iPhone 15 Pro Max gains one hour of battery life with iOS 18; macOS Sequoia’s firewall disrupts security tools

Key Points:

1. iPhone 15 Pro Max sees an hour of extra battery life after iOS 18 update.
2. macOS Sequoia’s firewall disrupts popular security tools and VPNs.
3. iOS 18 optimizes A17 Pro chip for better power management.

iPhone 15 Pro Max Battery Boost with iOS 18

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has received a notable battery life upgrade with iOS 18, extending its runtime by over an hour. A test by the popular Chinese tech blogger Geekerwan shows the device now lasts 9 hours and 2 minutes, compared to 7 hours and 56 minutes on iOS 17. The iPhone 15 Pro also experienced an improvement, increasing from 6 hours and 22 minutes to 6 hours and 55 minutes.

This upgrade in battery life is due to optimizations in iOS 18, specifically in how the A17 Pro chip manages power. The new system software delays boosting the processor cores’ frequencies, reducing power consumption during short, frequent tasks, leading to less battery drain.

While benchmarks may not reflect these improvements, real-world usage such as texting, video calls, web browsing, and gaming show significant battery gains.

macOS Sequoia and Security Tool Disruptions

Alongside the iPhone updates, Apple recently launched macOS Sequoia, which includes several security improvements. However, it has caused problems with third-party security tools like those from CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and Microsoft, as well as certain VPN services. The likely culprit is Sequoia’s firewall, which is causing networking disruptions.

Security expert Patrick Wardle expressed his frustration with Apple, noting that similar issues occurred during the macOS Ventura release. The firewall in macOS Sequoia seems to block DNS requests and does not sync properly with firewall settings, making it difficult to manage.

Users facing these disruptions can turn off the firewall temporarily, though this may not be ideal for everyone. Issues vary across different tools and VPN services, with some users reporting no problems while others, especially using older Macs, are facing challenges.

Conclusion

The iOS 18 update brings valuable battery improvements to older iPhones, especially the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with no performance loss in everyday tasks. On the other hand, macOS Sequoia’s new firewall settings are disrupting popular security and VPN tools, causing inconvenience for many users.

Source/Via