Turn on Low Power Mode to cut background activity

Low Power Mode is the single fastest way to extend your iPhone's battery. It reduces CPU speed, limits background app refresh, disables automatic downloads, and lowers screen brightness. On most iPhones, you can turn it on in Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode, or swipe up from the bottom of the screen, press and hold the battery icon, and tap Low Power Mode.

Low Power Mode kicks in automatically at 20 percent battery on newer iPhones, but you do not have to wait. Turning it on at 50 or 60 percent gives you several extra hours of use before the phone slows noticeably. The trade-off is real — some apps load slower, and video playback may stutter — but for most daily tasks like texting, email, and web browsing, the difference is minor.

If you use Low Power Mode regularly, you will notice your battery lasts 20 to 30 percent longer than normal use. That difference compounds over weeks: a phone that normally dies by evening will often make it to the next morning.

Key Takeaways

  • Low Power Mode extends battery life by 20 to 30 percent and can be turned on manually at any charge level, not just at 20 percent.
  • Disabling background app refresh for apps you do not use constantly saves battery without affecting performance for the apps you do use.
  • Screen brightness and location services are the two largest battery drains after processor speed, and reducing both has when ready impact.
  • Closing apps in the background does not save battery on modern iPhones, but turning off background refresh for specific apps does.
  • Older batteries degrade over time, and an iPhone with a battery below 80 percent health will drain noticeably faster than a new one.

Disable background app refresh for apps you rarely use

Background app refresh lets apps check for new content and send notifications even when you are not using them. Mail, Messages, and social media apps use this constantly. But a weather app you check once a week, or a game you play monthly, does not need to refresh in the background.

Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Toggle off the apps you do not use daily. Keep it on for Mail, Messages, Maps, and any other app where you want real-time updates. This change alone can add 10 to 15 percent to your battery life, depending on how many apps you disable.

The key is being honest about which apps you actually use. If you have not opened an app in two weeks, it does not need background refresh. You can always turn it back on later if you change your mind.

Lower screen brightness and use auto-brightness

Your screen is the second-largest battery drain on an iPhone, after the processor. Lowering brightness saves power when ready. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and drag the slider to around 40 to 50 percent for indoor use. Outdoors, you may need higher brightness, but indoors, most people do not notice the difference below 50 percent.

Turn on Auto-Brightness in the same menu. This setting adjusts brightness based on ambient light, so your phone uses less power in dim rooms and only brightens when you step outside. Auto-Brightness is off by default on many iPhones, but turning it on is one of the easiest wins for battery life.

If you use your phone heavily indoors, lowering brightness to 40 percent and enabling auto-brightness can extend battery life by 15 to 20 percent. The screen will feel slightly dimmer at first, but your eyes adjust within a few minutes.

Turn off location services for apps that do not need it

Location services use GPS, Bluetooth, and cellular data to pinpoint your location. Apps like Maps and weather need it constantly. Apps like Instagram or Spotify do not. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and scroll through the list. For each app, you have three choices: Always, While Using, or Never.

Set most apps to "While Using" or "Never". Maps should stay on "Always" if you use navigation. Weather can be "While Using" if you check it regularly. Social media, games, and shopping apps should be "Never" — they track location for advertising, not for functionality you need.

Turning off location services for five to ten apps can add 5 to 10 percent to your battery life. The impact is smaller than screen brightness or background refresh, but it adds up, especially if you have many location-heavy apps installed.

Disable push notifications and fetch mail less often

Push notifications wake your phone's screen and processor every time an app sends one. If you have 20 apps sending notifications, your phone wakes dozens of times per hour. Go to Settings > Notifications and turn off notifications for apps you do not need alerts from. Keep them on for Messages, Mail, and anything time-sensitive, but disable them for news apps, games, and shopping apps.

For email specifically, go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data. Change the setting from "Push" to "Fetch Every 30 Minutes" or "Hourly". Push means your phone checks for new mail constantly; fetch means it checks on a schedule. This change alone can save 5 to 10 percent battery if you receive a lot of email.

The trade-off is that you will not see notifications when ready. Email will arrive 15 to 60 minutes later, depending on your fetch setting. For most people, this delay is acceptable.

Check your battery health and replace if needed

iPhone batteries degrade over time. After 500 full charge cycles, most iPhone batteries drop to 80 percent of their original capacity. At 80 percent health, your phone drains noticeably faster. At 60 percent health, it may shut down unexpectedly even with 20 percent charge remaining.

Check your battery health in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. If the number is below 80 percent, your battery is aging. If it is below 60 percent, Apple recommends replacement. A new battery costs between $50 and $100 depending on your iPhone model, and it restores your phone to near-original battery life.

If your phone is more than three years old and you use it heavily, battery replacement is often worth the cost. A degraded battery is the reason many people think their phone is slow or dying — the phone itself is fine, but the battery cannot deliver power fast enough.

Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning when not in use

Your iPhone scans for Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices constantly, even when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned off. This scanning uses power. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and scroll to the bottom. You will see "System Services". Tap it and turn off "Wi-Fi Networking" and "Bluetooth Networking". Your phone will no longer scan for networks in the background.

The downside is that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will take a few seconds longer to connect when you turn them on. For most people, this is a fair trade. If you use Bluetooth headphones or connect to Wi-Fi constantly, keep these on. If you use them occasionally, turning off background scanning saves 2 to 5 percent battery.

This is a smaller change than Low Power Mode or brightness adjustment, but it is useful if you are trying to squeeze every last percent out of your battery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does closing apps in the background actually save battery?

No. Modern iPhones suspend apps in memory when you close them, so they use almost no power. Closing and reopening apps actually uses more battery because your phone has to reload them from scratch. Leave apps in the background — iOS manages them automatically.

Is it bad to leave my iPhone plugged in overnight?

No. iPhones have built-in charging optimization that stops charging at 80 percent and waits until you wake up to charge to 100 percent. This protects the battery. Leaving your phone plugged in overnight is safe and normal.

Does turning off 5G save battery?

Yes, but the savings are small — usually 3 to 5 percent. 5G uses more power than 4G LTE, but the difference is noticeable only if you use data-heavy apps constantly. If battery life is critical, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and select LTE instead of 5G.

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

Low Power Mode is Apple's official feature on iPhones. Battery Saver Mode is a term some people use for the same thing. They are the same feature — Apple just calls it Low Power Mode in Settings.

Can I use all these settings at once without breaking my phone?

Yes. Using Low Power Mode, disabling background refresh, lowering brightness, and turning off location services all at once is safe. Your phone will run slower and feel less responsive, but nothing will break. You can turn any setting back on anytime.