Yesterday, Apple released an iOS 8.1. While the feedback on the iOS 8.1.3 update is mostly positive, some users are still experiencing iOS 8 battery life issues. Considering the poor iOS 8.1.3 battery life, we’d like to offer some fixes that can help improve the battery life of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
At the end of last year, there was a rumor that an iOS 8.1.3 version would be released for iPhone and iPad in early 2015. After weeks of rumors and speculation, Apple has finally delivered the iOS 8.1. For iPhone and iPad, it brings a host of welcomed bug fixes for iOS 8 and iOS issues.
Apple’s latest iOS 8 update is a pretty big bug fix update and checks out over 100MB for iPhone and iPad users. It brings fixes for multitasking issues on iPad and also a fix that allows iPhone and iPad users to install iOS updates without a ton of available storage. This is a major update and one that should be followed by Apple’s iOS 8.2 update in just a few weeks.
While the iOS 8.1.3 update aims to fix iOS 8 issues, it seems that some iOS issues continue to linger for some iPhone and iPad users. iOS 8.1.3 users are complaining of a number of issues, including installation issues, Problems with Wi-Fiand a calendar bug that has existed for several weeks. We also see some users complaining about poor iOS 8.1.3 battery life.
@app store 8.1.3 battery drain 👎💩
— Steve Durkee (@stevedcj) January 28, 2015
If you already suffer from heat and battery drain, ios 8.1.3 does not solve your problem especially with iPhone 5s – confirmed!!
— Bo Bader (@Bo_Bader49) January 27, 2015
@markjenkinson i don’t use icloud keychain – battery drain happens even when iphone 5s is in airplane mode and no apps installed – Bo Bader (@Bo_Bader49) January 28, 2015
iOS 8.1.3’s battery life sucks, but otherwise pretty stable
– apple boy (@hunter2957) January 28, 2015
Battery life issues always seem to plague iPhone and iPad users after a new iOS update, but most of the time it’s not the actual update that’s causing the problems. Apps and other services are often the culprit. For now, these iOS 8.1.3 battery life issues seem pretty isolated, but we expect them to grow as more users apply the iOS 8.1.3 update to their phones or tablets.
How to Fix Bad iOS 8.1.3 Battery Life on iPhone or iPad
With that in mind, we want to try and fix the bad iOS 8.1.3 battery life for you. This guide provides help to get better battery life on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. This guide will help with iOS 8 battery life, but assumes you’ve already upgraded to iOS 8.1.3 for the fixes it brings to iPhone and iPad.
Find Apps That Eat Your Battery
The first suggestion we always make is to check your third-party apps. If you want to fix your iOS 8.1.3 battery life, you’ll want to keep an eye on apps for potential issues.
Third-party apps tend to take a huge toll on battery life on iPhone or iPad no matter what version of iOS you’re using. If you use an app a lot, it will drain your battery. However, there are also times when bugs or problems can cause an app to cheat and start draining the iPhone or iPad battery abnormally.
If you start noticing that the battery is running out after installing iOS 8.1.3, you’ll want to take a look at the battery life usage tool that Apple has included in the iOS 8 update. To start using this tool, go to see which apps are using the most battery life. Sorted by time and week. When you find an app that’s using a lot of battery life, you can limit your use while it’s out of power, stop background activity, or remove it entirely from your iPhone or iPad.
Also something we noticed is that poor cellular coverage is often to blame for bad iOS 8 battery life. When your phone needs to seek a signal, its battery drains faster, so keep that in mind when you’re in spotty areas. You may need to turn on Airplane mode when there is no strong 4G or LTE signal in the area.
Disable iCloud Keychain
Some iPhone users claim that disabling iCloud Keychain helps reduce abnormal battery drain. Many iPhone and iPad users don’t use or need iCloud Keychain, so it’s worth disabling it to see if it produces positive results.
To disable iCloud Keychain first. If turning it off does not bring the desired results, you can always turn it back on.
Limit Background App Refresh
We also recommend limiting background app refresh if you don’t need it. This feature updates apps in the background so data is available when you open an app. Many of you won’t need or need this feature, so it’s worth investigating if it brings back your precious iOS 8.1.3 battery life.
If you don’t want to turn it off completely, you should instead find apps that use it a lot and close them one by one to see if it fixes iOS 8.1.3 battery life issues. This way, you can keep the apps that are not using a lot of charge. It’s a tedious process, although it has had a positive effect on our iPhones and iPads in the past.
To start it, go to. It will take some time, but it’s worth a try if you’re not getting what you want from iOS 8.1.3.
Stop Using Auto-Brightness
iPhone and iPad contain sensors that change the screen brightness based on the light in your current environment. Often times, sensors increase your screen brightness to unnecessary levels. This can potentially harm your battery life. If you want to manually change the brightness levels, we recommend turning this feature off to see if it helps.
To turn off Auto-Brightness, go to. When turned off, you will be able to manually adjust the brightness of your screen to help keep battery consumption to a minimum. Note that you can always increase or decrease the brightness on your own using the Control Center whenever you need it. Control Center is the feature that opens when you swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Restart or Reset Your iPhone or iPad
If you start noticing strange battery drain and your device starts to heat up, you should try doing a reset to see if this returns to normal. Most of you know how to restart an iPhone or iPad but we will remind you. Press and hold the power button, slide to turn it off, and then press and hold the power button to turn it back on.
You can also try to reset the iPhone or iPad by pressing and holding the home button and power button for about 10 seconds. This won’t remove any of your data, and if you see it, it may eliminate iOS 8.1.3 battery life issues.
reset all settings
The next fixes are the steps you should take if you encounter major battery life issues after installing iOS 8.1.3 on your iPhone or iPad. If you look at iOS 8.1.3 battery usage in Settings and see the same usage and standby numbers, these are probably the steps you should take to check your charge.
The first step you should take is to reset your settings. Go to and enter your password when prompted. This process will take up to five minutes to complete and will reset all your settings to default. This will not remove any data or photos from your iPhone and iPad. This has worked for us in the past and this is the first step you should take if you are seeing massive battery drain.
Restore iOS 8.1.3 Update
If that doesn’t work, you should try reinstalling the iOS 8.1.3 update using restore. You need to do this with iTunes installed on your computer. , this will completely wipe your phone. You can try restoring from your backup after the update, but if the problem comes back you’ll want to do it again without restoring from backup. Here’s how to do this.
- Plug and .
- Turn off Find My iPhone – option.
- on iTunes.
- Follow the prompts and iPhone .
- When the process of putting your information back on iPhone is complete, or Select.
This is not a short process. Expect to spend 20 to 45 minutes for this process and longer if you restore from backup. It varies from device to device and person to person.
Go Back to iOS 8.1.2
For a limited time, you can revert to iOS 8.1.2. This is only useful if you’re getting good battery life with iOS 8.1.2. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide outlining how you can do this.
Apple will be shutting this down at some point, so if you want to make this move, you’re going to have to soon.
Genius Bar/Replacement
If we somehow fail, you should make an appointment with Apple and get an Apple Genius to take care of your phone or tablet. Before you go, back up your iPhone or iPad and ask them if your battery life is bad. They can test this at the store and if you have warranty they will replace the device. One year warranty by default, two years with AppleCare+.
In the past, Apple Geniuses discovered swollen batteries and all sorts of other issues, so if none of these software tweaks work, there may be a hardware issue at work.