How to fix Apple Music bug causing your iPhone battery to drain

A new update to iPhones around the world is thought to have included a bug that is killing the battery life for some users.

A problem that appears to be stemming from Apple’s own music app is reportedly draining the life out of iPhone users’ batteries.

Users have been posting on Apple support forums and online message board Reddit complaining about the problem, and they have been quick to point fingers at the music app.

“I am having the same issue,” a user recently responded to a post from April complaining about the excessive battery usage on the Apple support forums.

“My phone will be at 100 per cent in the morning and will be at 20 per cent by early afternoon.

“I even now am putting it in low power mode as soon as it is below 80 per cent to help slow the drain but just realised today the music app, which is not even up and running on my phone, is draining the battery in the background throughout the day,” the user said.

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Another user pointed out there could be a simple explanation for the increased battery usage.

Another user on Reddit posted a screenshot of their iPhone’s battery analytics which showed the app being responsible for 95 per cent of their battery activity, though as one user suggested: “Is it killing your battery? Or is it that you’re mostly just using Apple Music?”

The user’s analytics showed out of 17 hours and 35 minutes of being on battery, only 57 minutes of that had been spent with the screen on, suggesting the phone was mainly being used to listen to music on a locked device.

“I had this last week, it was also making my phone very hot,” one Redditor responded.

“Tried various resets, none worked until I did the big one: full factory reset.

“So far after three days, it’s been behaving itself,” they said.

This reporter can anecdotally confirm experiencing a similar issue with the music app increasing battery usage and the temperature of the phone significantly.

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There are a few things you can try before resorting to getting a new battery. Picture: iFixit / Reuters

An update to iOS is believed to have sparked a recent uptick in cases being reported online, though Apple-watcher MacRumours notes the issue has still only been reported by a “significant minority”.

The site noted the uptick suggests Apple may have made a server-side change that was causing the problem.

A battery report posted on the Apple Support forums showing the music app being responsible for 53 per cent of all battery activity.

Users have been trying a number of things to solve the problem, including the full reset described above.

Other options include deleting the music app (assuming you’re using a different streaming service or app to listen to music).

But for those who are paying $12 a month for Apple’s streaming service, that won’t be an attractive option.

Deleting and reinstalling is another thing you can try.

Backing up your phone via iCloud or onto your computer, resetting and then restoring it is another.

Turning off automatic downloads, background app refresh, and mobile data for the app are other things you can try, as well as cancelling any pending downloads in your music library.

Automatic downloads and mobile data can be turned off by going into your settings folder, scrolling down to application settings and disabling the options in the music app.

Background app refresh can be turned off in the General settings.

Because no one yet knows what’s causing the bug, no one knows for sure how to fix it either, so you might have to just wait for Apple to figure it out.

If you want to see what apps are killing the battery on your iPhone, you can see your battery activity and check its health in the battery folder of your settings app.