Turn on Low Power Mode to reduce battery drain when ready
Low Power Mode is the fastest way to extend your iPhone's battery life. When you turn it on, your phone slows down background activity, reduces visual effects, and limits performance—but you can still use all your apps and make calls. Most iPhones can run for several extra hours once Low Power Mode is active.
To turn on Low Power Mode, open Settings, tap Battery, then toggle on Low Power Mode. On newer iPhones with Dynamic Island, you can also swipe down from the top-right corner, find the battery icon, and tap it to enable Low Power Mode directly from the Control Center. Your phone will show a yellow battery icon in the status bar when it is active.
Low Power Mode stays on until your battery reaches 80% after you charge it, or until you manually turn it off. You can turn it off the same way you turned it on—through Settings or the Control Center.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode is built into every iPhone and can be turned on in Settings > Battery or through the Control Center.
- Turning off background app refresh, location services, and automatic downloads reduces battery drain without affecting your ability to use apps.
- Reducing screen brightness and enabling auto-brightness helps because the display uses more battery than any other component.
- Disabling push notifications and setting mail to fetch manually instead of push can save significant battery over a full day.
- Closing apps running in the background and disabling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them prevents constant battery drain.
Reduce screen brightness and enable auto-brightness
Your iPhone's display is the single largest battery drain. Lowering the brightness level when ready extends battery life, and enabling auto-brightness lets your phone adjust the screen automatically based on the light around you.
To adjust brightness manually, swipe down from the top-right corner (or up from the bottom on older models) to open Control Center, then drag the brightness slider down. To enable auto-brightness, go to Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then toggle on Auto-Brightness. This setting works best when you keep your iPhone in normal lighting conditions rather than in very dark rooms.
If you use your phone outdoors or in bright environments, auto-brightness will increase the screen brightness to keep the display readable—this uses more battery in those moments, but saves battery overall because it does not keep the screen at maximum brightness indoors.
Turn off background app refresh and location services
Apps running in the background consume battery even when you are not using them. Background App Refresh allows apps to update their content when your phone is locked, which drains the battery continuously. Turning this off prevents apps from refreshing unless you open them yourself.
Go to Settings, tap General, then Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Toggle off Background App Refresh entirely, or toggle it off for individual apps you do not need to update constantly. Mail, weather, and news apps use the most battery through background refresh, so disabling it for those apps makes a noticeable difference.
Location Services also drains battery because your phone uses GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to pinpoint your location. Go to Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then Location Services. Toggle it off entirely, or scroll down and disable it for individual apps that do not need your location—maps and weather need it, but many social media apps do not. Some apps will ask for your location when you open them; you can allow it just for that session without leaving Location Services on all the time.
Disable push notifications and switch mail to fetch
Every time an app sends you a notification, your phone wakes up the screen and uses battery to display it. Disabling push notifications for apps you do not need to hear from constantly reduces battery drain throughout the day.
Go to Settings, tap Notifications, then review each app. Toggle off Allow Notifications for apps that do not require real-time alerts—games, shopping apps, and social media are common culprits. Keep notifications on for messages, calls, and calendar reminders if those matter to you, but turn off notifications for everything else.
If you use Mail, change how your phone fetches new messages. Go to Settings, tap Mail, then Accounts, then Fetch New Data. Set the fetch interval to Manually or every 30 minutes instead of every 15 minutes or Push. Push means your mail server sends new messages to your phone when ready, which requires a constant connection and drains battery. Manual or 30-minute fetch means your phone checks for mail only when you open the Mail app or on a longer schedule, using far less battery.
Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios search for and maintain connections even when you are not actively using them. Turning them off when you leave home or do not need them prevents constant battery drain.
Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center and tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off, or tap the Wi-Fi icon to disconnect from Wi-Fi. Both icons will turn gray when they are off. Your phone will not automatically reconnect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices until you turn them back on.
