You're Not Crazy, Your iPhone Battery Is Dying Faster

If you upgraded to iOS 14 recently, you may have noticed that your iPhone is running out of battery a lot more quickly than before. It's not your imagination. Apple recently acknowledged that some iPhones and Apple Watches are suffering from increased battery drain, among other issues.

In addition to battery drain, some iPhone and Watch users may have noticed:

• Missing workout route maps in the Fitness app for GPS-enabled workouts from Apple Watch
• The Activity, Heart Rate, or other health-related apps are failing to launch or load data on your Apple Watch.
• The Fitness app or Health app is failing to launch or load data on your iPhone.
• The Health app or Fitness app is reporting an inaccurate amount of data storage on your iPhone.
• The Activity app is reporting an inaccurate amount of data storage on your Apple Watch.
• Your environmental sound levels data or headphone audio levels data from Apple Watch is missing in the Health app on iPhone

If you're just noticing battery drain, the next iOS and WatchOS updates will likely fix the battery problem. But if you notice battery drain and one of the other problems listed above, Apple has a fix.

As of right now, Apple's fix isn't simple. The company wants you to back up your iPhone and Apple Watch, perform a full reset (this erases all content and settings), and then restore your iPhone and Watch.

1. Unpair your Watch

Go to the Watch app > My Watch > All Watches. Select the info button next to your Watch and then select "Unpair Apple Watch." Before erasing all of the content and settings on your Watch, your iPhone will automatically create a backup of your Watch.

2. Back up your iPhone

There are two ways to back up your iPhone. You can back it up wirelessly over WiFi or connect it to a computer and use the iTunes app.

To back up your iPhone wirelessly, make sure your iPhone is connected to WiFi and then go to Settings > Apple ID [Your Name] > iCloud or Settings > iCloud. Make sure iCloud Backup is turned on, that you have selected all of the categories of data that you want to be backed up, and that you have enough iCloud storage for a full backup. Then select "Back Up Now." You'll receive a confirmation when the backup is complete.

To back up your iPhone using your computer, connect your iPhone to your computer with your Lightning cable. (You may see a message asking for your iPhone passcode or for you to "Trust This Computer." Follow the directions.) On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15, open Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, or on a PC, launch iTunes. Locate your iPhone in iTunes and click on it. You'll then see an option to "Back Up Now." Click on the "Back Up Now" button, and you'll receive a confirmation when the backup is complete.

3. Perform a full reset on your iPhone

To perform a full reset on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset. Select "Erase All Content and Settings."

4. Restore your iPhone

Once your iPhone has finished resetting, turn it on and begin setup. You'll be asked if you want to restore from a backup. Select the backup you made on iCloud or iTunes, and your iPhone will be restored.

5. Restore your Watch

To restore your Watch, open the Watch app and select "Start Pairing." Once the pairing is complete, select "Restore from Backup" and choose the most recent backup.

[Image credit: Apple Watch and iPhone on charger via BigStockPhoto]

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