Turn on Low Power Mode to cut background drain when ready

Low Power Mode reduces CPU speed, limits background app refresh, and dims the screen slightly—it cuts battery drain by 15 to 20 percent in most cases. You can turn it on manually whenever you want, or set your iPhone to turn it on automatically when the battery hits 20 percent.

To enable it manually: open Settings, tap Battery, then toggle on Low Power Mode. The status bar turns yellow when it is active. To set it to turn on automatically, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Device Management, then toggle on "Optimized Battery Charging" and "Manage Battery Health." Your phone will then switch to Low Power Mode at 20 percent without you having to do anything.

Low Power Mode stays on until you turn it off or charge your phone to 80 percent. It does not harm your battery—it straightforward slows down non-essential tasks while you are using the phone.

Key Takeaways

  • Low Power Mode cuts battery drain by 15 to 20 percent and can be set to turn on automatically at 20 percent battery.
  • Turning off location services, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi when you are not using them prevents apps from draining power in the background.
  • Reducing screen brightness and enabling Auto-Brightness saves more battery than any other single setting.
  • Disabling background app refresh for apps you do not need to update constantly can extend battery life by several hours.
  • Keeping your iPhone between 20 and 80 percent charge most of the time slows the chemical aging of the battery itself.

Reduce screen brightness and enable Auto-Brightness

The display is the single largest drain on your battery. Lowering brightness to 30 to 40 percent for indoor use can add 2 to 4 hours of battery life compared to maximum brightness. If you find manual adjustment annoying, Auto-Brightness adjusts the screen to match your surroundings automatically and uses less power than keeping it high all day.

To enable Auto-Brightness: open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then toggle on Auto-Brightness. Your phone will now dim in low light and brighten in sunlight without you touching anything. You can still manually override it by swiping down from the top-right corner and adjusting the brightness slider when you need to.

If you use your phone outdoors often, keep Auto-Brightness on and let it handle most adjustments. For indoor use, set brightness to 30 to 40 percent and leave it there—you will not notice the difference, and the battery savings are substantial.

Turn off location services for apps that do not need it

Apps that track your location constantly drain the battery because they keep the GPS radio active. Most apps do not need location all the time—your weather app needs it once a day, your maps app only when you are navigating, and your social media apps do not need it at all.

To control location access: open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then tap Location Services. You will see a list of every app that has asked for location permission. For each app, tap it and choose "Never," "While Using," or "Always." Choose "While Using" for maps and navigation apps, and "Never" for everything else unless you have a specific reason to share your location.

Turning location off for most apps can add 1 to 3 hours of battery life, depending on how many apps had "Always" permission. Your phone will still work normally—apps will straightforward ask for permission the next time they need your location.

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—so your email app can fetch new messages, your news app can load headlines, and your weather app can refresh. This is convenient, but it drains the battery constantly.

To turn it off selectively: open Settings, tap General, then tap Background App Refresh. You will see a list of apps. Toggle off the ones you do not need to update in the background—typically social media, games, and news apps. Keep it on for email, messages, and calendar if you want notifications to arrive on time.

Disabling background refresh for 5 to 10 apps can add 2 to 5 hours of battery life. You can still open these apps and refresh them manually by pulling down on the screen—they just will not update while you are not looking at them.

Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you leave home

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios search for devices and networks constantly, even when you are not connected to anything. If you are away from home or the office, turning them off prevents your phone from wasting power on the search.

To disable them: swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, then tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off, and tap the Wi-Fi icon to turn it off. They will stay off until you turn them back on. You can also disable them permanently in Settings if you rarely use them—go to Settings > Bluetooth or Settings > Wi-Fi and toggle them off.

Turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are commuting or away from home can add 1 to 2 hours of battery life. Your phone will still use cellular data for calls and internet, so you will not lose connectivity.

Charge your iPhone between 20 and 80 percent most of the time

Lithium batteries age faster when they spend time at very high charge (above 90 percent) or very low charge (below 10 percent). Keeping your battery between 20 and 80 percent most of the time slows down the chemical aging process and keeps the battery healthy for longer.

You do not have to hit these numbers exactly—the goal is to avoid leaving your phone plugged in overnight or letting it drain to 1 percent regularly. If you charge overnight, your phone will stay at 100 percent for hours, which ages the battery. If you let it drop to 5 percent every day, the same thing happens over time.

A practical routine: charge your phone when it hits 20 percent, and unplug it when it reaches 80 percent. If you cannot do that, at least avoid charging overnight every night. Your battery will retain more capacity after a year of this habit than it would if you charged to 100 percent daily.

Close apps running in the background and restart your phone weekly

Apps sometimes get stuck in the background and drain the battery even though you are not using them. Restarting your phone once a week clears the memory and stops these stuck processes. It takes two minutes and can recover 30 minutes to an hour of battery life.

To restart: press and hold the side button and either volume button until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off the phone, wait 10 seconds, then press the side button again to turn it back on. Your phone will boot up fresh, and background processes will be cleared.

You can also check which apps are using the most battery: open Settings, tap Battery, then tap Battery Usage. The list shows which apps have drained power in the last 24 hours. If an app you rarely use is near the top, consider deleting it or turning off its background refresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Low Power Mode damage my battery?

No. Low Power Mode straightforward slows down your processor and limits background tasks—it does not change how the battery charges or discharges. You can use it every day without harming the battery. The only thing that ages a battery is time and charge cycles, not the speed at which your phone runs.

Will turning off location services break my maps or weather app?

No. When you set location to "While Using," the app can still access your location when you open it and use it. It just cannot track you in the background. Maps will work normally when you navigate, and weather will show your location when you open the app—it straightforward will not update your location when the app is closed.

What is the difference between Low Power Mode and Battery Saver Mode?

iPhone uses the term "Low Power Mode," not Battery Saver Mode. Low Power Mode is the official feature that reduces performance and background activity. There is no separate Battery Saver Mode on iPhone—Low Power Mode is the only built-in power-saving feature.

Can I use Low Power Mode and background app refresh at the same time?

Yes, but Low Power Mode will override background app refresh settings. When Low Power Mode is on, background refresh is disabled for all apps regardless of your settings. Once you turn off Low Power Mode, your background refresh settings return to normal.

How often should I restart my iPhone?

Once a week is enough for most people. If you notice your battery draining faster than usual, restart when ready—it often fixes the problem. You do not need to restart daily; once a week keeps background processes from piling up without wearing out your phone.