iOS 14.2 Reportedly Causing Severe Battery Drain

Users on the Apple Developer forums and Reddit are widely reporting that iOS 14.2 causes severe battery drain issues.

iOS14

Symptoms of the problem include rapid battery drain and longer charge times than usual. Some users are reporting that their devices are losing over 50 percent charge in less than 30 minutes, and seeing large drops of around five percent within minutes of normal use.

The issue seems to be software-related because multiple users are experiencing battery life sticking at a high percentage before dropping, as well as seeing a sudden gain in battery life after restarting their device.

The affected iPhones all appear to be slightly older, such as the iPhone XS, iPhone 7, iPhone 6S, and first-generation iPhone SE. The 2018 iPad Pro running iPadOS 14.2 also seems to be affected.

iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 arrived just two weeks after iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1, in the second major updates to the iOS and iPadOS 14 operating systems that were released in September. The update included new emojis, Intercom, AirPods Optimized Battery Charging, People Detection, and new wallpapers.

There are no new reports suggesting that the battery issue was fixed in iOS 14.2.1, which sought to address bugs with MMS messages, made for iPhone hearing devices, and a significant issue with screen responsiveness on the iPhone 12 mini.

The third developer and public betas of iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3 have already been released, so it is possible that Apple may fix the problem in that update. The third major update to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 brings support for Apple ProRAW, as well as refinements to Home, Health, and Weather.

Users with older devices may wish to hold off on updating to iOS 14.2 if they have not already done so, until the issue has been fixed by Apple.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...

Top Rated Comments

BuCkDoG Avatar
60 months ago
I’m on 14.2.1 and have not had any issues personally. I’m on the 12 Pro Max.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
60 months ago

So if someone says they're not having an issue that makes their post immature? Seriously? You're lookin at this in a very shortsighted view. Firstly it doesn't do anyone any good (other than Apple haters) to hear only negative responses or from people who are only having problems. That puts out a false message saying that the issue is widespread when often it's not. It's important that people without issues post so others with issues can narrow down the problem. I could also be certain apps that are draining the battery, or a dozen more reasons but negative-only posts are not helpful.
You completely misread and misinterpreted his post. He didn’t say what you saw. You need to read his post again.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thomamon Avatar
60 months ago
I am glad you are finally reporting on this. There has been a thread on your forum about people with the 12 Max Pro experiencing the same thing. Leaving my phone on my dresser over night, in DND I am losing over 20% tonight!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
60 months ago
I’m wondering if it’s related to cold weather

What I mean is that it’s causing the battery readings to go crazy. All the way back to the iPhone 4s I’ve had this issue, it could be 20 degrees outside and the percentage would suddenly drop dramatically or the phone would turn off, and when I turn it back on it would jump back up.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
60 months ago
So why doesn't apple allow downgrading at a store

Edit: I guess they make more money replacing batteries
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aircanman Avatar
60 months ago

Surprising they aren’t finding these bugs during the beta period. Then again my iPhone 6S Plus Pro Max isn’t having these issues, maybe it’s related to a handful of 3rd party apps?
It still surprises me how a company as big as apple can release software which has so many bugs.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)