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 extend battery life by hours each day without waiting for a charge by turning off three things: background app refresh, location services for apps that don't need it, and push notifications for apps you don't actively use.

Start in Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off entirely, or toggle it off for individual apps. Then go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and switch it to "Never" for apps like social media, games, and news apps—keep it on only for Maps, Weather, and Find My if you use those. Finally, Settings > Notifications lets you turn off badges, sounds, and alerts for apps that constantly ping you. These three changes alone typically add four to six hours to your battery between charges.

Brightness is the second-biggest drain. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, tap the brightness slider, and drag it to 30 percent or lower. Your eyes adjust within a minute. If you find yourself raising it constantly, turn on Settings > Display & Brightness > True Tone, which adjusts brightness to match your surroundings and feels less dim.

Key Takeaways

  • Turn off Background App Refresh in Settings > General to stop apps from running when you're not using them, which is the single biggest battery drain after screen brightness.
  • Disable Location Services for apps that don't need your location by going to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and setting each app to "Never".
  • Lower your screen brightness to 30 percent or enable Auto-Brightness in Settings > Display & Brightness to reduce the power your display consumes.
  • Enable Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery to automatically reduce performance and background activity when your battery drops below 20 percent.
  • Close apps running in the background by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, though this has less impact than turning off Background App Refresh.

How Low Power Mode works and when to turn it on

Low Power Mode is a built-in setting that reduces your phone's performance to stretch battery life. When you turn it on, your iPhone slows down processor speed, reduces animation smoothness, limits background activity, and turns off some features like mail fetch and iCloud syncing. The trade-off is real—apps open slightly slower and video playback may stutter—but most people don't notice the difference in everyday use.

To enable it, go to Settings > Battery and toggle on Low Power Mode. You can also add it to Control Center (Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, then tap the plus sign next to Low Power Mode) so you can turn it on with one tap from the home screen. Most iPhones automatically offer to turn on Low Power Mode when the battery reaches 20 percent, but you can turn it on manually at any charge level. Turning it on at 50 percent can add eight to ten hours to your battery life, though your phone will feel slightly less responsive.

Which settings drain battery fastest and how to disable them

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi searching drain battery even when you're not actively using them. If you're away from home or the office, turn off Wi-Fi in Control Center (swipe down from the top-right) rather than leaving it on while your phone searches for networks. Bluetooth does the same thing—turn it off unless you're actively using wireless headphones or a car connection. You can toggle both from Control Center or from Settings > Bluetooth and Settings > Wi-Fi.

Location Services is the third major drain. Your phone uses GPS, Wi-Fi networks, and cell towers to pinpoint your location, and this runs constantly in the background if you leave it on. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and look at which apps have permission. Turn it off for any app that doesn't need your location—social media, email, most games, and news apps will work fine without it. Keep it on for Maps, Weather, Find My, and any navigation app you actually use.

Push notifications wake up your phone's screen and processor every time an app sends an alert. Go to Settings > Notifications and turn off notifications for apps you don't actively check. You can also turn off badges (the red numbers on app icons) and sounds separately for each app, which reduces the number of times your phone wakes up.

Why your battery drains faster in cold weather

Cold temperatures slow down the chemical reactions inside your battery, which makes it deliver less power. If you're outside in winter or in a cold car, your iPhone may shut down at 20 percent battery even though the battery isn't actually dead—it's just too cold to function. This is temporary; the battery will work normally again once it warms up.

If you're in cold weather, keep your phone in an inside pocket close to your body, or in a bag with other warm items. Don't use a thick case in extreme cold, because it insulates the phone and keeps it from warming up. Avoid charging your phone in the cold; wait until it's at room temperature. If your phone shuts down from cold, bring it inside and let it warm for 30 minutes before turning it back on.

How to check which apps are using the most battery

Go to Settings > Battery to see a list of apps ranked by how much battery they've used in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. The list shows a percentage next to each app. If one app is using more than 20 percent of your battery and you don't use it constantly, that's a sign something is wrong—either the app is running in the background when it shouldn't be, or it has a bug.

If an app is draining too much battery, first try turning off Background App Refresh for that specific app (Settings > General > Background App Refresh, then toggle off the app). If that doesn't help, delete the app and reinstall it from the App Store—this often fixes battery drain caused by a corrupted app. If the app still drains heavily after reinstalling, the app itself has a problem and you should consider using a different one or contacting the app maker.

Battery health and when to replace your battery

Your iPhone battery degrades over time. After about 500 full charge cycles (a full cycle means charging from 0 to 100 percent), your battery will hold about 80 percent of its original capacity. After 1,000 cycles, it typically holds 60 to 70 percent. You can check your battery's current health in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.

If your battery health has dropped below 80 percent and your phone is less than two years old, Apple will replace the battery for a fee (the cost varies by model and location, but typically ranges from $50 to $70). If your phone is still under warranty or you have AppleCare+, the replacement may be free. You can schedule a replacement at an Apple Store or through Apple's mail-in repair service.

Don't rely on third-party battery replacement shops unless you have no other option—they often use lower-quality batteries and may damage other components. If your phone is very old and the battery is the only problem, a replacement from Apple can extend its useful life by several years.

Charging habits that protect your battery long-term

Modern iPhones use optimized battery charging, which learns when you charge your phone and slows down charging to 80 percent overnight, then finishes the last 20 percent right before you wake up. This reduces the time your battery spends at 100 percent, which is when it degrades fastest. This feature is on by default in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.

Avoid letting your battery drop to 0 percent regularly—this stresses the battery more than normal use. Charge your phone when it reaches 20 percent if you can, and unplug it once it hits 100 percent rather than leaving it plugged in overnight (though optimized battery charging reduces this risk). Use the charger that came with your phone or a certified third-party charger; cheap knockoff chargers can damage your battery.

Heat damages batteries faster than anything else. Don't leave your phone in direct sunlight, in a hot car, or near a heater. If your phone gets hot while charging, unplug it and let it cool down. Your phone will slow itself down automatically if it overheats to protect the battery, but repeated overheating shortens battery life significantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does closing apps in the background actually save battery?

Closing apps by swiping up from the bottom of the screen has almost no effect on battery life. Your iPhone automatically stops running apps when you switch away from them. The real drain comes from apps that have Background App Refresh turned on, which lets them run even when you're not looking at them. Turn off Background App Refresh instead of closing apps manually.

Will turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth save a lot of battery?

Turning them off saves some battery, but not as much as lowering brightness or disabling Background App Refresh. The benefit is biggest if you're in an area with weak Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals, because your phone uses more power searching for a connection. If you're at home or in the office with strong signals, the savings are minimal.

Is it bad to use Low Power Mode all the time?

No, Low Power Mode is safe to use constantly. It reduces performance slightly, but there's no damage to your phone or battery. Many people keep it on permanently and only turn it off when they need full speed for gaming or video editing. Your battery will actually last longer overall if you use Low Power Mode regularly.

Why does my battery drain so fast after an iOS update?

After a major iOS update, your phone indexes files and processes background tasks for a few days, which uses extra battery. This is temporary and should stop within three to five days. If battery drain continues after a week, restart your phone or check Settings > Battery to see which apps are using the most power—an app may have a bug that the update exposed.

Can I replace my iPhone battery myself?

You can buy replacement batteries online, but opening your iPhone yourself risks damaging the screen, logic board, or other components, and it voids your warranty. The cost of a professional replacement from Apple is usually lower than the cost of fixing damage from a DIY attempt. Use Apple's mail-in repair service if you can't visit a store in person.