Turn on Low Power Mode to cut background activity
Low Power Mode reduces the amount of work your iPhone does when you are not actively using it. It slows down app refresh, dims the screen slightly, and stops location services from running constantly. You can turn it on manually whenever you want, or set your phone to turn it on automatically when the battery drops to 20 percent.
To enable Low Power Mode, go to Settings, then Battery, then Battery Saver. Toggle it on. Your status bar will turn yellow to show it is active. Low Power Mode does not delete anything or prevent you from using your phone normally — it just makes background processes less aggressive.
Many people leave Low Power Mode on all the time, even when the battery is above 20 percent. The trade-off is small: some apps refresh less often, and Siri animations are slightly slower. The battery gain is real enough that it is worth the minor slowdown for most users.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode reduces background activity and can extend your battery by several hours without affecting normal phone use.
- Turning off location services, background app refresh, and push notifications for apps you do not actively use saves significant battery life.
- Screen brightness is the single largest drain on battery, so lowering it or enabling auto-brightness will have the most when ready effect.
- Closing apps that run in the background — especially maps, music, and fitness apps — prevents them from draining power when you are not looking.
Lower screen brightness and enable auto-brightness
Your screen uses more power than any other component in your iPhone. The brighter you keep it, the faster the battery drains. Lowering brightness to 40 or 50 percent is usually enough to read comfortably indoors, and you will see an when ready difference in how long the phone lasts.
Go to Settings, then Display & Brightness, and drag the brightness slider down. You can also enable Auto-Brightness in the same menu, which adjusts the screen based on the light around you. Auto-Brightness is on by default on newer iPhones, but if you have turned it off, turning it back on will save battery without requiring you to manually adjust the slider.
If you use your phone outdoors in bright sunlight, auto-brightness will increase the screen brightness automatically. Indoors, it will keep it lower. This balance means you get a readable screen without wasting power on brightness you do not need.
Turn off location services for apps that do not need it
Apps like maps, weather, and fitness apps use GPS to track your location. GPS is a power-hungry process. Many apps request location permission but do not actually need it all the time — a news app, for example, does not need to know where you are to show you headlines.
Go to Settings, then Privacy, then Location Services. You will see a list of every app that has asked for location access. For each app, tap it and choose "Never" or "While Using" instead of "Always". "While Using" means the app can see your location only when you have it open. "Never" turns it off completely.
Start by disabling location for apps you rarely use or that do not need to know where you are. Maps, Uber, and weather apps are the main ones that should stay on. News apps, social media, and games almost never need location access.
Disable background app refresh for apps you do not check often
Background App Refresh lets apps update their content even when you are not using them. This is useful for email, messaging, and news apps, but it drains battery for apps you check once a week or less.
Go to Settings, then General, then Background App Refresh. You will see a toggle at the top to turn it off entirely, or you can scroll down and turn it off for individual apps. Keep it on for email, messages, and any app you check regularly. Turn it off for games, shopping apps, and anything else you use occasionally.
If you turn off background refresh for an app, it will not update until you open it. The next time you launch the app, it will fetch new content then. This delay is usually not noticeable for apps you do not check constantly.
Disable push notifications and switch to fetch
Push notifications wake up your phone and light the screen every time an app has something to tell you. Each notification uses a small amount of power. If you have dozens of apps sending notifications, the battery drain adds up.
Go to Settings, then Notifications. Scroll through the list and turn off notifications for apps that are not essential — games, shopping apps, social media, and news apps are good candidates. Keep notifications on for messages, email, calls, and anything time-sensitive.
For apps you want to stay informed about but do not need constant alerts, you can also change the notification style from "Banner" to "Silent" in the notification settings for that app. Silent notifications appear in your notification center but do not light the screen or make a sound.
Close apps running in the background and check battery usage
Some apps keep running even after you close them. Maps, music players, fitness trackers, and navigation apps are common culprits. You can see which apps are using the most battery by going to Settings, then Battery, then Battery Usage.
The Battery Usage screen shows you the percentage of battery each app has used in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. If an app is using 10 percent or more and you did not actively use it that much, it is running in the background. Tap the app name to see whether it was active on screen or in the background.
If an app is draining battery in the background, you have three options: turn off background app refresh for it, turn off its location access, or delete it. For apps you use regularly, turning off background refresh is usually the best choice. For apps you rarely open, deleting them is simpler.
Disable visual effects and reduce motion
Animated transitions, parallax effects, and live wallpapers all require your processor to work harder. Turning them off is a small battery gain, but it adds up when combined with other changes.
Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Display & Text Size. Turn on Reduce Motion to disable parallax and animated transitions. Then go back and look for Reduce Transparency to turn off some of the visual effects in menus and app switchers.
You can also replace a live wallpaper with a static one. Go to Settings, then Wallpaper, then Choose a New Wallpaper. Select a static image instead of a live or animated one. The difference is small, but every reduction in animation helps.
Keep your iPhone cool and avoid extreme temperatures
Batteries drain faster when they are hot. If your phone gets warm during use, it is working harder and burning through power. Avoid leaving your phone in direct sunlight, in a car on a hot day, or in other hot environments.
If your phone gets too hot, iOS will slow it down automatically to protect the battery. This is called thermal throttling. You will see a message on screen if it happens. Let the phone cool down before using it heavily again.
Cold temperatures also affect battery life temporarily, but the effect reverses when the phone warms up. Heat causes permanent damage to the battery over time, so keeping your phone cool is more important for long-term battery health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi save battery?
Turning them off saves a small amount of battery, but the savings are usually not worth the inconvenience. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi use less power than cellular data, so keeping them on and letting your phone use them actually saves battery compared to using 4G or 5G. Turn them off only if you are not using them and want to squeeze out a few extra minutes.
Will using Low Power Mode damage my battery?
No. Low Power Mode does not harm your battery. It straightforward reduces the workload on your phone. You can use it every day without any negative effects on battery health.
What is the difference between Low Power Mode and Battery Saver?
They are the same thing. Apple calls it "Low Power Mode" on most iPhones, but the setting is labeled "Battery Saver" in the Battery section of Settings. Both refer to the same feature.
Does closing apps in the app switcher save battery?
Closing apps manually does not save much battery. iOS manages app memory automatically, and closing an app does not stop it from running in the background if it has permission to do so. The better approach is to turn off background app refresh for apps you do not need to stay active.
How often should I charge my iPhone to keep the battery healthy?
Modern iPhones are designed to handle frequent charging. Charge whenever it is convenient — you do not need to wait until the battery is completely empty. Keeping the battery between 20 and 80 percent most of the time is ideal for long-term health, but occasional full charges and full drains do not cause damage.