Why software updates may have an unexpected effect on your phone

Understanding the side effects of installing updates on your phone and how to deal with them.

By Filipe Espósito Nov. 2, 2026 9:15 am EST miss.cabul/Shutterstock Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

You may have noticed that, after installing a software update on your phone, it started behaving unexpectedly. Animations may seem sluggish, the device gets slightly warm and the battery drains faster. Since software updates usually bring many improvements, it seems ironic to have these negative side effects — and they can happen on both the iPhone and Android phones.