Turn on Low Power Mode to cut background drain when ready
Low Power Mode reduces CPU speed, limits background app refresh, and dims the display slightly. It cuts battery drain by roughly 15 to 25 percent depending on your usage. Open Settings, tap Battery, and toggle Low Power Mode on. Your phone will stay in this mode until the battery reaches 20 percent, then turn off automatically — or you can disable it manually when you no longer need it.
Low Power Mode does not delete data or prevent you from using apps normally. Apps open and run at full speed when you tap them; the mode just stops them from refreshing in the background when you are not looking. If you use your phone heavily during the day, turning Low Power Mode on in the afternoon can extend your battery by two to four hours.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode cuts battery drain by 15 to 25 percent and is the single fastest way to extend a charge without changing hardware.
- Background app refresh, location services, and push notifications drain battery constantly; turning these off for apps you do not need saves 10 to 20 percent of daily drain.
- Screen brightness and auto-lock settings have the largest impact on battery life because the display uses more power than any other component.
- Keeping your iPhone updated to the latest iOS version often includes battery optimizations that improve drain by 5 to 10 percent.
- Extreme heat and cold damage battery chemistry permanently; storing your phone between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit preserves long-term capacity.
Disable background app refresh for apps you do not use constantly
Background app refresh lets apps update their content even when you are not using them. Mail, weather, news apps, and social media all refresh this way. Each refresh uses power. Go to Settings, tap General, then Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Toggle off the ones you check manually — news apps, shopping apps, games, anything that does not need to notify you in real time.
Keep background refresh on for apps that matter: Mail, Messages, phone calls, and calendar. Turn it off for everything else. This single change saves 10 to 20 percent of daily battery drain for most people. You will still get notifications from these apps; they just will not refresh their content until you open them.
Lower screen brightness and use auto-lock to reduce display power
The display is the single largest battery drain on any iPhone. Lowering brightness saves more battery than any other setting. Open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, and drag the brightness slider to 40 percent or lower. If you spend time outdoors, turn on Auto-Brightness so the phone adjusts brightness based on ambient light instead of staying at a fixed level.
Set auto-lock to 1 minute or 2 minutes. Auto-lock turns off the display when you stop using the phone. Go to Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then Auto-Lock, and choose 1 Minute. Every minute the screen stays on costs battery; locking it sooner saves power throughout the day. Combined with lower brightness, these two changes can extend battery life by 20 to 30 percent.
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. Apps like games, email, and most social media do not. Go to Settings, tap Privacy, then Location Services. You will see every app that has requested location access. Tap each app and choose "Never" or "While Using" instead of "Always." "While Using" lets the app access your location only when it is open; "Always" lets it track you in the background.
Turn off location services entirely for apps that do not need to know where you are. This saves 5 to 10 percent of battery drain daily. Maps, weather, and Find My should stay on "While Using" or "Always." Everything else can be "Never."
Disable push notifications and fetch mail less frequently
Push notifications wake your phone and light the screen, which uses power. Go to Settings, tap Notifications, and review which apps send notifications. Turn off notifications for apps that do not matter — games, shopping apps, news apps you check manually. Keep notifications on for messages, calls, and calendar events.
For email, go to Settings, tap Mail, then Accounts, then Fetch New Data. Change the fetch interval from "Every 15 Minutes" to "Every 30 Minutes" or "Hourly." If you do not need when ready email, set it to "Manually" so mail only downloads when you open the Mail app. This change alone saves 5 to 15 percent of battery drain depending on how many email accounts you have.
Keep your iPhone cool and update iOS regularly
Heat damages the battery's chemical structure permanently. If your phone gets hot during use, close apps, lower brightness, and move to a cooler location. Never leave your iPhone in direct sunlight, in a car on a hot day, or near a heat source. The ideal storage temperature is between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Exposure to heat above 95 degrees reduces battery capacity over time, even if the phone cools down later.
Apple releases iOS updates that often include battery optimizations. Go to Settings, tap General, then Software Update, and install any available update. These updates sometimes improve battery drain by 5 to 10 percent because they optimize how the system uses the processor and display. Keeping your phone updated is one of the easiest ways to maintain battery health over months and years.
Use Wi-Fi instead of cellular data when possible
Cellular radios use more power than Wi-Fi. When you are at home or at work, connect to Wi-Fi instead of using cellular data. Your phone will automatically switch to Wi-Fi when it is available. If you are in an area with weak cellular signal, your phone works harder to maintain a connection, which drains battery faster. Switching to Wi-Fi in these situations saves 10 to 15 percent of battery drain.
Turn off cellular data entirely if you will not need it for a few hours. Go to Settings, tap Cellular, and toggle Cellular Data off. You can still use Wi-Fi and make calls over Wi-Fi if you have Wi-Fi Calling enabled. This is useful during work or meetings when you do not need data but want to stay reachable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does closing apps in the background save battery?
No. Closing apps does not save battery because apps in the background use almost no power. The only exception is if an app is actively running in the background — playing music, tracking location, or refreshing constantly. For those apps, turning off background app refresh is more effective than manually closing them.
Will turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when I am not using them save battery?
Turning off Bluetooth saves a small amount of battery, roughly 1 to 3 percent daily. Turning off Wi-Fi actually uses more battery because your phone will switch to cellular data, which drains faster. Keep Wi-Fi on when you are home or at work, and turn off Bluetooth only if you do not use wireless headphones or devices.
Does using dark mode save battery on all iPhones?
Dark mode saves battery only on iPhones with OLED screens — iPhone 12 and newer. On older iPhones with LCD screens, dark mode makes no difference to battery life. If you have an iPhone 12 or newer, enabling dark mode saves 3 to 8 percent of battery drain depending on how much time you spend on the screen.
Can I damage my battery by using Low Power Mode all the time?
No. Low Power Mode does not damage the battery. It straightforward reduces performance temporarily. You can use Low Power Mode every day without harming your battery's long-term health. The only thing that damages batteries is heat, age, and charging to 100 percent constantly over years.
Why does my battery drain faster in winter?
Cold temperatures slow the chemical reactions inside the battery, which makes it deliver power more slowly. Your phone may show a lower battery percentage in cold weather, but the battery itself is not damaged. When the phone warms up, the battery will show its true capacity again. Avoid leaving your phone outside in freezing temperatures for long periods.