Apple users probably hoped that iOS 10.2 would fix the 30% battery drain bug, but as it turns out, it seems to have made the problem even worse. Devices affected by the bug suddenly go dead when their battery was showing that it still had a 30% charge left. It appeared with iOS 10.1.1.
Battery drain problem appears with iOS 10.1.1
iOS 10.1.1 caused this bug with nearly every device that was compatible with iOS 10, except for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Initially it was thought to only be affecting the iPhone 6s line, but as a thread on the Apple Support forums grew, it quickly became apparent that this wasn’t the case. Apple has yet to admit that any other devices beyond the iPhone 6s are affected by the 30% battery drain bug. It started to replace the batteries in the affected iPhone 6s handsets, but it hasn’t offered any such fix to owners of other affected devices.
While some on the Apple Support thread speculated that the battery drain issue wasn’t caused by iOS 10.1.1, it’s clear that most of those who reported the problem began experiencing it right after installing that version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
And then iOS 10.2 arrives…
Apple started pushing out iOS 10.2 and then abruptly stopped signing iOS 10.1.1 immediately following reports that there was almost a jailbreak ready. This created not only one but two problems. Not only are threads on the Apple Support forums indicating that the 30% battery drain issue has gotten worse with 10.2, but since Apple stopped signing iOS 10.1.1, it means people can’t even roll back to that version.
So now the company has even more people impacted by the battery drain issue because many of those that weren’t experiencing the battery drain problem with 10.1.1 are now encountering it with iOS 10.2. In addition to adding the problem to iPhone users who didn’t have it before, the issue has gotten worse in other ways, based on what people are reporting on the Apple Support forum.
Some are calling the issue more random now, reporting that the battery seems to get stuck at one level even while apps that usually drain the battery running. Then suddenly the battery level lurches lower before suddenly shutting down. When they reboot the device after connecting it to a charger, it shows that it has a 30% charge. For some, connecting to a charger and rebooting adds some extra hours to the life of the battery, but this doesn’t appear to work for all of the affected users.
iOS 10.2 includes a diagnostics tool
So it seems iPhone users no longer have any idea just how much battery they have left on their devices. However, Forbes contributor Gordon Kelly reports that iOS 10.2 brings with it a battery diagnostics tool which, interestingly, isn’t listed in the notes released with the update. He also said Apple wouldn’t explain to him how that tool works, what data it collects or where that data goes, but he believes that this is the company’s attempt to look into the battery drain issue.
Also iOS 10.2.1 is in beta, and early testers report that the issue has been dramatically improved. Of course we have no idea how long it will be before Apple will release it, but hopefully for those affected, it will be sooner rather than later.
