iOS 14 Battery Life Bad & Draining Fast? Here’s Why & How to Fix It

Does it seem like your iPhone or iPad’s battery performance has worsened after updating to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14?

If you have recently updated to the latest iOS or iPadOS version and you’re having battery related issues, you’re not alone, and it’s not uncommon to run into these situations when new system software updates are made available.

Each year, after a major iOS update is rolled out by Apple, you may see a slew of complaints from users regarding reduction in battery life, various problems, and slow performance. If you’re one of those unlucky iPhone or iPad users who are affected by battery issues, this article should help. Read on to learn why battery life often seems to suffer after a software updates, and what you can do about it.

Battery Life Bad and You Just Updated to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14? Please Wait!

After any major software update, your iPhone or iPad will perform various background tasks for some time, which makes the device use more resources. With more system activity going on behind the scenes, battery life is depleted quicker than usual. This is normal, so please be patient and give it some time. Let your iPhone be done with all the background activity and indexing to ensure everything goes back to normal.

One of the best things to do is simply nothing. Leaving your iPhone or iPad plugged in and connected to the internet overnight often does the trick. This allows background maintenance, indexing activity, and other tasks to complete, and while your device isn’t in use anyway since it’s plugged in while you sleep. By the time you wake up, those background tasks should be completed and battery performance should be back to how it was prior to the update. Keep in mind that these background tasks can affect how smooth your iPhone or iPad operates after the update too. Sometimes you may need to repeat this process for a few nights, depending on how much stuff you keep on your device, so before being overly concerned, let your iPhone or iPad sit plugged in overnight for several days in a row, and the battery issues very well may resolve themselves.

Install Available Software Updates & App Updates

Check for any additional software updates from Apple even though you’ve updated to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14. We suggest you do that because Apple tend to push out minor hotfix updates shortly after a major update, and such a bug fix update may help to resolve battery drain and other performance issues. Therefore, it’d be a good idea to install these small updates.

To check for an available update, head over to Settings -> General -> Software Update and tap on “Download and Install” if any new software is available. Make sure to back up your device before updating.

For example, iOS 14.0.1 and iPadOS 14.0.1 are already available, and though they don’t mention battery specifically, it still is recommended to install these bug fix updates as they arrive.

Apart from that, also make sure to update all your apps after installing iOS 14, since some apps may have received optimization updates to work properly with iOS 14. To do this, launch the App Store and tap on your Apple ID profile icon at the top-right corner of the screen. Now, scroll down and tap on “Update All” to install any available app updates.

Check What Apps are Consuming the Battery

Now would be a good time to see what apps have consumed your iPhone or iPad’s battery the most in the past 24 hours.

Also, if you have any battery hungry apps running in the background, force closing them could help to alleviate the issue if it’s app specific.

To view this data, go to Settings -> Battery and scroll down in this menu to see the list of apps that have affected your device’s battery the most. You’ll notice the apps that utilize video or location drain a lot of battery. This would typically include games, social media apps, and video streaming apps, as they often use a lot of system resources.

While doing this, if you come across an app that you don’t use draining your iPhone’s battery, it’d be a good idea to quit it when not using it.

Check Battery Health of the Device

Whenever you feel like your iPhone’s battery performance is not quite up to the mark, it’d be wise to check its battery health. This will give a clear idea of whether or not it needs replacement or service. You should be fine if you purchased your iPhone or iPad in the past few months or so, but on the other hand, if you’re using an older device, it’s definitely worth checking.

To check your iPhone battery health percentage, go to Settings -> Battery -> Battery Health and you’ll be able to see its current maximum capacity. You’ll also be notified if your battery’s health has significantly degraded and needs replacement.

Disable Background Activity

Apps running in the background on your iOS or iPadOS device can deplete the battery faster than normal, especially if data is being constantly refreshed. Disabling Background App Refresh can not only alleviate battery-related issues, but also help speed up older iPhones and iPads too, which is a side benefit.

To disable background app refresh and activity, open Settings and go to General -> Background App Refresh and set it to OFF. This should help make your device’s battery last longer.

Turn On Low Power Mode

Using the Low Power Mode feature that iOS has to offer can noticeably improve the battery performance of your iPhone or iPad, regardless of what iOS version you’re running. Therefore, if you’re using an older device with weak battery health, it’d be a good idea to keep using Low Power Mode at all times.

To enable this mode, bring up the iOS Control Center and tap on the battery toggle, as shown in the screenshot below. When Low Power Mode is turned on, you’ll notice the battery icon in the menu bar change from green to yellow.

Unfortunately Low Power Mode is limited to iPhone models, and the feature does not exist on iPad.

Lower the Screen Brightness

If you notice that your iPhone or iPad is operating at a higher screen brightness after updating to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 for some reason, lowering it can immediately help extend battery life. Prolonged operation at a higher brightness can drastically impact the battery life of your device. Whenever you’re indoors, try to keep your iPhone’s brightness as low as tolerable to minimize the battery drain.

To adjust the brightness, bring up the iOS Control Center and use the slider to change the brightness setting according to your preference. Alternatively, you can go to Settings -> Display & Brightness to make any changes too.

Disable Unwanted Location Services

Location Services are extremely useful for navigation apps, food-delivery apps, social networks, dating apps, or any other app that uses location and directions. However, there are some apps that still use your location, but don’t really need it to function. So, check if you have any such apps installed and disable location services to alleviate battery-related issues.

You can disable Location Services on a per-app basis. Simply head over to Settings -> Privacy -> Location Services and choose the app you want to turn off Location Services for. Set Location Access to “Never” or “Ask Next Time”.

Force Reboot Your Device

Sometimes, stability issues, battery drain problems, and other software-related quirks can be quickly resolved by force restarting your device. Keep in mind that a force reboot is different from a regular restart and requires a combination of key presses. You may find it difficult to get it right in your first try, so follow these instructions carefully.

To force reboot an iPhone or iPad with Face ID, press the volume up button first, followed by the volume down button, and then hold the side/power button until you see the Apple logo. On the other hand, if you’re using an older iPhone/iPad model with a physical home button, you can do the same by simply holding the power button and home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo on the screen.

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Does your iPhone feel slow after updating to iOS 14? There are multiple reasons why this could happen too, so if you’re interested, take a look at all these tips that can help speed up your iPhone and iPad after the iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 software update.

We hope you were able to resolve any rapid battery drain issues you may experience on Phone and iPad with these tips. Did you notice one tip or another to be more helpful? Did you find a trick that really boosted your battery performance after updating to iOS 14? Share your valuable thoughts and experiences in the comments section down below.