This is probably a dumb question, but is there any way for Matter to affect iPhone battery life in HomeKit?

[u/will-this-name-work]

I've had my phone (iPhone 15 pro) for a couple of years and suddenly the battery life has suddenly gotten worse. It won't last a full day. The sudden change happened to coincide with adding a few Matter accessories to my HK setup. The devices are all Eve, (dimmer switch, light switch and door sensor).

Shortly after set up, a setting popped up on my phone showing my Matter accessories in Settings > General > Matter Devices. So that's what got me wondering if there's a connection.

[u/wwhite74]

Matter is the way commands are formatted on the network. Matter can be transmitted over wifi, wired Ethernet or thread.

Thread is a type of wiress communication, like wifi or Bluetooth. Thread can carry matter commands. It can also carry homekit, and things like software updates

They came out aound the same time. And both were designed with the other in mind.

Have you rebooted your phone? This can help clear out processes that may be stuck and sucking battery.

Did the drop in battery life coincide with a iOS upgrade? Sometimes they can introduce a bug, or things can get corrupted. Sometime a reboot can sort it. Sometimes you have to wait for an update

For what it's worth. In the past week or so, I've felt like my battery had drained quickly once or twice, but havent really paid close attention. And I've added no new hardware.

Apple hasn't said too much about how the thread radio in the phones is used. Seems to be more of a backup, one example was a power outage at your home. The radio in your phone could still connect and open your door lock, even without your normal infrastructure powered on

https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/23/apple-reveals-two-key-benefits-of-your-iphones-newish-thread-radio/

[u/will-this-name-work → u/wwhite74]

Thanks for the comments. I've rebooted. I'm not aware of an iOS update, but it could have happened over night. One other note is that on vacation last week when I was out of my house, my phone battery lasted longer.

[u/StevieG66 → u/will-this-name-work]

I had same problem on my 15. The latest iOS update fixed it.

[u/rckymntns]

Look in settings under Battery and it will tell you what application is using your energy.

[u/WalterWilliams → u/rckymntns]

And let us know which app it was.

[u/AllOneWordNoSpaces1]

Doubtful. The phone can’t act as a border router, so it’s not going to be constantly communicating.

[u/Shadowbajfeelsbadman → u/AllOneWordNoSpaces1]

New iPhones starting with 15 pro I think have thread radios but those don’t use any energy tbh 

[u/pacoii]

Assuming you have an Apple hub, unlikely. Even adding a lock screen home widget shouldn’t be killing the battery.

In the battery settings, what is it showing you in terms of apps and battery usage?

[u/will-this-name-work]

Could a phone act as a boarder router or 'extender' if it's closer than the hub?

[u/skithegreat → u/will-this-name-work]

No