iPhones Heating Up, Freezing, Lagging, and Losing Battery Fast After iOS 18.5 Update: What’s Going On?

Quick Overview:

Lots of folks say iOS 18.5 is causing problems like overheating, freezing, lag, and quick battery drain

Apple might drop a fix soon (maybe iOS 18.5.1)

Some users are so frustrated, they’re switching phones

What’s Happening?

So, if you updated your iPhone to iOS 18.5, you might have noticed it’s not working quite right. A ton of people are posting about their phones getting hot just from normal use, freezing randomly, or slowing down a lot. This seems to be hitting older iPhones the hardest - like the iPhone 13, 14, and even the SE.

One guy on Reddit said, “My iPhone 14 just locks up when I’m scrolling Instagram. It gets super hot even if I’m just browsing Safari for a few minutes.” And that’s not the only one complaining.

Battery Life? Forget About It.

On top of everything else, battery life is tanking. Some people say their phone loses 20 to 30 percent battery after just an hour of light use. That’s pretty rough if you ask me.

Usually, after an update, your battery might drain a little faster because the phone’s doing some housekeeping in the background. But this time it’s lasting way longer than normal, which probably means there’s a bigger problem.

My Own Experience

I’m Michael, by the way. I usually try out new iOS versions early to see how they run. When I installed 18.5 on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I noticed it got hot just from FaceTime calls or browsing the web. The screen lagged occasionally, which almost never happened before.

To compare, I checked my older Pixel 6 Pro running the latest Android beta, and honestly, it felt smoother and more reliable day-to-day than my iPhone right now.

I even started using the Pixel more this week. Not something I thought I’d say about my main phone.

Is Apple Working on a Fix?

No official word from Apple yet, but based on how they usually handle things, they’ll probably release a small update soon - maybe iOS 18.5.1 - to fix these bugs. That usually happens within a couple of weeks after a big update like this.

Developers testing iOS 18.6 beta say the new version seems to fix some of the heating and battery issues, so hopefully, Apple is on it.

What People Are Saying Online

Here are some examples from users venting online:

“My iPhone SE 2022 freezes randomly, and apps just won’t open sometimes.”

“I’ve reset my iPhone 13 twice, but the lag and heating come back every time.”

“Face ID is so slow now, I thought the sensor was broken.”

Sound familiar?

Should You Update Now?

If you haven’t updated yet, it might be smart to hold off until Apple drops a fix. If you already updated, here are some quick tips that might help:

Restart your phone

Close apps running in the background

Turn off Background App Refresh

Lower screen brightness and switch on Low Power Mode

These aren’t perfect solutions, but they can help a bit.

Final Thoughts

Updates are supposed to make things better, but right now, iOS 18.5 feels like a step backward for many users. Apple needs to fix this quickly if they want to keep people happy, especially with iOS 18.6 coming soon.

For now, some of us are switching to Android or just hoping our iPhones don’t overheat mid-scroll.

About the Author
Michael B. Norris has been writing about tech for years. He’s seen his fair share of buggy updates but still likes to test the latest stuff early - even when it’s frustrating.