Firmware updates are normally intended to offer improvements and introduce new features to the device. Both Google and Apple regularly do this to ensure their products are safe from various forms of security risks. For comparison, the former finds it considerably more difficult given the sheer number of Android OEMs. Meanwhile, the process is expected to be more streamlined for iOS, iPadOS, and WatchOS given the manufacturer controls all hardware. However, iOS 14 is reportedly rife with issues related to battery drain and more on iPhones and Apple Watches.

Over the years, Apple has been known to promptly fix major glitches related to its software. iOS 14, on the other hand, is proving to be an entirely different situation for developers. While the update adds long-requested functionalities, it also came with its fair share of problems that users have pointed out in product forums and on social media. Likewise, WatchOS 7 has been flagged for similar troubles that are affecting all supported models of the wearable.

In an attempt to address the aforementioned issues, Apple released iOS 14.0.1, but some still persist. According to the official support page, users have listed missing data from the health-related apps on both the iPhone and Apple Watch. Fitness and Health apps are also affected, which is further magnified by the increased battery drain. Interestingly, what the developer suggests to do might surprise or irk some users.

It seems the official way will involve a full wipe of all settings and content. Users are instructed to create a backup on iCloud, which will be used to restore everything afterwards. These are applicable for both iPhones and Apple Watches on iOS 14 and WatchOS 7, respectively. It should be noted that this will not bring back Force Touch which has been disabled.

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With the Apple Watch Series 6, users can now track their blood oxygen saturation as well as their sleep. Photo: Apple

Apple's software updates can cause some unexpected battery behaviour as the smartphone performs backgrounds processes to optimise the device. Nevertheless, the ones exhibited by iPhones and Apple Watches appear to be out of the ordinary from a technical standpoint. It is currently unclear if a new firmware version would be released alongside the iPhone 12 series that could fix these issues without the need for a data reset.

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