iOS 16.5.1 may come before iOS 17 to fix iPhone battery drain — what we know

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Expect the fix to land in the coming weeks.

iPhone 13 on a table with a Lightning cable by its charging port
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Before iOS 17 rolls out this fall with its laundry list of features, there are some current iPhone owners who are still feeling the battery drain pinch that they experienced with iOS 16.5. It’s been out for nearly a month now, but Apple’s reportedly almost ready to release a patch with iOS 16.5.1.

While iOS 16.5 intentionally rendered one particular iPhone and iPad accessory obsolete, it also inadvertently gave some folks battery drain issues — including charging and temperature issues. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, nor will it be the last. Nonetheless, it’s frustrating whenever these issues arise, more so when they’re unintentional.

Affected users may not even have to wait that long, since the fix will likely be available very soon given that iOS 16.6 is in beta right now — so we’d expect a fix in the coming weeks for those with iPhone 8 or newer. Additionally, it’s expected that iOS 16.5.1 will also fix other bugs plaguing users, such as sudden Wi-Fi disconnects and inaccurate information with the Weather app.

Not everyone may be experiencing these problems stemming from iOS 16.5, but at least they’re being addressed ahead of iOS 17’s release, which will add a slew of new experiences for iPhone owners. Most notably, there’s the new StandBy mode while charging, the ability to FaceTime on Apple TV, and a Journal app that can help capture all the precious moments in your life all in one place.

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John Velasco
John Velasco
Senior Channel Editor for Phones

John’s a senior editor covering phones for Tom’s Guide. He’s no stranger in this area having covered mobile phones and gadgets since 2008 when he started his career. On top of his editor duties, he’s a seasoned videographer being in front and behind the camera producing YouTube videos. Previously, he held editor roles with PhoneArena, Android Authority, Digital Trends, and SPY. Outside of tech, he enjoys producing mini documentaries and fun social clips for small businesses, enjoying the beach life at the Jersey Shore, and recently becoming a first time homeowner.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • phone_designer
    admin said:
    The last iOS software update inadvertently gave some iPhone owners battery drain issues, so it looks like Apple's working on a patch to address it with iOS 16.5.1

    iOS 16.5.1 may come soon and help fix iPhone battery drain — here’s what we know : Read more
    sadly the 16.5.1 update did nothing to fix the battery issues. This is patheitic in that the drain in very dramtically different than the previous version of IOS. Apples response to this has been very pathetic. Restart my phone, update my apps, wait 48 hours. Yea, maybe this is fine to stave off 80% of the users, but having had these updates for weeks, restarting my phone many times, spending a lot of time tracking down which apps are taking power, NOTHING shows why the phone gets hot all the time, drains batteries in an hour or so doing EXACTLY what I did previous to IOS16.5.

    I am a long time phone designer and also have been a field tester for Motorola on the Razr phones.


    Is this once again a ploy by Apple to play games with users to upgrade their phones and repair batteries that don't need it? I think they got a huge fine for this tactic before, so why do it again?

    This needs some bigger and deeper investigation as to why they have made such a large change to the battery profiles.
    Reply