Is your iPhone battery draining after iOS 26.5 update? Here’s why you don't need to panic just yet

Whenever Apple rolls out a new software update, the excitement over new features is frequently followed by a wave of complaints regarding battery life. The recently released iOS 26.5 update is proving to be no exception. Across social media and tech forums, iPhone users have now begun complaining about severe battery drain and unusual heating issues after installing the latest software update.

Netizens complain about iPhone heating after installing iOS 26.5

The issue came to light when a user posted about iPhone heating issues after installing the iOS 26.5 update on the r/ios26 subreddit. Soon thereafter, Redditors jumped onto the thread to share their problems with the latest update as well.

One iPhone 14 Pro Max user wrote: “Before this update my battery was honestly still really solid... I could get through a full work day and still have like 30-40% when I got home. Ever since updating to 26.5 though... man. I unplugged at 100% this morning around 8am, and by lunch I was already at 48%.”

The user said this heavy 50% drain occurred despite doing “nothing wild” beyond streaming Spotify while commuting, scrolling Reddit, and watching some TikTok videos on a break.

Meanwhile, other users also complained about the phone getting noticeably hot after the update. One such Reddit user said, “The phone gets noticeably warm doing basic stuff now. Especially while charging or if I have the camera open for more than a couple minutes. It was never like this on 26.4. Not even close.”

Another user on Reddit suggested that the battery issues could be due to Apple Intelligence features, writing, “Turn AI off. Running AI in the background kills your battery.”

Why you shouldn't worry

While it can be incredibly frustrating to watch your phone's battery drain sharply, this post-update behaviour is actually a known, documented and expected phase of Apple's software lifecycle.

According to Apple’s official support page regarding software updates, a temporary impact on your phone's battery life and thermals is expected after the update.

“Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance,” Apple explains in a support page, “This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background.”

Apple explains that this happens because when you install a new version of iOS, your iPhone doesn’t just reboot and pick up exactly where it left off. Behind the scenes, the operating system is working overtime to complete a massive setup process. On its support page, Apple says that the system is indexing data and files for the internal search system, downloading new system assets, and updating and optimizing apps for the new code.

All of this background processing requires significant CPU power, which naturally leads to faster battery drain and noticeable device heating.

Notably, this is not the first time users have complained about heating and battery drain issues after a new update, either. Immediately after the iOS 18 and iOS 26 updates, users had also complained about similar issues, which soon subsided.