WhatsApp draining your phone's battery too? This could be the reason

Of late, WhatsApp users seem to be facing issues with the app's excessive battery consumption that is draining their smartphone batteries faster than ever before, and some users suspect, the possible culprit could be the recent WhatsApp update. In spite of the series of speculations, it wasn't immediately known as to what might have gone wrong with the recent WhatsApp update. WhatsApp, on the other hand, hasn't provided any explanation or solution to this problem.

Fingerprint lock feature could be the reason?

Now, some reports say that the recent fingerprint lock feature in WhatsApp may be using the phone's battery to a significant extent, further resulting in the faster battery draining. While there is no possible explanation or solution for the problem at the moment, users can do nothing but hope for the next WhatsApp update to fix this issue. Earlier this month, the Facebook-owned messaging app rolled out its fingerprint lock feature amid NSO-Pegasus spyware controversy.

The fingerprint lock feature is supposed to enhance your WhatsApp privacy and security. WhatsApp is expected to shed more light on this issue. The issue came to the light over the weekend after multiple users complained that the recent WhatsApp update is causing the battery to drain faster.

READ | How to use WhatsApp fingerprint lock feature on Android

According to reports, these complaints initially started to surface after WhatsApp released WhatsApp for iOS version 2.19.112 last week.  However, the issue is not limited to iOS users. Many Android users experienced a similar issue with the latest version of WhatsApp for Android version 2.19.308.

According to initial reports, continuous WhatsApp activity in the background is what is causing the battery to drain faster. Wabetainfo also raised the issue. It seems like following the recent update, WhatsApp's battery consumption increases while the app is running in the background more than its actual screen-on time.

Affected smartphone users

Users of iPhone, OnePlus and Samsung devices are affected the most. But according to reports, Google Pixel and Xiaomi users are also experiencing a sudden drop in the battery performance. Many users have also shared screenshots of WhatsApp's 'excessive' battery consumption on social media websites.