Changing This Setting Can Improve Battery Life on IOS 27.
If you’ve updated your iPhone to iOS 27 , you may have already tested Siri AI or tried some of Apple’s AI-powered photo editing features . But you might also have noticed something else: your iPhone’s battery is draining faster. While I can’t say this is a widespread issue (I don’t think my iPhone drains any faster on iOS 27 than on iOS 26), some users insist the update has negatively impacted their devices’ battery life. And while there could be many factors at play, some believe they’ve found the culprit: a feature called Connectivity Assist.
What is Connectivity Assist?
Connectivity Assist has a noble mission. It’s designed to use cellular data whenever your Wi-Fi connection becomes too weak. In theory, it should be especially helpful when you’re out of Wi-Fi range; instead of enduring the slow downloads you’d have to endure due to a weak Wi-Fi connection before it completely disconnects, your cellular network will connect to maintain speed. (Of course, once you leave Wi-Fi range, you’ll switch entirely to cellular data anyway.)
Technically, this feature isn’t new. Before iOS 27, Apple called it “Wi-Fi Assist,” but it worked slightly differently. In iOS 26, Wi-Fi Assist simply switches to cellular when the Wi-Fi signal is too weak. In iOS 27, Connectivity Assist appears to allow the iPhone to connect to both networks simultaneously. If so, this could partly explain why this updated feature seems to drain battery life more than before.
Connectivity Assist has another new feature that could also be part of the problem: unlike Wi-Fi Assist, Connectivity Assist sends DNS requests over cellular data , which can bypass ad blocker rules that prevent pop-ups from appearing on your iPhone. Therefore, even Apple recommends disabling Connectivity Assist if you use an ad blocker. Therefore, if your iPhone is constantly sending DNS requests using cellular data, bypassing active ad blockers, this could also put additional strain on your battery.
How to Disable Connect Assist in iOS 27
Reddit user ZoteTheMitey shared his experience on the r/iPhone subreddit , stating that his iPhone 15 Pro Max, with an 89% battery life after upgrading to iOS 27, lasted only three to four hours. After disabling Connectivity Assistant, he reported that battery life increased to seven hours. Several users in the thread shared similar experiences, and one even claimed that disabling this feature solved an overheating issue .
If you’d like to try this solution yourself, here are two ways to disable Connectivity Assist: First, you can disable it for each network individually. To do this, go to Settings > Wi-Fi , then tap the (i) icon next to your network name. Scroll down and make sure the toggle next to “Use Connectivity Assist” is off. This will prevent your battery from draining faster when you’re away from a charger—for example, at a cafe you frequent.
If you want to disable this feature for your entire iPhone, return to the Wi-Fi settings page and make sure the switch next to “Connectivity Assist” is set to “off.” Note: If this feature was previously enabled, you’ll be able to see the amount of cellular data it used, giving you an idea of how often it was active on your device. More data may mean more battery drain.