iPhones running iOS 15 have a battery problem — and Spotify may be the culprit

Smartphone running Spotify
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Spotify has now acknowledged that its music streaming app app may be causing a significant battery drain and overheating on iPhones running on OS 15, following a series of complaints coming from the users. 

In a statement, the company says it's passed the issue onto its technical iOS team for further investigation, though there's no set date yet for when a fix would be available. But we're guessing Spotify could deliver such a fix through a firmware update or troubleshooting steps. In the meantime, users that are experiencing similar issues are asked to click on the "+Vote" and "Subscribe" buttons to be notified of any developments. 

The newly released iOS 15 features a slew of substantial upgrades, including a new notifications format, Live Text and more. However, to a number of users, such upgrades are coming at a price. Many have reported that the new software update has apparently messed with the paired devices, such as the Apple Watch and the AirPods. 

And it appears that the iOS 15 is also affecting third-party applications too, one of which is Spotify. The music streaming service apparently drains nearly 30% of your iPhone's battery per hour, which means that running the app for around 3 hours could leave the phone without any power. Spotify also acknowledged that some users might be experiencing overheating issues too, though there's no estimate on the exact temperatures provided. 

"I have to delete Spotify as my iPhone11 is dangerously hot and feels like it will either melt or explode," one user shared in a Spotify thread. 

From what we can tell from the comments under the thread, a number of users are now looking to cancel their premium subscription and even considering to potentially move to Spotify's rival app, Apple Music. One user has compared the battery drain rate and shared the following:

"My Phone still chewing through 30-40% battery each hour if using Spotify. 
Apple Podcast app works fine.  3% drain / hour."

We're unable to confirm whether the above figures are indeed accurate as we haven't done any benchmarking ourselves. Regardless, it seems to be quite an excessive battery drain. 

In a support comment, Spotify Moderator has suggested that users run "a clean reinstall" and see if the issue persists.

For this, you need to open Spotify and access the app's setting. From there, tap on Storage and select Delete Cache. You would then open your iPhone Settings, tap on General and select iPhone Storage followed by Spotify. From there, you can offload the app by tapping on Delete App. After you restart your phone, just install Spotify again, though be aware that following these steps won't guarantee an instant fix. 

If you haven't installed iOS 15 just yet, make sure to take a look at our iOS 15 page, in which we've covered all of the new features and tested the software update ourselves. 

TOPICS
Denise Primbet
News Writer

Denise is a Life Reporter at Newsweek, covering everything lifestyle-related, including health, relationships, personal finance, beauty and more. She was formerly a news writer at Tom’s Guide, regularly producing stories on all things tech, gaming software/hardware, fitness, streaming, and more. Her published content ranges from short-form news articles to long-form pieces, including reviews, buying guides, how-tos, and features. When she's not playing horror games, she can be found exploring East London with her adorable puppy. She’s also a part-time piano enthusiast and regularly experiments in the kitchen. 

Read more
iPhone 16e review.
iPhone 16e is facing Bluetooth problems — here's what's going on
Spotify app running on phone
Spotify drops cryptic hint on the future of its service — here's what it could mean
Fitbit Versa 3 review
Google's overheating safety update for Fitbit is tanking battery life
Spotify app running on phone
Spotify Premium subscribers report hearing ads — here's Spotify's response
android 16 logo on a samsung galaxy smartphone
Android 16 beta sleuths just found evidence of a very handy upgrade for millions
iPhone 16 Pro Max shown in hand
Slow running iPhone? Here’s the first thing you should check to fix it
Latest in iPhones
WWDC logo on yellow background
Apple WWDC 2025 date set for June 9 — iOS 19, Apple Intelligence and more expected
iPhone 16 with Apple Intelligence logo for iOS 18.1
iOS 18.4: All the newest Apple Intelligence features coming to your iPhone
Apple maps logo on iPhone screen
I avoided Apple Maps for trip planning — but these iOS 18 features are changing my mind
New emojis with iOS 18.4 beta release.
iOS 18.4 beta brings 8 new emoji to your iPhone — here's all the new options
An image of an iPhone screen showing the Safari app icon in the center
I got tired of Safari revealing my web searches in iOS 18.4 — this setting fixes that
iPhone Flip Concept
Foldable iPhone delays — there’s a bigger problem going on at Apple
Latest in News
Ensemble cast members of Netflix's "The Residence" cast peak around a doorway
Netflix top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now
AI Mode of google search
Google’s making it easier to start new AI Mode searches — here’s how
Gemini logo on smartphone
Google Gemini Gems now available to all users without a subscription
DeepSeek login in page displayed on smartphone
DeepSeek R1 just got even smarter with a new upgrade — here's what's changed
Galaxy S25 Ultra from the back
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leak claims a massive upgrade is coming to all three cameras
CAD renders of the Google Pixel 10
Pixel 10 could include a repurposed ‘Pixie’ assistant — but what actually happened?