Apple released iOS 26 on Sept. 15, a few months after the company announced this year’s iPhone software at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The update brings a lot of new features to your iPhone, like call screening, as well as a new Liquid Glass redesign. And Apple wrote online that if you download the update and notice your device’s battery is draining faster than usual, that’s normal and — most important — temporary.
Some people notice their iPhone battery drains quickly after downloading an update and Apple released a statement online saying it’s nothing to worry about.
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“This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps,” Apple wrote in a support page. “Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance.”
But your personal iPhone usage could contribute to battery drain. Apple said some new features might need more resources to function, so depending on how much you use your iPhone, you might “notice a small impact on performance and/or battery life.”
So while your device might experience some additional battery drain at first, it should be a temporary issue after you download iOS 26. If you find you’re using your iPhone more after downloading iOS 26, that could be contributing to your battery drain, too.
For more on iOS 26, here’s my review of the update, how to enable call screening and how to make your home screen’s app icons clear. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.
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