The fastest ways to cut battery drain right now
Your iPhone battery drains fastest when the screen is on at full brightness, when apps run in the background, and when your phone searches for cellular or Wi-Fi signals. You can add hours to your battery life in the next five minutes by lowering screen brightness, closing background apps, and turning on Low Power Mode.
Low Power Mode cuts performance slightly but extends battery life by roughly 20 to 30 percent. Turn it on in Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode, or swipe up from the bottom of your screen, hold the battery icon, and tap Low Power Mode. Your phone will tell you when battery hits 20 percent, but you can turn it on anytime.
Screen brightness is the single biggest drain on most iPhones. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and turn on Auto-Brightness so your phone adjusts brightness to the room instead of you keeping it at maximum. If you use your phone outdoors in sunlight, this matters less — your screen will stay bright anyway. Indoors, Auto-Brightness can cut screen power use by half.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode, Auto-Brightness, and closing background apps are the three fastest changes you can make and will add several hours to your battery life.
- Location services, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi drain battery even when you are not actively using them, and turning them off when you do not need them saves real power.
- Apps running in the background consume battery constantly; check Settings > General > Background App Refresh to see which apps are doing this and disable the ones you do not need.
- Older iPhones and iPhones with worn batteries drain faster, and Apple can run a battery health check in the Settings app to tell you whether your battery is degraded.
Turn off location services and background app refresh
Location services use GPS, which is a power-hungry radio. Your iPhone keeps it on for maps, weather, reminders, and dozens of other apps. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and turn it off entirely, or scroll down and set individual apps to "Never" or "While Using" instead of "Always."
Apps that track your location in the background drain battery even when you are not looking at them. For most apps, "While Using" is enough — they only use location when you have them open. Weather, reminders, and home automation apps may need "Always," but everything else should be "While Using" or "Never."
Background App Refresh lets apps check for new content even when you are not using them. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off entirely, or turn it off for individual apps. Mail, messages, and news apps will check less often, but you will save battery. You can always open the app manually to refresh it.
Disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios stay on and search for connections even when you are not connected to anything. If you are not using wireless headphones, a smartwatch, or a car stereo, turn Bluetooth off. If you are on cellular data and not using Wi-Fi, turn Wi-Fi off — your phone will not search for networks.
Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open Control Center. Tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off, and tap the Wi-Fi icon to turn it off. They will turn back on automatically at certain times (Apple calls this "Smart Connectivity"), but you can also turn them back on manually whenever you need them.
If you use Wi-Fi at home or work, leaving Wi-Fi on and connected to a known network actually uses less battery than letting your phone search for cellular signal. The trade-off is that you have to be in range of that network. If you move between places with different Wi-Fi networks, turning Wi-Fi off and using cellular is often simpler.
Check your battery health and replace a worn battery
iPhones with old or degraded batteries drain much faster than new ones. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging to see your battery's maximum capacity. If it shows 80 percent or lower, your battery is worn and drains faster than it should.
Apple can replace your battery at an Apple Store or an authorized service provider. The cost varies by iPhone model, but typically runs between $50 and $100. If your iPhone is still under warranty or covered by AppleCare+, the replacement may be covered. A new battery usually restores your phone to its original battery life.
If you do not want to replace the battery, Low Power Mode becomes more important. You will need to use it more often, and your phone will not last as long between charges. Some people with worn batteries keep their phone plugged in during the day and charge it fully at night.
Reduce visual effects and notifications
Animated wallpapers, live widgets, and motion effects use battery. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and turn on Reduce Motion. This disables some animations and can save a small amount of battery, especially on older iPhones.
Notifications that light up your screen drain battery because they wake the display. Go to Settings > Notifications and turn off notifications for apps you do not need alerts from. For apps you do want notifications from, tap the app name and turn off "Lock Screen" or "Badges" if you do not need those specific types of alerts.
Live widgets on your home screen or lock screen refresh constantly and use battery. If you have many live widgets, remove the ones you check least often. Go to your home screen, long-press a widget, and tap "Remove Widget."
Manage email and message sync settings
Email apps that check for new messages every few minutes drain battery faster than apps that check every 15 or 30 minutes. Go to Settings > Mail and look for "Fetch New Data." Set it to "Every 30 Minutes" or "Hourly" instead of "Every 15 Minutes." For accounts you do not check often, set it to "Manual" so your phone only checks when you open the app.
iCloud sync, photo uploads, and cloud backups all run in the background. If you are on cellular data and not plugged in, these can drain battery quickly. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and turn off syncing for apps you do not need to back up constantly, like photos or documents. You can always turn them back on when you are plugged in and on Wi-Fi.
Keep your iPhone cool and avoid extreme temperatures
Batteries drain faster when they are hot. If your iPhone feels warm, close apps and let it cool down. Avoid leaving it in direct sunlight, in a car on a hot day, or next to a heat source. A cool phone uses less battery.
Extreme cold also slows your battery down temporarily. If you are outside in freezing weather and your battery drains quickly, bring your phone inside and let it warm up. The battery will work normally again once it reaches room temperature.
If your iPhone gets very hot and you see a warning message, stop using it and let it cool. Repeated overheating can damage the battery permanently. If your phone overheats regularly, contact Apple — it may be a hardware problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off 5G save battery?
Yes. 5G uses more power than 4G LTE. Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and select "LTE" instead of "5G Auto" or "5G On." Your phone will be slightly slower, but battery will last longer. You can switch back when you need faster speeds.
Should I close all my apps to save battery?
No. Closing apps does not save battery unless they are actively running in the background. iOS suspends apps you are not using, so they do not drain power. Closing and reopening them actually uses more battery because your phone has to reload them. Instead, turn off Background App Refresh for apps you do not need.
Does dark mode really save battery?
Only on iPhones with OLED screens (iPhone 12 and newer). OLED screens turn off pixels that display black, so dark mode uses less power. On older iPhones with LCD screens, dark mode makes almost no difference. If you have an older iPhone, use dark mode only if you prefer how it looks.
What is optimized battery charging and should I turn it on?
Optimized Battery Charging slows charging to 80 percent overnight and finishes the last 20 percent right before you wake up. This reduces wear on your battery over time and can extend its lifespan by months or years. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and turn it on. It is worth using if you charge your phone overnight regularly.
Can I use a third-party battery case to extend my battery life?
Yes, but it adds weight and bulk to your phone. A battery case typically doubles your battery life. If you need that much extra power, a battery case works, but a portable charger is lighter and easier to carry. You can also just charge your phone more often during the day.