iOS 14.2 Drastically Causing Battery Drain Issues, Some iPhone Users Complain

The issues seem to have affected a list of older iPhone models, including the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone SE 2020, among others.

By Jagmeet Singh | Updated: 7 December 2020 11:15 IST

iOS 14.2 Drastically Causing Battery Drain Issues, Some iPhone Users Complain

Apple has not yet responded to user complaints about battery drain issues on the iPhone

Highlights

Apple users affected by the battery drain issues complained online
The issues emerge shortly after installing iOS 14.2
iPhone 12 users also recently reported similar battery problems

Apple users updating their iPhones to iOS 14.2 are facing severe battery drain issues. The issues seem to have a noticeable impact on older iPhone models such as the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone X, iPhone 7, and the iPhone SE (2020). Alongside the iPhone models, some users updating their iPad to iPadOS 14.2 have also reported similar battery drain issues. Apple hasn't yet provided any clarity on whether the issues would be addressed through a new software update in the coming days.

As per the user complaints posted on the Apple Developer Forums, the battery drain issues on the iPhone models cropped up shortly after the release of iOS 14.2 in November. More users started noticing the problems with the passage of time, as brought into notice by a Reddit post. Some of the affected users have also taken to Twitter to highlight the battery issues after installing the iOS 14.2 update.

Hi @AppleSupport since the iOS 14.2 update my iPhone 8 battery is draining rapidly. From fully charged to battery at 1% in in 1h30!
Is there a fix for this? Help!
— DTPlc (@DT_Plc) December 6, 2020

@Apple @AppleSupport IOS 14.1 excellent battery ???? life IOS 14.2 battery ????life significantly worse!! Let's hope IOS 14.3 sorts this issue out and other bug fixes!!
— Rubybabes (@Rubybabes007) December 6, 2020

@AppleSupport @AppleSupport @Apple updated my iPhone 11 to iOS 14.2 & seeing quite a lot of battery drain & phone is not even 12 months old yet. Not a great update to the iOS and I'll be moving over to android for my next phone as not good enough for not even 1 year old device
— Dave (@slowen1205) December 5, 2020

In most cases, the iPhone models running on iOS 14.2 are reportedly seeing battery life dropping quite significantly. People have seen the battery drop over 50 percent in less than 30 minutes, as highlighted in multiple user posts. Some users have also observed a sudden gain in the battery percentage after restarting their devices.

“My phone battery was perfectly fine before [the] update,” one of the affected users wrote on the Apple Developer Forums. “Now, it goes to one percent from 70 percent in [a] matter of minutes.”

The battery drain issues were mostly observed on older iPhone models, including the iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone 7, and the iPhone SE (2020). Some iPad users on older models including the 2018 iPad Pro have also noticed sudden battery drops after updating to iPadOS 14.2 that arrived alongside iOS 14.2 in November.

It isn't clear whether there is any impact of the battery drain issues noticed after installing iOS 14.2 on the iPhone 12 series. However, some iPhone 12 users also recently noticed drastic battery drops as well.

Gadgets 360 has reached out to Apple for clarity on a fix regarding the battery drain issues and will update this space when the company responds.

Meanwhile, if you haven't yet updated your iPhone to iOS 14.2, it would be worth waiting for the next update that may carry a fix for the reported battery drain issues.

This is not the first time when iPhone users have faced battery drain issues after installing a new iOS update. Just in the recent past, some users updating their iPhone models to iOS 14 reported battery life problems. Apple also acknowledged those complaints in October and suggested affected users erase all their content and settings from their iPhones to fix the issues.

Will iPhone 12 mini become the affordable iPhone we've been waiting for? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

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iPhone 11

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Best-in-class performance
Excellent battery life
Great cameras
Night Mode is a welcome addition
iOS offers regular, timely updates

Bad
Low-resolution display
Slow bundled charger
No PiP or other software features that utilise the big screen

Read detailed Apple iPhone 11 review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A13 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 4GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 3110mAh

OS iOS 13

Resolution 828x1792 pixels

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Choose a variant

Apple iPhone XR

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Best-in-class performance
Excellent cameras
Dual SIM is finally an option
Great battery life
Regular, timely software updates

Bad
Low-resolution display
Dual SIM support is limited
First-party apps not great in India
Fast charger not bundled

Read detailed Apple iPhone XR review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A12 Bionic

Front Camera 7-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 3GB

Storage 64GB

Battery Capacity 2942mAh

OS iOS 12

Resolution 828x1792 pixels

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Choose a variant

Apple iPhone 7

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS
Variants

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Best-in-class performance
Good battery life
Improved cameras
iOS 10, timely updates

Bad
Low light camera performance not best in class

Read detailed Apple iPhone 7 review

Display 4.70-inch

Processor Apple A10 Fusion

Front Camera 7-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

RAM 2GB

Storage 32GB

Battery Capacity 1960mAh

OS iOS 10

Resolution 750x1334 pixels

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Choose a variant

iPhone SE (2020)

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Modern processor
Slim, light, easy to use
Good daylight camera performance
Regular iOS updates likely for many years

Bad
Dated looks and small screen
Single rear camera
Average battery life
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone SE (2020) review

Display 4.70-inch

Front Camera 7-megapixel

Rear Camera 12-megapixel

Storage 64GB

OS iOS 13

Resolution 750x1334 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: iOS 14.2, iPadOS 14.2, iPhone battery drain, iOS 14.2 battery drain, Apple iPhone, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 7, iPhone SE 2020, Apple, iOS