battery graph, along with the top apps consuming the battery at Settings > Battery. It is your choice what apps you want to use and Apple lets you know which ones are responsible for draining the battery so you can make an informed decision.

Oct 3, 2025 6:57 AM in response to satyawadi

7-8% overnight is not huge; typically it will be 15-25%. And you should be charging overnight, every night.


Any cell phone uses energy continuously, as long as it isn’t powered off. This means that if it is not connected to power for 8 hours the battery level will be lower at the end of that time. How much lower depends on what apps you have, how many notifications you have enabled (which will be delivered and processed by apps even if you force close apps-they will relaunch when a notification arrives), and, probably most important, how strong your cellular signal from the network is; your phone maintains a "conversation" with the network so your phone can be found when a call or text arrives, and low signal strength requires much more energy to do this update to the network. Thus, you should be charging your phone overnight so this nighttime usage is powered by the external source rather than the battery.

Oct 31, 2025 5:12 AM in response to Khubayeb62

Khubayeb62 wrote:

I have upgraded my phone with iPhone 17 pro just 2 weeks ago and now it’s battery dissipating me everyday. I used to charge my phone from 20% to 85%. From last couple of days I’ve noticed that the battery drain dramatically without doing anything. If go to sleep with 50% battery and the next day i can see only 30% left.

I don’t know what’s happening with such a premium phone like 17 pro. And what’s the solution?

Simple, do as advised by Apple for many years, charge to 100% all night every night while on wifi.

Do not go to bed without charging your phone, it will use battery checking for mail, sorting ohotis, etc etc.


Just because there is an option for charge limit you are not obliged to use it, otherwise you may as well have a battery with 85% health.

Regarding usage...

The last update killed my battery! - Apple Community



Nov 18, 2025 12:57 PM in response to DebbiZ

DebbiZ wrote:

The 17 is supposed to get 12/13 hours of use time. I do not get that. I have also called & get no help. This is so wrong. I have had my new iPhone 17 for 2 months. It’s like there is no warranty from Apple. I am now angry. It’s total BS.

You will get that using the installed apps, but third party apps can certainly use more power. What did you find was using your battery when you went to Settings > Battery? Some apps have already been noted as power hungry, but it is up to the user if they want them or not.

Oct 11, 2025 3:03 AM in response to shikhant128

With any new iPhone, I always calibrate the battery % by draining till switch off, charging to 100% without any phone activity, and then repeating. Before this the battery % and usage stats can be way off. Draining from 100% till switch off tests the real battery life - I find my new iPhone 17 to be on a par with reviewers findings eg 12-13 hours web browsing on wifi with medium brightness. I don’t find any excessive drain using the camera. If your battery life is significantly short of this I would get a refund or replacement.

Oct 26, 2025 9:27 AM in response to rohithkoushal

  • In my opinion, you should be charging your phone all night, every night and I recommend to use Optimized Charging instead of the Charge Limit so your phone will be ready for you at a 100%. charge in the morning. Your phone will not be overcharged.
  • Charge Cycles is the result of how many times your Battery has drained its capacity, not how many times it has been charged.


For a better look at your battery consumption, post a screenshot of what you see at Settings > Battery, that shows your green battery graph with the last 24 hours option and the top 5 apps consuming the battery.

Oct 30, 2025 9:16 PM in response to Sstteeffaann

Sstteeffaann wrote:

My 16pro lasts 3 hours!!!!

Since you have not provided any of the details, such as screenshot of your battery graph showing the last 24 hours of usage and the top apps that are consuming the battery, all you can do is schedule an appointment with Apple for them to perform diagnostics. It is also not clear if you performed any of the recommended steps provided here, such as the Force Restart or Factory Reset using a computer. Both of which has seen success for some of the users here.

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple



Oct 31, 2025 7:26 AM in response to jes294

jes294 wrote:

My battery drains without using.
When I kept 40 before sleep and in morning it will in 20 percent. I’m very disappointed

Losing 20% overnight is, if anything, an expected drain.


Any cell phone uses energy continuously, as long as it isn’t powered off. This means that if it is not connected to power for 8 hours the battery level will be lower at the end of that time. How much lower depends on what apps you have, how many notifications you have enabled (which will be delivered and processed by apps even if you force close apps-they will relaunch when a notification arrives), and, probably most important, how strong your cellular signal from the network is; your phone maintains a "conversation" with the network so your phone can be found when a call or text arrives, and low signal strength requires much more energy to do this update to the network. Thus, you should be charging your phone overnight so this nighttime usage is powered by the external source rather than the battery.

Nov 11, 2025 12:56 AM in response to FromBGLR

FromBGLR wrote:

I’ve the exact same issue, battery drains quickly overnight by 10-15% I would charge 80% at night and in the morning it would be 70/65%.

Then you are going against all advice. 20% to 80% is a myth, and Apple pander to it, you don't need to.

  • Turn off charge limit
  • Turn on Optimised chargig
  • Charge all night every night so you start the day at 100%

Why limit to 80% as it has no benefit to your battery longevity, it just starts you off for the day with your battery where it should rightly be by 11am.

iPhone 17 battery drains quickly with normal use

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