Apple came out with the iOS 12.3.1 update late last week. The update fixes some VoLTE and Messages related bugs that users faced after the iOS 12.3 update. Apart from these bug fixes, the iOS 12.3.1, it seems, also improves battery life on older iPhones.
iOS 12.3.1 improves battery life on older iPhones
After Apple rolled out iOS 12.3.1, YouTube channel iAppleBytes tested the update for battery life on older iPhones. The YouTube channel used the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 and an iPhone 8 for the test. To test the battery life iAppleBytes chose Geekbench’s battery test.
“First I run the test on iOS 12.3, then upgrade to iOS 12.3.1 and run the test once more, and then compare the scores. All conditions kept the same in both tests. Room temperature this time was around 19 degrees Celsius,” iAppleBytes said.
iAppleBytes first tested the older iPhones with iOS 12.3 installed, then ran the same tests after updating to the iOS 12.3.1. The YouTube channel found no change in the test results for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 8.
However, for the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 7, iAppleBytes found an improvement of about 15 minutes. This seems to suggest that Apple made some changes in the latest update that led to an improvement in the battery life of some older iPhones.
As per the video posted by iAppleBytes, the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 7 on iOS 12.3 lasted 2 hours 35 minutes, 2 hours 34 minutes, and 2 hours 58 minutes, respectively. After updating to the iOS 12.3.1, the iPhone 5s lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes (14 minutes more), the iPhone 6 lasted 2 hours 52 minutes (18 minutes more), while the iPhone 7 also saw a jump of 18 minutes in the battery life.
A welcome change
Though the improvement in battery life is not very significant, it would be welcome by the users with older iPhones. Moreover, it also shows Apple’s commitment toward older devices and not just with the main release (iOS 12), but with subsequent updates as well.
It must be noted that the changelog of the latest iOS update does not mention anything about battery improvement. However, iAppleBytes proved an improvement in battery life on older iPhones using Geekbench’s battery test, which can’t be doubted. Also, iAppleBytes performs similar tests with every new iOS update, but most of the time results are not positive. So, there is absolutely no doubt over the accuracy of the results.
If you also noticed any improvement in the battery life on your iPhone after updating to the iOS 12.3.1, do share it with us in the comments section below. Don’t forget to mention your iPhone model and battery capacity.
Focus now on iOS 12
Apple rolled out the iOS 12.3.1 primarily to fix some of the known bugs. The update fixes three known issues, including an issue that prevented users from making or receiving VoLTE calls, an issue in Messages where some messages from unknown senders show in the conversation list even when the Unknown Senders filter is enabled, and the issue that prevented “the Report Junk link from appearing in Messages threads from unknown senders.”
If you are upgrading from the iOS 12.3, then the download size of the iOS 12.3.1 would be around 80MB. For the iPhone X, the download size is 77.9MB. In terms of time, if you are upgrading from iOS 12.3, it should take less than ten minutes to install the iOS 12.3.1 update. On the iPhone X, the download time is about five minutes.
The iOS 12.3.1 is possibly the last major update before Apple unveils the iOS 13. Apple will now be focusing on the iOS 13, which will be showcased at WWDC on June 3. If past trends are anything to go by, then Apple would release a beta version as well to the developers next week.
The iOS 13 is expected to come with several new features, such as dark mode, updated volume HUD, sleep mode, a few iPad tweaks, new gestures, cross-platform iOS and Mac apps and changes and updates to current apps. For the developers, iOS 13 is expected to bring improved Siri integration for media playback, voice calling, event ticketing, search, message attachments, flights and more.
Apple made iOS 12 compatible with all iOS devices. However, with iOS 13, rumors are that Apple would drop support for a few devices such as the original iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus.
