Idaho iPhone Users Say Their Batteries Are Draining Faster — Here’s Why

Idaho Isn’t Imagining Things - Your iPhone Battery Life Might Be Reduced

If you’ve felt like your iPhone battery has been dying faster than usual lately, you’re not alone. Over the weekend, I noticed several social media posts in Boise and Twin Falls claiming a sudden drop in iPhone battery life. The same thing was happening to me. My phone usually gets me to bedtime with a little room to spare, but it was hitting the red by afternoon. What's interesting is the battery gripes seem to have started just days after Apple’s brand-new iPhone 17 lineup launched on September 19, 2025.

Idaho Social Media Feeds Are Full of Battery Complaints

Reddit threads, X posts, and Apple forums are filled with comments.

“My iPhone 16 Pro dropped 20% in under an hour today and I barely used it,” one user on reddit wrote.

One  Possible Explanation: Remember “Batterygate”?

This isn’t the first time Apple has been accused of slowing down or shortening the lifespan of older phones. Back in 2017, Apple admitted that iOS updates were throttling older iPhones’ performance. They claimed it was designed to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

The company said it was a technical fix, but the backlash was big enough that Apple eventually agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in the U.S.  Given the history, it's not unreasonable to be a little suspicious when you notice a quick dip in battery performance. 

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Why Battery Life Often Drops After an Update

Feel free to trust your gut, but what’s happening right now most likely isn't a plot to push you into buying a new device. OS updates usually accompany new device launches. And those updates can temporarily put extra demand on your battery. 

According to Apple Support, here are some things that might be impacting the battery life of your older phone following the launch of a new device. 

• Background Processes: After any major software update, your phone re-indexes photos, files, and apps, which can burn through battery for a couple of days
• New Features: New software often turns on location services, animations, and background AI features by default.
• Bugs & Fixes: Sometimes, early updates have a battery bug that gets patched in a follow-up release.
• Human Behavior: When there’s a shiny new update, most of us spend extra time using our phones, which naturally drains more power.

What You Can Do Right Now

Time will fix most of these problems. If you simply wait for and install updates, they’ll likely include patches that include battery fixes. In the meantime, you can go to settings>Battery and see what’s eating up your juice. Consider turning on low power mode and checking to see that your recent updates didn’t turn on location settings inside a bunch of lesser-used apps. If you don’t need it, turn it off. 

Bottom Line

The good news here is that, despite Apple having some history here, most signs point to this being a side effect of background processes after a software update. This is most likely not a plot to force you to buy an iPhone 17. Keep your charger handy for a few days, turn on Low Power Mode, and watch for the next update to smooth things out.