The fastest way to extend your iPhone battery

Turn on Low Power Mode when ready. On any iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner (or up from the bottom on older models) to open Control Center, then tap the battery icon. Your phone will cut background activity, reduce performance slightly, and stop some visual effects — but you'll gain several hours of use before you need to charge.

If you want to go further without draining the battery as fast, dim your screen brightness and close apps running in the background. These two changes alone account for most of the battery drain on a typical day. The screen is the single largest power consumer on your phone, so reducing its brightness or letting it dim automatically makes the biggest difference.

If your battery is already low and you need it to last until you can charge, Low Power Mode buys you real time. If you want to prevent the battery from draining quickly in the first place, the sections below show you which settings to change and why.

Key Takeaways

  • Low Power Mode is the single fastest way to extend battery life — turn it on from Control Center when your battery drops below 20 percent or whenever you know you won't have access to a charger soon.
  • Screen brightness drains more battery than almost anything else, so lowering it or enabling Auto-Brightness saves hours of use per day.
  • Background app refresh lets apps update data even when you're not using them — turning it off for apps you don't need saves significant battery without affecting daily use.
  • Location services, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi drain battery when they're searching for a connection, so turning them off when you're not using them extends your charge.
  • Older batteries lose capacity over time, and iOS will slow your phone down to protect the battery — you can check your battery health in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.

Reduce screen brightness and enable Auto-Brightness

Your screen uses more power than any other component. Lowering the brightness to 30 or 40 percent instead of maximum brightness can extend your battery by two to four hours depending on how much you use your phone. If you're indoors or in shade, you almost never need maximum brightness.

Enable Auto-Brightness so your phone adjusts the screen automatically based on the light around you. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness, then turn on Auto-Brightness. Your phone will dim the screen in dim rooms and brighten it in sunlight without you having to adjust it manually. This keeps the brightness only as high as you actually need.

If you find Auto-Brightness too aggressive, you can also set a lower maximum brightness manually. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and drag the brightness slider to around 40 percent, then enable Auto-Brightness. Your phone will adjust within that range instead of going all the way to maximum.

Turn off background app refresh for apps you don't need

Background App Refresh lets apps update their data even when you're not looking at them — so Mail can fetch new messages, Weather can update the forecast, and News can read articles. This is useful for apps you check often, but it drains battery constantly for apps you rarely open.

Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You'll see a list of every app on your phone. Turn off Background App Refresh for apps you don't need to update automatically — for example, Games, Stocks, or Podcasts apps you only use occasionally. Keep it on for Mail, Messages, Maps, and any app you rely on for notifications.

Turning off background refresh for five to ten apps you don't use often can extend your battery by one to two hours per day. The apps will still work normally when you open them — they just won't update in the background.

Disable location services for apps that don't need it

Location Services uses GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi signals to figure out where you are. GPS is especially power-hungry because it's constantly searching for a signal. Many apps request location permission but don't actually need it — Weather, News, and Games often ask for your location but work fine without it.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. You'll see a list of apps with location permission. For each app, tap it and choose "Never" instead of "Always" or "While Using". Apps like Maps and Find My need location always, but most others can be set to "While Using" so they only use location when you're actively using the app.

If you don't need location at all, you can turn off Location Services entirely at the top of that same screen. Your phone will stop searching for your location, which saves battery, but Maps and Find My won't work until you turn it back on.

Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you're not using them

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both search for connections constantly, which drains battery even when you're not connected to anything. If you're not using wireless headphones, a smartwatch, or a car system, turn off Bluetooth. If you're on cellular data and don't need Wi-Fi, turn that off too.

Open Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner) and tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off, or tap the Wi-Fi icon to disconnect. You can also go to Settings > Bluetooth or Settings > Wi-Fi to turn them off completely. When you need them again, turn them back on the same way.

Leaving Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on all day can cost you one to two hours of battery life, especially if your phone is searching for a connection it can't find. Turn them off when you leave home or when you know you won't use them for a few hours.

Check your battery health and replace it if it's worn out

iPhone batteries lose capacity over time. After two or three years of daily charging, your battery may hold only 80 percent of its original charge. iOS will slow down your phone to protect a worn battery, which also makes it feel like the battery drains faster.

Check your battery health by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. You'll see a number like "Maximum Capacity: 85%". If it's below 80 percent, your battery is aging and you're losing real battery life. If it's below 50 percent, your phone may shut down unexpectedly even when the battery shows charge remaining.

If your battery health is low, you can have Apple replace the battery. Visit apple.com/support or call Apple Support to find a location near you. Battery replacement costs vary by model but typically runs $50 to $70. A new battery will restore your phone's speed and give you a full day of use again.

Disable visual effects and animations

Your iPhone uses animations and visual effects constantly — when you open apps, switch between screens, or interact with notifications. These effects look smooth but they use processing power and battery. Turning them off makes your phone feel snappier and saves battery at the same time.

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and turn on Reduce Motion. This removes most animations and transitions. You can also go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and turn on Reduce Transparency to simplify the visual design, which also saves battery.

These changes are especially noticeable on older iPhones or when Low Power Mode is on. Many people find the phone feels faster after turning off animations, even though the main benefit is battery savings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Low Power Mode slow down my iPhone?

Yes, slightly. Low Power Mode reduces performance and disables some background activity to save battery. You may notice apps open a bit slower or downloads take longer. The slowdown is usually small and worth the extra hours of battery life, especially when your charge is low. You can turn it off anytime by opening Control Center and tapping the battery icon again.

Will turning off background app refresh break my notifications?

No. Notifications still work normally because they use a different system than background refresh. Mail, Messages, and other apps will still alert you to new messages even with background refresh off. The only difference is that the app won't update its data in the background — it will update when you open it.

How often should I charge my iPhone to keep the battery healthy?

Charge it whenever it's convenient — you don't need to wait until it's completely dead. Modern iPhone batteries are designed to handle daily charging. Avoid leaving your phone plugged in overnight constantly, as heat damages batteries over time. If you charge overnight regularly, your phone will manage it, but charging during the day and unplugging when full is slightly better for long-term battery health.

Does closing apps in the background save battery?

Not much. Closing apps manually doesn't save significant battery because iOS already suspends apps you're not using. The only exception is if an app is actively running in the background (you can see this in Settings > General > Background App Refresh). Turning off background refresh for specific apps saves more battery than closing them manually.

What's the difference between Low Power Mode and battery saver mode on Android?

Low Power Mode is Apple's version of battery saver. It does the same thing — reduces performance and background activity to extend battery life. The main difference is that Low Power Mode on iPhone is more aggressive and saves more battery, but it's also more noticeable in terms of slowdown. You can turn it on and off as needed.