Major battery drain after upgrading to macOS 26.1 Tahoe!!! (Bug)

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Level 1

11 points

Major battery drain after upgrading to macOS 26.1 Tahoe!!! (Bug)

Hello everyone,

I am experiencing a severe battery life regression after upgrading to macOS 26.1 Tahoe and would like to contribute to the ongoing discussion, as this appears to affect many users.

Device details:

MacBook Pro 13 inch with M2
16 GB unified memory
macOS 26.1 Tahoe
Previously running macOS 15 Sequoia

Before upgrading, I consistently achieved one to two full days of battery life with my normal workload. Since installing macOS 26, battery performance has deteriorated drastically. I now lose around 60 percent of my battery within approximately three hours of work.

My typical usage includes:

Web browsing
Slack
Arc browser
Visual Studio Code

I have already seen multiple threads where users report the same behavior. The common response appears to be that Electron based applications are responsible for the battery drain. While many of these apps are indeed Electron based, this explanation is not fully acceptable in my view, as the exact same applications and workload did not cause excessive battery drain on macOS 15 Sequoia. The issue only started after upgrading to macOS 26.

This suggests a regression or behavioral change in macOS 26 that negatively impacts Electron based applications, rather than a problem that users can reasonably attribute solely to the apps themselves.

My questions are:

Are others observing the same battery drain specifically after upgrading to macOS 26 Tahoe?
Has anyone identified system level settings or workarounds that meaningfully improve battery life?
What is the best way to escalate or formally report this issue to Apple, given that it appears to affect a large number of users?

MacBook Pro (M2, 2022)

Posted on Dec 26, 2025 8:48 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 26, 2025 9:20 AM in response to kieback

The Electron app problem was due to the use of Private API's that are not supposed to be used by App Developers and that is the reason why they are affecting battery performance. They have already acknowledged their use of the API that they know should not have been used and have started providing updates to their Frameworks where the apps that relied on it will also need to be updated. That is not an Apple problem, that is a Developer problem.

https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/11/macos-26-tahoe-electron-gpu-slowdown-bug-fix-rollout/

Developers are well aware that Private API's are not supposed to be used and can change between updates. That is why they are labelled as "Private". The best way to escalate the matter is to contact the App that used the framework and make sure they have provided an update. The apps that used those previous Electron frameworks that have been updated following the admission by Electron have had the problem resolved.

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Answer 2

Dec 26, 2025 2:27 PM in response to kieback

kieback wrote:

I understand that the private API's are used by the 3rd parties but they have been used before so the change must have been on Apple's side.

Yes, Apple changed something. But since the developers were not supposed to be using the Private APIs in the first place (which is why they are Private APIs, i.e., intended only for Apple's use), that developers chose to use them anyway means those developers are responsible for any future problems their choices created. So if you want to complain to someone, complain to the developers who chose to ignore Apple's guidelines.

And calling this 'minuscule' is unaccaptable for a basically unusable Laptop that costs $2000. The 3rd party apps have been used before and did NOT affect the battery life.

I'm calling the prevalence of the problem miniscule, not the problem itself. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a severe and debilitating disease, but it has a minuscule prevalence (about 1 case per 1-2 million people).

Many developers addressed the issue pretty quickly, for example you highlight the common use of Electron apps but Slack, Discord, etc., released updates two months ago that fixed the private AppKit issue with Tahoe (which was the cause of the runaway WindowServer process).

Additionally I uninstalled all the 3rd party apps like arch, slack and VSC and the battery life is still not the same as before the update so there has to be also some other issue.

How did your Mac perform when you booted into Safe Mode?

Or maybe you didn't, since you seem quite certain this is Apple's problem to fix. In that case, since you've submitted feedback to them you've done all you can except wait for Apple to fix it. Good luck with that.

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Answer 3

Dec 26, 2025 9:03 AM in response to kieback

It is possible there are processes running in the background that are using significant resources. Check Activity Monitor, CPU tab (sort by % CPU) and Memory tab (sort by Memory) to see what's running hard.

Activity Monitor User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

I have seen a few posts on this, relative to the installed base of Tahoe it does not appear to be a common problem.

Bugs can be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

However, it is more likely to be a problem specific to a small number of users based on third-party software/extensions they have previously installed that do not play nice with Tahoe.

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Answer 4

Dec 29, 2025 10:45 AM in response to kieback

To be honest I have found the Energy tab useless when it comes to seeing what is draining the battery. What matters the most is the processes that are running in the CPU tab (also note the GPU usage there) and that is what is consuming the battery. An app can cause a System Process to run excessively, such as WindowServer, where that activity is not reported in the Energy tab by the app.

From what I have read, Logi+ has not been updated to use the new Electron Framework and from experience there are many different Logi processes installed in the Launch folders where uninstalling does not remove all of them. Some are no longer even used after an update, but remain installed and running on the computer.

Also for the Stock usage noted without using the app, check to see if you have the Stocks Widget running. Click the time on the upper right menu bar and see if you have Stocks there that can be removed.

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Answer 5

kieback Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 26, 2025 1:47 PM in response to neuroanatomist

I understand that the private API's are used by the 3rd parties but they have been used before so the change must have been on Apple's side. And calling this 'minuscule' is unaccaptable for a basically unusable Laptop that costs $2000. The 3rd party apps have been used before and did NOT affect the battery life.

