iPhone 16 and 16 Pro users are experiencing severe battery drain after upgrading to iOS 18. The issue is widespread, with users reporting rapid battery depletion even during light usage. While Apple hasn’t officially addressed the problem, potential solutions like disabling features and upcoming software updates offer hope for a fix. This article explores the issue, its potential causes, and what users can do in the meantime.
Sonos has released an interim app update addressing excessive battery usage on iOS devices and improving stability when adding new products. This update comes after months of user complaints regarding the app’s performance and follows the CEO’s public apology and commitment to biweekly updates. While the update offers some relief, users eagerly await a future update enabling direct integration of the Sonos Ace headphones with the Beam soundbar.
Google’s recent YouTube performance boost for Android devices has reportedly led to significant battery drain issues for many users. The update, which claimed to enable higher resolution playback and lower power consumption, has allegedly had the opposite effect on devices without built-in support for the AV1 video format. Affected users have noticed rapid battery depletion while using the YouTube app, with some reporting that videos are freezing and stuttering. Google has acknowledged the issue and is recommending users to enable in-built settings to mitigate battery drain.
Google’s recent software update has introduced the dav1d codec for Android devices, offering improved video performance but leading to excessive battery drain for some users. The change is due to YouTube’s default use of AV1 mode, even on devices without hardware-accelerated decoding support, which can strain less powerful processors and reduce battery life. Some users report significant battery usage and dropped frames while viewing YouTube content. However, it has been reported that YouTube may have ceased using AV1 format unless hardware decoding is available. Future updates to the dav1d codec are expected to improve performance, but it may not fully resolve issues faced by weaker devices when decoding high-resolution YouTube video in AV1 format.