If you use Bluetooth headphones or a smartwatch regularly, leaving Bluetooth on makes sense because the convenience outweighs the battery cost. But if you only use Bluetooth occasionally, turning it off saves battery. The same applies to Wi-Fi—if you are on cellular data, turning off Wi-Fi prevents your phone from searching for networks.
Disable visual effects and animations
Your iPhone uses battery to power animations, transitions, and visual effects when you open apps and scroll through screens. Reducing these effects frees up processing power and extends battery life, though the phone will feel slightly less smooth.
Go to Settings, tap Accessibility, then Display & Text Size. Toggle on Reduce Motion to disable most animations. This removes the parallax effect on your home screen, simplifies app-opening animations, and reduces transitions throughout the system. The difference is noticeable in battery life, especially on older iPhones.
You can also go to Settings, tap Display & Brightness, and toggle on Dark Mode if your iPhone has an OLED screen (iPhone 12 and newer). Dark Mode displays black pixels, which use less power on OLED screens than light pixels do. On older iPhones with LCD screens, Dark Mode makes little difference to battery life.
Close apps running in the background and restart your phone
Apps that crash or freeze sometimes continue running in the background and drain battery even though you cannot see them. Closing these apps forces them to stop. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or swipe down from the top-right on newer models) to open the app switcher, then swipe up on any app to close it.
You do not need to close apps constantly—iOS manages most apps efficiently. But if you notice your battery draining unusually fast, closing all open apps and restarting your phone often solves the problem. To restart, go to Settings, tap General, then Shut Down. Hold the power button and volume button together until the power-off slider appears, then drag it to turn off your phone. Wait 10 seconds, then press the power button to turn it back on.
A restart clears temporary files and resets background processes, which can restore normal battery performance if your phone has been running for weeks without shutting down.
Check battery health and replace the battery if it is degraded
Over time, iPhone batteries lose capacity and drain faster than they did when new. You can check your battery's health in Settings. Go to Settings, tap Battery, then Battery Health & Charging. Look at the Maximum Capacity percentage—if it is below 80%, your battery is degraded and drains faster than normal.
If your battery health is below 80%, the fastest way to restore battery life is to have Apple replace the battery. You can make an appointment at an Apple Store or an authorized service provider. Battery replacement usually takes one to two hours and costs between $50 and $100 depending on your iPhone model. A new battery will restore your phone's battery life to near-original performance.
If you do not want to replace the battery yet, using Low Power Mode and the other settings in this guide will help, but you will not see the same improvement as you would with a new battery. Degraded batteries are the most common reason iPhones drain quickly despite having Low Power Mode on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Low Power Mode slow down my iPhone?
Yes, Low Power Mode reduces your phone's processing speed and disables some features like background app refresh and automatic downloads. You will notice apps open slightly slower and animations are less smooth. However, you can still use all your apps, make calls, and send messages normally. Most people find the battery extension worth the minor slowdown.
Will turning off location services break maps or weather?
No. Maps and weather will still work, but you will need to turn on Location Services when you open those apps, or allow them to use your location just for that session. Go to Settings, tap Privacy & Security, Location Services, then tap Maps or Weather and choose "While Using" instead of "Always" to let them use your location only when you open them.
Can I use Low Power Mode all the time?
Yes, you can leave Low Power Mode on permanently if you prefer longer battery life over full performance. Your phone will run slightly slower, but it will not damage the battery or the phone. Low Power Mode automatically turns off when you charge to 80%, so you would need to turn it back on after charging if you want it on all the time.
Why is my battery draining fast even with Low Power Mode on?
Check your battery health in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. If Maximum Capacity is below 80%, your battery is degraded and needs replacement. If battery health is above 80%, a specific app may be draining power—go to Settings, tap Battery, and look at Battery Usage by App to see which apps use the most battery.
Does dark mode save battery on all iPhones?
Dark Mode saves battery only on iPhones with OLED screens (iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, and newer models). On older iPhones with LCD screens (iPhone 11 and earlier), Dark Mode makes no difference to battery life. You can still use it if you prefer the appearance, but it will not extend your battery.