Does iOS 26 update make iPhone battery drain worse?

iOS 26 has many attractive features, but iPhone users should patiently wait for the public beta to launch to avoid bugs and ensure a more stable experience.

Since the release of iOS 26, many users have quickly tested and reported that the battery life on their iPhones has been significantly affected. This is not too surprising, because beta versions – especially developer betas – are often not fully optimized, making battery performance not really stable.

A user specifically tested using an iPhone 15 Pro – a model that has been with him since September 2023. According to data in the Settings section, this device was manufactured in July 2023, with the battery status currently at 89%, still within the “normal” range according to Apple’s assessment. Before updating to iOS 26 beta, this iPhone still provided relatively stable usage time during the day.

Users said that every morning they start using the device at 7am, and usually by around 1pm the device only has 60% battery left - at this point they have to recharge to continue using it. With a fairly regular usage intensity, the iPhone 15 Pro still responds well before updating the new operating system.

However, after upgrading to iOS 26 beta, battery life drops faster, especially when opening high-performance applications such as Pokémon GO or Facebook. This may be the result of the applications not being updated to be compatible with the new operating system, making energy management ineffective. This shows that users should consider carefully before installing the beta version if it is not really necessary.

How long does the iPhone battery last after updating to iOS 26?

The experience with the current iOS 26 beta has left many users disappointed, especially in terms of battery life. After installing the first beta version of iOS 26, many people noticed that the battery drained significantly faster than previous versions of iOS. Even after just 40 minutes of playing Pokémon GO, the battery was reduced by nearly 30% - a pretty big number for such a short usage time.

This shows that the beta version is not optimized for performance and power management. Installing it on a main device – which is used every day – is clearly not the ideal choice. Changing battery performance like this not only affects the experience, but also causes inconvenience in many situations of traveling or working without a charger available.

Currently, using an iPhone running iOS 26 beta for a full day without charging is almost impossible. Users often have to charge the device before leaving home and calculate the usage time if they know that they will not have a backup power source for more than 6 hours. For those who travel a lot or rely on their phone, this is a big inconvenience.

If you’re considering testing the iOS 26 beta, especially the developer version, think twice – especially if battery life is important to you. Updating early can be fun, but it also comes with unexpected performance and stability risks.

In short, the official version of iOS 26 will probably bring significant improvements, but at the moment, the beta version is still limited. Consider carefully before installing and only test on a secondary device if you do not want to affect your daily usage habits.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/cap-nhat-ios-26-co-lam-iphone-hao-pin-hon-khong-319421.html