iOS 16 is here with a lot of improvements and brand-new customization options. However, all those bells and whistles are less important if the essentials like fluidity and performance drop. Some users report abysmally shortened battery life after updates. It seems that the battery drains on iOS 16 much faster than on iOS 15.8. Learn below how to improve the battery life on your iPhone.
Table of contents:
- Disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Location overnight
- Change the wallpaper
- Disable Siri Suggestions
- Lower display brightness
- Wait a couple of days
Why is my battery draining so fast after the iOS update?
It’s not unusual for the battery to get worse after a major iOS update. Some users suggest that indexing takes place, so you should wait a couple of days for system optimization. After that, battery consumption should stabilize. Still, there are some things you can do to improve the battery life, especially if the battery capacity (Battery Health) is lower than 85%.
You can disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Location overnight because most users report that the battery drains a lot on iOS 16 when the iPhone is idle. In addition, we suggest disabling newly-introduced live wallpapers (Weather and Astronomy), Siri Suggestions, and manually lowering display brightness.
1. Disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Location overnight
The first thing you can do to improve the battery life is to disable Wi-Fi (or cellular data), Bluetooth, and Location Services when your device is idle for an extended time. Primarily during the nighttime.
We know that limiting your device functionality to reduce battery drainage isn’t ideal, but that’s probably the best way to go about it.
2. Change the wallpaper
iOS 16 redefines the Lock Screen in a big way. You probably noticed the novel Weather and Astronomy Live Wallpapers that, truth to be told, can be a bit battery-intensive. So, what we suggest is using classic wallpapers instead.
You can change wallpapers by creating a new lock screen. Make sure to choose a static wallpaper and add widgets. Remember that weather widgets also require Location services access and network to update. Expect higher battery consumption if you use multiple weather widgets.
3. Disable Siri Suggestions
Siri is more than a digital assistant. Many AI-powered features run in the background. For example, Siri Suggestions are smart suggestions you’ll get when searching for something in Spotlight or on the dedicated widget. Some users report that Siri is draining the battery more than usual on iOS 16.
Due to some expansions in functionality, it might take some time for the battery to normalize. Still, you can remove the widget and disable Hey Siri and Suggestions if you want. Hopefully, that will reduce the battery drainage.
Here’s how to disable Siri Suggestions and Hey Siri on your iPhone:
- Open Settings.
- Select Siri & Search.
- Disable Listen for “Hey Siri” and Show Suggestions.
4. Lower display brightness
Auto-brightness usually does an excellent job adapting to ambient light. There are still instances where iPhone brightness keeps changing erratically. You can switch to the manual approach if you want to take it up a notch. The display is the number 1 battery consumer, so that’s where you can cut your losses and extend the battery life.
To disable Auto-brightness on your iPhone, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and disable Auto-Brightness at the bottom of the page. After that, use the slider in Control Center to adjust the brightness manually.
5. Wait a couple of days
Finally, we can recommend waiting for a few days. Once everything settles, your battery life should be closer to iOS 15. Navigate to Settings > Battery and consider limiting super-intensive processes that are not actively used. Once you find the process (app or service), go to Settings, open the app or service and disable Background App Refresh. Reinstalling apps is another good idea.
On that note, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions in the comments below. We look forward to hearing from you.
FAQ
Should I have Location Services enabled at all times?
Not really. If you're not actively relying on Location Services, you should disable it in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
