Late last week, Apple released the bug-fixing iOS 12.3.1 update. It was primarily aimed at fixing some VoLTE and Messages related bugs that made their way into the OS with the iOS 12.3 update. However, it looks like iOS 12.3.1 also brings about a small improvement in battery life on older iPhones.

As testing from YouTuber iAppleBytes shows, the battery life of older iPhones like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 7 seems to have improved after the iOS 12.3.1 update.

A difference of a few minutes in Geekbench’s battery life benchmark is well within the error of margin which is what happens with the likes of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 8. Their battery runtime score remained almost the same before and after the iOS 12.3.1 update. However, the likes of iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 7 saw a noticeable improvement of around 15 minutes which points to Apple making some underlying changes or fixing some bugs which have led to this improvement.

While running iOS 12.3, the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 7 lasted 2 hours 35 minutes, 2 hours 34 minutes, and 2 hours 58 minutes, respectively in the Geekbench battery test. After the iOS 12.3.1 update, the iPhone 5s lasted 14 minutes longer for a total time of 2 hours and 49 minutes. The iPhone 6 saw a decent bump in its battery life and lasted 18 minutes longer — from 2 hours 34 minutes to 2 hours 52 minutes. As for the iPhone 7, its battery life increased by 18 minutes as well.

Our Take

It is a small improvement for sure but one that would be appreciated by older iPhone users. It also shows that Apple has continued to stick to its promise of delivering on stability and performance with not just the initial iOS 12 release but subsequent updates to it as well.

Have you noticed any improvement in battery life on your iPhone after the iOS 12.3.1 update? Drop a comment and let us know!