If you have already installed the iOS 26 update on your iPhone, you may have noticed that the battery lasts less than usual and that the device tends to warm up more. Apple intervened on the matter by reminding users who, immediately after an important update, such as the transition from iOS 18 to iOS 26, the operating system must carry out numerous background operations that can temporarily influence autonomy and performance. These include the indexing of data (i.e. the reorganization of information to make research faster), the optimization of the already installed apps and the download of additional resources necessary for the new software. Not to mention that the average user, after installing an update that brings with it important news, tends to make a more intense use of the device, encouraged by the curiosity to discover and touch the news available with the update itself.
The explanation of the decline in autonomy after the transition to iOS 26
On an information page published last Monday on its official website, the company directed by Tim Cook provides some explanations about the reasons behind the drops in autonomy that some users found after updating to iOS 26. On the page in Apple says:
Immediately after completing an update, in particular an important version, you may notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance. This is normal, since your device needs time to complete the background configuration process, including the indexing of data and file files, download new resources and updating apps.
Always in the note in question, then, the giant of Cupertino adds:
The new features are exciting and help you get even more from your Apple product, even if some may require additional resources from the device. Depending on individual use, some users may notice a slight impact on performance and/or battery life. Apple works constantly to optimize these features in software updates, in order to guarantee excellent battery life and a fluid user experience.
But if the update to a new version of the operating system can lead to these problems, should it still be updated your devices? Apple stresses that updates not only bring new functions, but also guarantee fundamental security improvements to protect personal data from various computer threats, such as malware. Furthermore, the updates often bring with them the correction of various bugs, that is, programming errors that can cause instability or abnormal system behaviors. For this reason, maintaining the operating system of your updated devices is considered one of the best practices to maintain the device efficient and reliable.
Update to iOS 26 or to iOS 18.7?
For completeness of information, it must be said that to keep the operating system safe from possible external attacks, very often companies (such as Apple), provide minor updates that leave a minimum of margin before feeling compelled to move on to a major release, or to a full -bodied update. The major updates, such as iOS 26.0, are released only once a year and introduce wide -flow changes, both in the interface and in integrated technologies. Minor updates (also called Minor Release), are identified with progressive numbers that follow the main update number (e.g. 26.0.1, 26.1.1, etc.): these are issued more often during the year and have the purpose of “finishing” the previous work: they include security patches, small corrections and, more rarely, new options and functionality not yet available to the release of the Major Release.
Since the latest “minor” update of the previous version of iOS – the one marked by the number of version 18.7 – is still valid, if you have not yet installed it, you may unload it now and wait a few more weeks before moving on to iOS 26. In the meantime, in fact, Apple could introduce some minor releases of the latter (e.g. iOS 26.1) which, being a “revised and correct” version of the main), It could have a less important impact on the autonomy and performance of your iPhone, especially if the one in your possession is a less recent model.
