(NEXSTAR) — By now, your iPhone or other Apple device may have updated to iOS 26, which became available on Monday. With it, you’ve gained access to new features like Liquid Glass and Apple Intelligence enhancements, as well as one annoying but short-lived side effect.
If you’re an Apple user, you’re familiar with the typical software update schedule. In summer, Apple teases the next major iOS update, then makes it available around September. While iOS 26 breaks with Apple’s numerical order, it has followed the same pattern.
And, like others before it, the free update is massive, requiring several gigabytes of space on your iPhone or other Apple device to be downloaded. You may have even been told you don’t have enough space on your phone to get the latest update, forcing you to briskly delete photos and text messages.
As long as there’s enough free space on your Apple device and it qualifies for iOS 26 (and you have about 30 minutes to an hour to spare), updating your phone should be relatively seamless.
Afterward, however, you may notice a hit to your battery life. Several on Reddit have complained of their devices losing battery faster than before getting iOS 26.
Have no fear, it’s totally normal, according to Apple.
“Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance,” the company says on a support page. “This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps.”
This may last for a few days as your iPhone or other Apple device continues the behind-the-scenes work, but Apple warns that your device usage will still impact its battery life. So if you’re redesigning your iPhone home screen or live-translating more than you were before iOS 26 became available, you may find yourself reaching for the charger more frequently.
As tempting as it may be to charge your phone to 100% during these draining times, experts and phone manufacturers generally advise charging only to 80% to prolong the battery life.
