[GH-ISSUE #4073] Netbird IOS app drains battery #8477

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opened 2026-08-05 01:18:11 -04:00 by saavagebueno · 14 comments
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Originally created by @w4vz on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/4073

I have the latest beta
0.0.10 (2)

app is draining the battery unreasonably

IOS battery monitor reports 42% of battery usage. It is my #1 app draining battery.

aside it keeps disconnecting on network change

Originally created by @w4vz on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/4073 I have the latest beta 0.0.10 (2) app is draining the battery unreasonably IOS battery monitor reports 42% of battery usage. It is my #1 app draining battery. aside it keeps disconnecting on network change
saavagebueno added the iostriage-neededbattery-usage labels 2026-08-05 01:18:11 -04:00
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@nazarewk commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025):

Could you give us some more information on your specific setup?

iOS client wasn't battery optimized yet and is known to drain more than the average share of the battery due to keepalive packets and ICE connectivity establishment.

It's worse when there is a large number of Peers and/or currently offline Peers so we were wondering how many Peers do you have in the networks, and how many of those are offline on average?

Do you have many other apps running on your phone? Battery usage is relative and might be exaggerated when there are little other apps to use up the battery.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3019203325 --> @nazarewk commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025): Could you give us some more information on your specific setup? iOS client wasn't battery optimized yet and is known to drain more than the average share of the battery due to keepalive packets and ICE connectivity establishment. It's worse when there is a large number of Peers and/or currently offline Peers so we were wondering how many Peers do you have in the networks, and how many of those are offline on average? Do you have many other apps running on your phone? Battery usage is relative and might be exaggerated when there are little other apps to use up the battery.
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@w4vz commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025):

I have a total of 7 peers with 3 to 4 connected (online) on average.

I have other apps on my phone but only use the reddit app really :D

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<!-- gh-comment-id:3019414873 --> @w4vz commented on GitHub (Jun 30, 2025): I have a total of 7 peers with 3 to 4 connected (online) on average. I have other apps on my phone but only use the reddit app really :D ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/2bd57558-ac7c-47bf-9185-612cf5849fc8) ![Image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f627c281-faf9-4709-beae-f91b3ad6c451)
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@johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 9, 2025):

Just came here to say yeah. This is not normal.

For the record. This is murdering my battery. This is not just a side effect of me not using my phone.

image

<!-- gh-comment-id:3054997922 --> @johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 9, 2025): Just came here to say yeah. This is not normal. For the record. This is murdering my battery. This is not just a side effect of me not using my phone. ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/513fa3fd-8ea1-4006-a0df-1b46d7bc098f)
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@0yzmo commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025):

Here too. Insane battery usage. Iphone 14 pro, all updates installed. It is not feasible to use Netbird on iOS until this is resolved.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3082772000 --> @0yzmo commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025): Here too. Insane battery usage. Iphone 14 pro, all updates installed. It is not feasible to use Netbird on iOS until this is resolved.
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@johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025):

Yeah, I'm just going straight wireguard with pi hole DNS now, much lighter weight

<!-- gh-comment-id:3084063105 --> @johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025): Yeah, I'm just going straight wireguard with pi hole DNS now, much lighter weight
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@w4vz commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025):

Yeah, I'm just going straight wireguard with pi hole DNS now, much lighter weight

whaaat ? you can connect to netbird with just the wireguard basic client ? how ?

<!-- gh-comment-id:3084913317 --> @w4vz commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025): > Yeah, I'm just going straight wireguard with pi hole DNS now, much lighter weight whaaat ? you can connect to netbird with just the wireguard basic client ? how ?
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@johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025):

whaaat ? you can connect to netbird with just the wireguard basic client ? how ?

No, I'm putting a hold on moving to Netbird and going with just wireguard. I'll re-visit NetBird when things have settled down

<!-- gh-comment-id:3084979913 --> @johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 17, 2025): > whaaat ? you can connect to netbird with just the wireguard basic client ? how ? No, I'm putting a hold on moving to Netbird and going with just wireguard. I'll re-visit NetBird when things have settled down
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@nazarewk commented on GitHub (Jul 18, 2025):

@johnsturgeon could you elaborate on your network size/complexity for both Wireguard and NetBird?
NetBird uses Wireguard under the hood, so it should be at least in the same ballpark.

I suspect it might be related to connecting to/maintaining a connection to a lower number of devices when using raw Wireguard (NetBird does a full mesh by default after all). Could you shine a light on it?

