Turn on Low Power Mode to cut background activity
Low Power Mode is the single fastest way to extend your battery. It reduces performance, limits background app refresh, and dims animations. On most iPhones, go to Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode and toggle it on. You can also swipe up from the bottom of the screen, tap the battery icon, and enable it from Control Center.
Low Power Mode typically adds 1 to 3 hours of use, depending on what you do. The trade-off is noticeable: apps load slightly slower, email refreshes less often, and some visual effects disappear. Most people find this acceptable once the battery drops below 20 percent, though you can turn it on anytime.
When Low Power Mode is active, a yellow battery icon appears at the top of your screen. Your iPhone will ask you to turn it on automatically when the battery reaches 20 percent, but you can dismiss that prompt and enable it earlier if you prefer.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode reduces background activity and can add 1 to 3 hours of battery life by limiting performance and app refresh.
- Turning off location services, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi when you are not using them stops apps from draining power in the background.
- Reduce screen brightness or enable Auto-Brightness so your display uses less power throughout the day.
- Close apps running in the background, disable push notifications for apps you do not need alerts from, and turn off automatic downloads.
- Extreme temperatures, old batteries, and too many open apps all drain power faster, so keep your iPhone cool and restart it weekly.
Disable location services for apps that do not need it
Apps using GPS drain your battery constantly, even when you are not looking at them. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and toggle it off entirely, or scroll down to see which apps have permission. You can set most apps to "Never" or "Only While Using" instead of "Always."
Maps, weather, and fitness apps genuinely need location. Social media, shopping, and news apps usually do not. Turning off "Always" access for those apps saves significant power. If you turn off Location Services completely, your iPhone will ask you to turn it back on the first time an app needs it.
Lower screen brightness and enable Auto-Brightness
Your display is the biggest power consumer on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and drag the brightness slider down to around 30 to 40 percent. If that feels too dim, enable Auto-Brightness instead—it adjusts brightness based on the light around you and uses less power than a fixed high setting.
You can also enable Dark Mode (Settings > Display & Brightness > Dark Mode) if you have an iPhone 12 or newer with an OLED screen. Dark Mode saves battery on OLED displays because black pixels use no power, though it makes no difference on older LCD screens.
Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi search for connections constantly, even when you are not actively using them. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open Control Center and tap the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi icons to turn them off. You can turn them back on when you need them—for example, when you get home or get in your car.
If you leave Bluetooth on all day searching for your AirPods or smartwatch, it drains power steadily. The same applies to Wi-Fi: if your iPhone cannot find your home network, it keeps searching. Turning these off when you are out saves 10 to 15 percent of your daily battery in many cases.
Disable background app refresh and push notifications
Apps refresh in the background even when you are not using them, checking for new messages, emails, and updates. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggle it off entirely, or scroll down to disable it for specific apps. Turn off push notifications for apps you do not need alerts from: go to Settings > Notifications, tap each app, and select "None" under Alert Style.
Email is a common culprit—if you have five email accounts set to push notifications, your iPhone checks them constantly. Change email to fetch manually or every 30 minutes instead. News and social media apps can wait until you open them. Disabling background refresh and notifications for apps you check occasionally can save 5 to 10 percent of your battery.
Restart your iPhone weekly and avoid extreme heat
Restarting your iPhone clears temporary files and stops apps from running in the background unnecessarily. Power off your phone completely once a week, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. This takes two minutes and often improves battery performance noticeably.
Heat damages your battery permanently. Avoid leaving your iPhone in direct sunlight, in a hot car, or near a heater. If your iPhone gets too warm, it will slow down or shut down to protect the battery. Cold temperatures also reduce battery performance temporarily, but the damage is reversible once the phone warms up. Keep your iPhone between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit for best results.
Check which apps are using the most power
Go to Settings > Battery to see which apps have used the most power in the last 24 hours or 10 days. If an app you rarely use is near the top of the list, it is draining power in the background. You can uninstall it, disable background refresh for it, or turn off its notifications.
Some apps are power-hungry by design—maps, video, and games use a lot of energy. Others, like flashlight or calculator, use almost none. If a messaging or social media app is in your top three power users, check whether it has background refresh or location access enabled. Disabling those permissions often brings it down significantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does closing apps in the background actually save battery?
Not much. Closing apps manually does almost nothing because iOS suspends apps automatically when you switch away. The real drain comes from apps refreshing in the background or using location and Bluetooth. Disable background refresh instead of closing apps manually.
Will turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hurt my phone?
No. Turning them off when you are not using them saves power and does not damage anything. You can turn them back on anytime. If you forget to turn them back on, your iPhone will remind you or ask you to enable them when an app needs them.
How often should I charge my iPhone to keep the battery healthy?
Charge it whenever it is convenient—modern iPhones manage charging automatically to protect the battery. Avoid leaving it plugged in overnight constantly, and do not let it sit at 0 percent for days. Keeping it between 20 and 80 percent most of the time extends the battery's lifespan.
Does using Wi-Fi instead of cellular data save battery?
Yes, slightly. Wi-Fi uses less power than cellular data, so connecting to Wi-Fi when you are home or at work saves a small amount. The difference is usually 5 to 10 percent over a full day, so it is worth doing but not a major factor compared to screen brightness or background refresh.
What should I do if my battery drains very quickly even with Low Power Mode on?
Check Settings > Battery Health to see if your battery capacity has dropped below 80 percent. If it has, the battery is aging and may need replacement. Also check which apps are using the most power and disable background refresh for the top users. If the problem is new, restart your iPhone and check again in a few days.