Apple recently released iOS 18.2, which includes new intelligent features aimed at enhancing the iPhone experience. However, the update has triggered a wave of complaints from users about battery life issues and overheating. Just a day after the release, social media erupted with iPhone users venting about their battery life taking a serious hit.
Complaints ranged from battery life being great on iOS 18.1 but terrible on 18.2, to the update decimating battery life even further compared to the previous version. There have also been concerning reports about overheating, with users saying their phones heat up significantly when using the new Apple Intelligence features. It’s hard to find much positive feedback about the update, aside from occasional praise for specific improvements.
The issues seem to primarily affect iPhone 15 Pro/Max owners, although some iPhone 16 users have also reported problems. This suggests the problems may not be limited to the previous generation Pro models.
Battery life concerns with iOS update
AI-powered features are known for high resource consumption. While Apple’s approach of processing everything offline ensures privacy, it places the entire load on the device hardware. This can lead to increased heating and reduced battery life.
As Apple pursues fully offline generative AI, it may need to consider implementing more advanced cooling systems in its devices. Vapor chamber systems could help better manage the heat generated by high-performance tasks. For now, users are advised to give iOS 18.2 some time to complete background tasks before worrying too much about battery life.
If problems persist, hopefully Apple can address them in a future update. The true impact of iOS 18.2 will become clearer as users continue to explore the new features and provide feedback.
