iPhone users have ripped into Apple's latest update amid claims that it is 'murdering' their battery life. 

Complaints have taken Twitter by storm over the past few days as users allege that the latest iOS 16.5.1 (c) release has ruined their device's hardware. 

One user claimed their battery dropped from 77 per cent to zero when the update took place while they were asleep for just five hours.

Others have complained of overheating issues, with one even alleging that their hands felt 'sunburned' after holding their phone for too long.

Now, some iPhone owners are thinking about ditching their devices altogether and possibly turning to Android instead.

'Whatever secret sauce they put in that last iPhone update that is murdering my battery, can they just not,' one user wrote.

Another person added: 'Went to sleep with 77% battery life, 5 hours later I got no battery anymore and my iPhone is hot! Got IOS 16.5.1, the latest update,' while another wrote: 'I don't like this new update. Android can't stress me like this.'

iOS 16.5.1 (c) was released alongside iPadOS 16.5.1 (c) just last week in an effort to rapidly fix an issue that prevented some websites from displaying properly.

These Rapid Security Responses are a new type of 'mini' software release to come in between larger updates across iPads, Macs and iPhones. 

But frustration with this comes just months before Apple's anticipated September event where the California-based firm is expected to announce the launch of its iPhone 15 models.

In the midst of these rumours, one person even alleged that Apple may be using the battery-draining updates as a way to encourage people to buy new products.

This comes after a string of lawsuits against Apple over 'throttling' the performance of its devices to get users to buy a newer model.

The tech giant has already paid a $113 million fine in the US relating to battery issues which date back to 2017.

Apple was also fined €10million in Italy, while consumer champion Justin Gutmann launched a class action lawsuit against the firm in June last year.

One person shared an image of their battery's maximum capacity and wrote: '94% last week, 93% today.

'Apple pushing those battery % updates to get me to upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro come September.'

Another also added: 'Has anyone else had issues with their iPhone overheating after the latest update? My hands feel like they are sunburned after I use it.'

Apple experts claim these updates do help to preserve the battery life of older devices, and are not just a cynical trick to get customers to buy new phones.

Following recent battery life complaints, Apple Support was seen to invite some affected users to private Twitter discussions.

To one user, they said: 'Hello! We'd like to see how we can help. Send us a DM and provide some details of the issue and we'll continue troubleshooting in the DM for a resolution.'

While Apple has not commented on these issues, these can actually be quite normal in the aftermath of power-intensive updates.

It can take hours and even days for software changes to finalise  completely, which means that battery health can fluctuate in the meantime, according to ZDNET.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, a researcher at ZDNet, previously explained: 'Installing a new OS on an iPhone triggers a lot of stuff to go on in the background, from indexing to recalibrating the battery, and this can go on for hours or even days. 

'Not only does this consume power, but the battery recalibration can give the impression that the battery is draining more rapidly when in fact it isn't.

'Add to this the dual factor of a lot of app updates happening following a new release, combined with a lot of new features available that may put more drain on an older handset.'