The fastest ways to extend your iPhone battery through the day
Your iPhone's battery drains fastest when the screen is on at full brightness, when apps run in the background, and when your phone searches constantly for cellular or Wi-Fi signals. You can add hours to a single charge by lowering screen brightness, closing background apps, and turning off location services for apps that do not need it. The single biggest change most people see comes from enabling Low Power Mode, which reduces performance slightly but cuts battery drain by roughly 20 to 30 percent.
The steps below work on any iPhone model running iOS 16 or later. Older phones follow the same logic but the menu locations differ slightly — check your phone's Settings app to find the exact path.
Key Takeaways
- Enable Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery to reduce background activity and extend battery life by several hours on a single charge.
- Lower screen brightness or enable Auto-Brightness in Settings > Display & Brightness, since the display uses more power than any other component.
- Turn off location services for individual apps in Settings > Privacy > Location Services, keeping it on only for maps and navigation.
- Close background app refresh in Settings > General > Background App Refresh to stop apps from updating when you are not using them.
- Disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular data when you do not need them, or use Airplane Mode in areas with no signal to prevent constant searching.
Enable Low Power Mode for when ready battery savings
Low Power Mode is the single most effective setting. When turned on, it reduces CPU speed, limits background activity, and disables some visual effects. You lose almost nothing in daily use — apps still open, email still arrives, and calls still come through.
To turn it on: Open Settings, tap Battery, then toggle Low Power Mode to on. Your battery percentage will turn yellow. You can also swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen, find the battery icon in the Control Center, and tap it to enable Low Power Mode without opening Settings.
Low Power Mode stays on until your battery reaches 20 percent, then turns off automatically. You can turn it off manually at any time by returning to Settings > Battery and toggling it off again.
Reduce screen brightness and disable dynamic wallpapers
The screen is the largest power consumer on your phone. Lowering brightness by even 30 percent can add 1 to 2 hours to your battery life, depending on how much time you spend looking at the phone.
Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and drag the brightness slider to the left. For most indoor use, 30 to 40 percent brightness is enough. Enable Auto-Brightness below the slider — this adjusts brightness automatically based on the light around you and prevents you from leaving the screen too bright in dim rooms.
Dynamic wallpapers and animated lock screens also drain battery faster than static images. Tap Settings > Wallpaper > Customize Lock Screen, then choose a still image instead of a video or animated option. The difference is small but adds up over the course of a day.
Turn off location services for apps that do not need it
GPS and location tracking use significant power. Many apps request location permission but do not actually need it — social media apps, news readers, and games often ask for location but work fine without it.
Open Settings > Privacy > Location Services. You will see a list of every app that has requested location access. Tap each app and choose "Never" instead of "Always" or "While Using." Keep location on for Maps, navigation apps, and weather apps that genuinely need it. For everything else, turn it off.
If you use location-based reminders, you can keep location on for the Reminders app specifically. For most other apps, location is optional and disabling it saves battery with no real loss of function.
Disable background app refresh and limit notifications
Background App Refresh lets apps update their content even when you are not using them — email checks for new messages, news apps fetch headlines, and social media apps refresh feeds. This happens constantly and drains battery steadily.
Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggle it off entirely, or tap it again to choose which apps can refresh in the background. For most people, turning it off completely is the right choice — apps will still update when you open them, and you will not miss anything important.
Notifications also trigger your screen to wake and drain battery. Open Settings > Notifications and review which apps send you alerts. Turn off notifications for apps you do not need to hear from constantly — news apps, games, and social media are common culprits. Keep notifications on for messages, calls, and email if those matter to you.
Disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular when not in use
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular radios search for signals constantly, even when you are not actively using them. If you are in an area with weak signal, your phone works harder to maintain a connection, draining battery faster.
Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center. Tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off, tap the Wi-Fi icon to disconnect, and tap the cellular icon to disable mobile data. You can also enable Airplane Mode by swiping down and tapping the airplane icon — this turns off all wireless radios at once.
Use Airplane Mode in areas where you have no signal, such as underground or in remote locations. Your phone will stop searching for a signal and battery will last much longer. Turn Airplane Mode off when you need connectivity again.
Check which apps are draining battery fastest
Some apps use far more battery than others. iOS tracks this information and shows you which apps are the worst offenders.
Open Settings > Battery > Battery Usage. Scroll through the list to see which apps have used the most battery in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. If a single app is using more than 10 to 15 percent of your battery and you do not use it often, consider deleting it or using a web version instead.
Apps that use location constantly, play video, or run in the background are the biggest drains. If you see an app you rarely use taking significant battery, uninstall it from your home screen by pressing and holding the app icon, then tapping Remove App > Delete App.
Update iOS and close unused apps
Apple releases iOS updates that often include battery improvements. Older versions of iOS sometimes have bugs that cause unnecessary battery drain.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for new versions. If an update is available, connect your phone to power and Wi-Fi, then tap read and Install. Updates can take 15 to 30 minutes, so do this when you have time.
Close apps you are not actively using by swiping up from the bottom of the screen (or swiping down from the top-left on older models) to open the app switcher, then swiping up on each app card to close it. This prevents them from running in the background and using CPU power.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Low Power Mode slow down my iPhone?
Yes, slightly. The CPU runs at reduced speed and some visual effects are disabled. In daily use — texting, email, web browsing, maps — you will not notice the difference. Games and video editing will feel slower. Low Power Mode is worth the trade-off for most people because the battery gain is significant.
Will turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth save a lot of battery?
It depends on your situation. If you are in an area with strong signal and you use Wi-Fi regularly, the savings are small — maybe 5 to 10 percent. If you are in a weak signal area or you do not use Bluetooth, turning them off saves more. Airplane Mode in a dead zone makes the biggest difference.
Can I leave Low Power Mode on all the time?
Yes. Some people leave it on permanently and only turn it off when they need full performance. There is no harm to the battery itself. The trade-off is slightly slower performance, but for most daily tasks it is unnoticeable.
Why does my battery drain faster in cold weather?
Cold temperatures reduce chemical reactions inside the battery, making it deliver power more slowly. Your phone may shut down at 20 percent battery in cold weather even though the battery is not actually dead. Warm the phone up indoors and the battery percentage will return. This is temporary and does not damage the battery.
Should I close all my apps to save battery?
No. Closing apps uses more battery than leaving them open because your phone has to reload them from storage when you open them again. Close only apps you know are running in the background and using power. For most apps, closing them makes no difference.