<!-- gh-comment-id:3088528394 --> @nazarewk commented on GitHub (Jul 18, 2025): @johnsturgeon could you elaborate on your network size/complexity for both Wireguard and NetBird? NetBird uses Wireguard under the hood, so it should be at least in the same ballpark. I suspect it might be related to connecting to/maintaining a connection to a lower number of devices when using raw Wireguard (NetBird does a full mesh by default after all). Could you shine a light on it?
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@johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 18, 2025):

My network is 55 clients (proxmox LXCs) (ansible script deployed the client to all my servers).. I think it's just too big for netbird. Wireguard is a simple one server hole that gives me access to my network. I'm still getting it configured so we'll see if there are any performance issues, but from what I can tell it seems to be very lightweight.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3089442042 --> @johnsturgeon commented on GitHub (Jul 18, 2025): My network is 55 clients (proxmox LXCs) (ansible script deployed the client to all my servers).. I think it's just too big for netbird. Wireguard is a simple one server hole that gives me access to my network. I'm still getting it configured so we'll see if there are any performance issues, but from what I can tell it seems to be very lightweight.
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@GiovanniSlabs commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2025):

Same problem here
image

I have only 5 peers, 2/3 disconnected

<!-- gh-comment-id:3172627941 --> @GiovanniSlabs commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2025): Same problem here ![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/52544039-64f6-410a-b6fa-1f97d50c8bda) I have only 5 peers, 2/3 disconnected
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@allimaninfosec commented on GitHub (Dec 24, 2025):

Has there been any further research into this? or recommendation?

<!-- gh-comment-id:3690195607 --> @allimaninfosec commented on GitHub (Dec 24, 2025): Has there been any further research into this? or recommendation?
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@mfide commented on GitHub (Mar 22, 2026):

Hello, I am experiencing a significant battery consumption issue with the Netbird iOS app. If I leave Netbird connected overnight on a fully charged iPhone, the battery is completely drained by the morning. However, if I disconnect Netbird before going to sleep, I do not encounter this issue at all. It appears that the excessive background battery drain issue on iOS is still ongoing.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Fully charge the iPhone to 100%.
  2. Connect to the Netbird network.
  3. Lock the phone and leave it idle overnight.
  4. Observe that the battery is completely depleted (0%) by the morning.

Expected Behavior:
The app should maintain the connection with minimal battery consumption while running in the background.

Actual Behavior:
The app causes extreme battery drain, fully depleting a 100% charged battery overnight when left connected.

Environment:

  • Device: iPhone 13
  • iOS 26.2.1
  • Netbird App Version: 0.1.1
Image Image
<!-- gh-comment-id:4105903285 --> @mfide commented on GitHub (Mar 22, 2026): Hello, I am experiencing a significant battery consumption issue with the Netbird iOS app. If I leave Netbird connected overnight on a fully charged iPhone, the battery is completely drained by the morning. However, if I disconnect Netbird before going to sleep, I do not encounter this issue at all. It appears that the excessive background battery drain issue on iOS is still ongoing. **Steps to Reproduce:** 1. Fully charge the iPhone to 100%. 2. Connect to the Netbird network. 3. Lock the phone and leave it idle overnight. 4. Observe that the battery is completely depleted (0%) by the morning. **Expected Behavior:** The app should maintain the connection with minimal battery consumption while running in the background. **Actual Behavior:** The app causes extreme battery drain, fully depleting a 100% charged battery overnight when left connected. **Environment:** - Device: iPhone 13 - iOS 26.2.1 - Netbird App Version: 0.1.1 <img width="739" height="1600" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f4390f8f-f2b0-4990-a1e1-48e3693613a0" /> <img width="739" height="1600" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c14da5f5-d0d2-465b-afa6-29f678d8cd51" />
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@0yzmo commented on GitHub (Mar 23, 2026):

Question: Do DNS requests go through Netbird? If yes, could that be the reason the connection is always active and draining battery? Is it possible to implement a switch/option to use default DNS or Netbird dns?

<!-- gh-comment-id:4108136593 --> @0yzmo commented on GitHub (Mar 23, 2026): Question: Do DNS requests go through Netbird? If yes, could that be the reason the connection is always active and draining battery? Is it possible to implement a switch/option to use default DNS or Netbird dns?
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@rappenofficial commented on GitHub (Jul 31, 2026):

The app got a new look, battery drain is still an issue. NetBird in background used TWICE as much battery as HALF of the time of YouTube Watching. I.e. 3hrs of NetBird in the background = 40% battery drain. 1.5hrs of YT watching = 20% battery drain. That's insane.

<!-- gh-comment-id:5141691865 --> @rappenofficial commented on GitHub (Jul 31, 2026): The app got a new look, battery drain is still an issue. NetBird in background used TWICE as much battery as HALF of the time of YouTube Watching. I.e. 3hrs of NetBird in the background = 40% battery drain. 1.5hrs of YT watching = 20% battery drain. That's insane.
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Reference: DYNR/netbird#8477