At least according to some users running iOS 18, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro seem to be having battery issues.

The iPhone 16 family has had a smooth launch, including the release of iOS 18 for compatible devices. For the most part, everything seemed to be going smoothly, even without the availability of Apple Intelligence features. However, a new release without at least some issues is rare, and the new iPhone 16 series has had some frustrations. This time the news comes from a report by MacRumors, which focuses on an apparent problem with the phone's charge retention time.

According to the report, complaints about iPhone battery drain are quite common. For example, Reddit user Ok-Interest-6561 posted that his iPhone 16 Pro consumed 10-15% of its battery overnight, even with background app updates and location services turned off. Other users in the same thread had similar problems, with one user reporting that his battery drained 70% after only 3 hours of use.

Another Reddit user tested the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro for the same 36 hours of use, claiming that the 16 Pro dropped to 58% and the 14 Pro to 85%. The same issue was also reported in MacRumor's own iOS 18 battery life forum thread.

Battery issues can be difficult to diagnose because different users have different habits. The best way to first check if there is a hardware problem is to check the battery status in the settings menu. If the battery health is around 80%, then there is a problem that needs to be resolved. Another option is to turn off features such as app refresh in the background, but for many users this has not solved the problem.

One issue is that while some users have found that updating to iOS 18.0.1 has solved the problem, others have not. In other words, it is not simply a software or hardware glitch. On the plus side, Apple has improved the battery so that it can be easily replaced at home, and a replacement tool is available from iFixit.

For the time being, it will be worth keeping an eye on both your old and new phones to see if the problem is affecting you. You can also buy one of the best portable chargers in the meantime and make sure you are never caught out.