Apple: Random iPhone battery shutdowns are way down

Good news for iPhone users fed up with infuriating battery-shutdown woes: There might just be a solution to your problem. Chances are, it's already at work in your phone.

Frustrated iPhone users have reported unexpected system shutdowns for months. The battery issues, which affect iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus devices, typically strike when power levels dwindle to about 30 percent. The phones shut down without warning with no way to restart the system until it's plugged in to a power source.

Believe it or not, Apple is aware of the issue and hasn't been sitting on its hands about it. It included some measures to address the problem in iOS 10.2.1 (which was released on Jan. 23), and now the company says it's gathered enough data to conclude the shutdowns are becoming less of a problem.

In an emailed statement, Apple rep told Mashable phones running iOS 10.2.1 are much less likely to power off unexpectedly. The company says reports of iPhone 6S shutdowns have reduced by over 80 percent, while incidents involving iPhone 6 devices have reduced by more than 70 percent.

The rep also told us that iOS 10.2.1 is installed on more than 50 percent of active iOS devices, so the majority of iPhones affected by the bug have likely received the fix.

If an iPhone running the latest update still shuts down unexpectedly, the user will be able to restart it without reconnecting to power -- much more convenient than walking around with a bricked device until they get to a power cord.

This isn't the only battery shutdown issue the iPhone 6S has faced -- last year, Apple actually offered replacements for a small number of faulty devices. That flaw isn't related to the incidents being addressed by the most recent update.

For more details about iPhone battery best practices, check out Apple's information page on the subject. First tip: upgrade to iOS 10.2.1 immediately.