'Pokémon Go' Update Notes: Battery drain gets way worse, even with a battery pack

Pokémon Go's latest update, 0.45.0 for Android and 1.15.0 for iOS, is drawing criticism for stopping players from hitting PokéStops while riding in a car, even if it also includes some nice new features. But it turns out there might be an even bigger issue with this Pokémon Go update: battery drain.

This Pokémon Go update could be ruining your battery life.

Pokémon Go Hub noticed the issue this week and did some digging. It tested out the latest Pokémon Go update four times on a variety of devices under the same conditions, and the results don't look good.

On three different Android smartphones and an iPhone 6s, battery life quickly dropped from 100% to almost 10% in under two hours. Previously, the site said it could get about three hours of on-screen time. So that's down by over a third after this update.

Pokémon Go update issues: It's not just you.

Pokémon Go Hub shared its findings on Reddit, where other players responded with similar experiences. The overall consensus seems to be that battery life is dropping at about 1% per minute thanks to the update. Some devices also heated up significantly while the game was running.

A few people said battery life continued to drop even while using an external battery pack.

"My portable battery used to very slowly bring back up my cellular battery life," Reddit user ApostateAZ wrote. "Since the 0.45 update: Not all of the time, but sometimes the battery life actually drops while being charged on a fast charge battery."

Pokémon Go Update: What's causing the battery drain issues?

Some people believe the issue is caused by extra security included in the new Pokémon Go update to block third-party scanners.

Niantic reportedly included a new security scanner to stop other developers from accessing its API (application program interface). The company hasn't issued an official statement, and we wouldn't hold out hope for an explanation. But hopefully, it's already working on a fix for these battery drain issues.

Pokémon Go Update Notes: Everything else that changed

Beyond battery drain, the latest update also includes plenty of other changes, both good and bad.

One the plus side, Niantic introduced daily bonuses for spinning PokéStops and catching Pokémon. You'll also get an extra bonus for completing those goals for seven days in a row.

Additionally, the Pokémon Go update tweaked how gym prestige works. It's now easier to conquer an enemy gym, but it's also harder to defend your own gym as a result.

Finally, the update makes it impossible to play if you're moving too quickly. So even if you're a passenger in a car you still can't take advantage of passing PokéStops to fill up on Poké Balls and other items.

Niantic hasn't commented on this issue either, but it's possible a subsequent Pokémon Go update could solve that problem and battery drain all at once. We'll keep our fingers crossed for a speedy solution.