Apple released iOS 18.5 this week. And if you judged it by the official notes, you’d think the big deal was a new “Pride Harmony” wallpaper. But users who installed the update are talking about something else entirely: bugs, overheating, broken features, and frustrating regressions.
We went through hundreds of comments in the r/iOS announcement thread. We also reached out to iOS users and confirmed some of the issues in our own tests. But let’s take a closer look at some of the problems flagged by users.
Battery Drain and Overheating
Users report iOS 18.5 is killing battery life faster than ever. Some are recharging twice a day. Others say their phones overheat during normal use, such as charging, gaming, or just sitting in a pocket.
“Battery life seems worse, already at 67% on 16PM. Normally, I’d end the day around 50% by bed,” one user wrote in a Reddit thread spotted by MacObserver.
“Went from 100–30% in a matter of hours,” another wrote.
“This update is actually making my phone overheat now (iPhone 16).”
If you’re having overheating issues, we’ve written a solid guide that covers the best workarounds.
Wi-Fi, Cellular, Bluetooth dropping after iOS 18.5
Connectivity complaints are everywhere. Some say Wi-Fi drops constantly after iOS 18.5. Others lose cellular signal or see strange Bluetooth behavior, like connecting to random nearby devices while driving.
“My phone can’t connect to cellular data. The bars are loading non-stop,” one user noted.
“RCS is still broken,” another added. One user also pointed out that AirPods don’t always connect properly.
Broken Input, Touch, and Keyboard in iOS 18.5
Typing on iOS 18.5 has gotten worse for many. The keyboard switches on its own, predictions disappear, and some users report touchscreen lag.
“Swiping on my keyboard (SwiftKey) sometimes makes it go back to the default iOS one,” one user noted.
“Keyboard recommended words stop working at random,” another added.
Shortcuts, Siri, and Smart Features Aren’t Smart
Shortcuts are failing to sync, won’t delete, or just stop working. Siri continues to misunderstand commands or respond with the wrong information.
- Shortcuts reappear after deleting.
- Hey Siri stops responding randomly.
- Siri still useless. Apple Intelligence still dumb.
UI, Graphics, and Animation Bugs in iOS 18.5
iOS 18.5 animation still feels like a beta. This version didn’t fix the jittery UI, and it added new annoyances. Some toggles reset on reboot. Thumbnails display oversaturated. Widgets vanish. Wallpapers can’t be swapped easily.
- Screenshots don’t show preview to edit/copy/delete.
- Scrolling also jitters. Annoying bug.
- Widget stacks revert to single widget when moving.
iOS 18.5 Causing Camera and Media Glitches
Several users saw their camera go black until they restarted their phones. Others say the video player is still broken. Dynamic wallpapers are gone or behave strangely with Focus Modes.
- I opened my camera and it was just all black.
- Video player fullscreen bug still not fixed.
- Changing wallpaper via Focus Mode doesn’t quite hit the same.
Based on the Reddit thread, here is the full list of issues we’ve seen so far:
- Notifications, Alarms, and Mail: Basic tools like alarms and email notifications aren’t behaving right. Alarms go silent. Mail no longer wakes the screen. One user said, “I just need the alarm to ring when it needs to!”
- AirPods and Audio Sync: Audio sync issues remain. Even with the new test tones in 18.5, users say sound is still out of sync. Wireless Audio Sync has 2 test tones now… but sync is still off. And in some cases, AirPods case no longer shows up in this widget when not in use.
My Take
Apple promises 18.5 is a great upgrade. But based on what users are actually experiencing, it’s clear the issues go much deeper.
You’ve got heat issues. Battery drain. Bugs in Shortcuts, Siri, CarPlay, keyboard input, camera, and notifications. And very little visible progress from iOS 18’s earlier bugs.
Many users say the update feels like “1.4GB of wallpaper,” not a serious fix. Some are holding back, waiting for 18.5.1. Others are asking why Apple’s updates continue to break more than they fix.
Right now, many feel like Apple’s not listening to its most loyal users. What about you?
NSA prism sat, don’t stir the pot. Just wait. Be smart. I will stick with Apple . Apples are good!
I now have a black search bar which I can’t eeverse
Paid for a Ferrari…got a Yugo
I have issues when writing a text message if I want to insert an emoji I hit the happy face and everything is greyed out. I have to go back and reload a second time and then it works. Voicemail, I try to play a message and it doesn’t start right away like it used to and if I want to listen to the message via speaker, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The volume on apps suddenly are really low and I try to increase the volume and nothing happens but if I keep trying it eventually works. Basically my iphone 16 is very quirky in many respects since 18.5 update.
so many issues. bluetooth devices dropped. I synced ny iphone 13 with my mac book and it trashed my library and i’ve worked for hours trying to fix it. I was a software engineer for 37 years and if i had written software like this, i would have been fired.
Has anyone found a way to find the old voicemails they lost with 18.5? I’ve had some very sentimental ones for over 15 years and they all disappeared. I read many others have had that issue.
This is the worst update overall I’ve ever had.
my whats app call gets on hold even if i dont have any other call going on,
I can’t explain enough the problems I’ve had with my media store and App Store, it’s hard to tell a fake app or a real one. Glitches in camera and full battery strain along with shortcuts I can’t delete. Missing calls and can’t delete some networks. I give up calling apple they don’t help. I wish they would listen. I think hackers made their way into our private eco system and apple needs to re adjust its security model to modern times. Open a department for cyber security apple!! Charge us if needed but we need some of your engineers on the dark side too! Your fan and loyal customer regardless, Nichole S
This upgrade is horrible! It wiped some of my saved passwords. My gifs are gone and no guide for restoring them is working. I have an iphone 13 and I should have plenty of storage left. I’m not an app junkie. But since the upgrade my space has dwindled. This is why I rarely upgrade! It’s always a problem.
Rather valuable piece
I’m here because my iphone 12 is literally completely unusable now right after the 18.5 update. I can’t open and close apps. Everything is glitching- from the display, to the the keyboard. My new battery is draining really quickly all of a sudden. I am livid!
Hey Lemon, that’s super unfortunate to hear. Since I can’t see your device, I’m going to do the best I can to help. I would first try force restarting the device to see if that does anything. You should check this guide. Here’s hoping a force restart is all you need!