Additionally I uninstalled all the 3rd party apps like arch, slack and VSC and the battery life is still not the same as before the update so there has to be also some other issue.

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Answer 6

kieback Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 29, 2025 10:03 AM in response to kieback

I switched to safari and already had slack etc on the newest update and it is still discharging like crazy... I booted it in safe mode and let a YouTube video run for 30 min and that usually took about 5% and now it was almost 15%... In the activity monitor the it says safari and stocks use the most but I dont even have stocks open and when I force quit it it just reopens again in the background. since all of this is also happening in the safe mode and I updated all the other softwares, I dont think its the 3rd party softwares fault...

attached 1st ing is with all the other apps and 2nd ing is in safe mode:

I spent most time in vsc in the first image and still its only on 4th place for 12 hr power.

Is there anything else that could be the issue? any terminal command I can run to diagnose it further?

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Answer 7

Dec 26, 2025 9:59 AM in response to kieback

kieback wrote:

If Electron based apps are suddenly causing excessive battery drain only on macOS 26, that strongly suggests a system level behavioral change or regression in Tahoe rather than an application level issue users can reasonably resolve themselves.

As was pointed out, the issue is use of Private APIs by developers, that were not intended for their use.

Characterizing this as affecting only a small subset of users does not align with the number of reports already present in Apple Discussions, nor with the prevalence of these apps in the macOS user base.

There are a less than 100 posts per day on the Tahoe forum of Apple Discussions, and most of them aren’t about the issue you’re experiencing. There are tens of millions of Mac users running Tahoe. I’ll let you do the math on the estimated proportion of affected users. Hint: it’s minuscule.

Not saying it’s not a real issue, but your perception of its prevalence is biased.

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Answer 8

kieback Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 26, 2025 9:16 AM in response to neuroanatomist

Thank you for the response. I have already reviewed Activity Monitor in detail and wanted to provide concrete data to clarify why I do not believe this is limited to a small number of users or caused by misbehaving third party extensions alone.

I am attaching screenshots from Activity Monitor (CPU and Memory tabs). The key observations are:

WindowServer is consistently one of the top CPU consumers, even during relatively light workloads.
Electron based applications such as Slack, Arc, Notion, and VS Code are active, but Safari Web Content processes are using comparable or higher memory at the same time.
Safari appears above Arc in memory usage, which contradicts the idea that this is strictly an Electron problem.
Slack Helper (Renderer and GPU) processes show sustained activity, but again, these same processes and workloads existed prior to macOS 26 without causing severe battery drain.

Most importantly, this exact application mix was used daily on macOS 15 Sequoia, where battery life was consistently one to two full days. The drastic regression only appeared immediately after upgrading to macOS 26 Tahoe.

Slack, Visual Studio Code, Arc, and similar Electron based applications are extremely common in professional workflows. Characterizing this as affecting only a small subset of users does not align with the number of reports already present in Apple Discussions, nor with the prevalence of these apps in the macOS user base.

If Electron based apps are suddenly causing excessive battery drain only on macOS 26, that strongly suggests a system level behavioral change or regression in Tahoe rather than an application level issue users can reasonably resolve themselves.

I fully agree that submitting feedback to Apple is appropriate, and I have already done so. However, I think it is important to acknowledge that this is likely a broader compatibility or power management issue introduced with macOS 26, especially given that:

The issue did not exist on macOS 15 with identical software
Native Apple processes such as WindowServer and Safari Web Content are also showing elevated usage
Many users are reporting similar behavior after upgrading

I would appreciate any additional insights into WindowServer behavior changes in macOS 26 or known power management regressions related to Electron or graphics compositing.

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Answer 9

Dec 26, 2025 2:15 PM in response to kieback

kieback wrote:

I understand that the private API's are used by the 3rd parties but they have been used before so the change must have been on Apple's side.

No! Apple API's marked as Private are NOT to be used at all by Developers. In fact the normal build method for apps and frameworks using Xcode won't even allow it and any developer that attempts to use a Private API must use a workaround build process to bypass the restrictions in place by Apple.

If you would like us to investigate further for processes running in the background even when you are not using the app that will drain the battery, then it would be helpful to post the free EtreCheck report using the Additional Text option when posting.

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

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Answer 10

kieback Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 29, 2025 10:48 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

thats a great hint with the logi+ I also just got the mx masters 4 so thats pretty new too. I'll uninstall that and see if its better.

The stocks widget I check and it was running so I removed it but it still comes on in the background every once in a while.

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Answer 11

Dec 29, 2025 11:19 AM in response to kieback

kieback wrote:

thats a great hint with the logi+ I also just got the mx masters 4 so thats pretty new too. I'll uninstall that and see if its better.

The stocks widget I check and it was running so I removed it but it still comes on in the background every once in a while.

I would recommend after uninstalling Logi+, make sure all of its remnant files have been removed in the Launch Folders. The best way that I have found to do this other than manual checking each folder is downloading/running EtreCheck where all process are easily identified and shows the location. You don't need to install EtreCheck to run it and it can be run right from the Downloads folder.

Since you said you also removed Chrome, look in that EtreCheck report for the Google Keystone files. There are likely 2 of them that remain after uninstalling Chrome and are running.

The link to download EtreCheck is found here in the instructions to post the report and is used frequently here. You can read the report yourself if you wish or post the report here using the Additional Text option when posting if you have any questions. The report contains no personal information.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211

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