Turn on Low Power Mode before your battery drops below 20 percent
Low Power Mode is the single most effective setting on your iPhone for stretching battery life. It reduces processor speed, limits background activity, and dims the screen slightly — all without making the phone unusable. You can turn it on manually in Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode, or set it to turn on automatically when your battery reaches 20 percent.
The automatic setting is worth using because most people wait too long to switch modes by hand. Once Low Power Mode is on, your iPhone will typically run 3 to 4 extra hours before it dies, depending on what you are doing. You can keep using email, messaging, maps, and calls normally — the slowdown is noticeable only in heavy tasks like video editing or gaming.
Low Power Mode stays on until you manually turn it off or your battery reaches 80 percent after charging. There is no penalty to leaving it on all day if you want to.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode extends battery life by 3 to 4 hours and can be set to turn on automatically at 20 percent charge.
- Disable background app refresh for apps you do not use regularly, since this drains battery even when the app is closed.
- Reduce screen brightness or enable Auto-Brightness, because the display uses more power than any other component on your phone.
- Turn off location services for apps that do not need it, and use "While Using" instead of "Always" in location permissions.
- Keep your iPhone between 20 and 80 percent charge most of the time to slow the long-term decline of battery health.
Disable background app refresh for apps you rarely open
Background app refresh lets apps update their content even when you are not using them — so your email, news, and weather apps are ready the moment you open them. This convenience costs battery life. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off entirely, or toggle it off for individual apps.
Start by disabling it for apps you check less than once a day: social media, games, shopping apps, and news readers. Keep it on for email, messaging, and maps if you rely on those for work or navigation. The difference is real — turning off background refresh on five to ten apps can add 1 to 2 hours to your battery life.
Lower screen brightness or use Auto-Brightness
Your screen is the biggest battery drain on an iPhone. Reducing brightness by even 30 percent can extend battery life by 1 to 2 hours. The easiest approach is to enable Auto-Brightness in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, which adjusts brightness based on the light around you.
If you prefer manual control, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center and drag the brightness slider to the lowest level you can comfortably read. Many people find 30 to 40 percent brightness is enough indoors. You can also enable Dark Mode in Settings > Display & Brightness, which uses less power on iPhones with OLED screens (iPhone 12 and newer).
Turn off location services for apps that do not need it
Location services use your phone's GPS, which is power-hungry. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and review which apps have permission. Most apps do not need location all the time. For apps like maps or ride-sharing, change the permission from "Always" to "While Using" — this lets the app use your location only when it is open.
Turn off location entirely for apps that rarely need it: weather apps, social media, shopping apps, and games. You can always turn it back on for a specific app when you need it. Disabling location for five to ten apps typically adds 30 minutes to 1 hour of battery life.
Keep your iPhone charged between 20 and 80 percent most of the time
Battery health declines faster when you regularly charge to 100 percent or let the phone drain to 0 percent. Lithium batteries — which power all iPhones — last longer if you keep them in the middle of their range. Charging to 80 percent and letting it drop to 20 percent before charging again slows the rate at which your battery loses capacity over months and years.
You do not have to follow this rule strictly for daily use. But if you charge your phone overnight every night and let it sit at 100 percent for hours, your battery will lose capacity faster. Consider unplugging it once it reaches 80 percent, or use Optimized Battery Charging in Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Management, which learns your charging habits and slows charging to 80 percent overnight.
Close apps running in the background and limit notifications
Apps left open in the background consume power even if you are not looking at them. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or swipe down from the top-right on iPhone X and newer) to see which apps are running, then swipe up on each one to close it. This is most useful before you know you will be away from a charger for hours.
Notifications also drain battery because they wake your screen and trigger processing. Go to Settings > Notifications and turn off notifications for apps you do not need alerts from. Disable badge icons (the red numbers on app icons) and sounds for low-priority apps. Reducing notifications by half can add 30 minutes to 1 hour of battery life.
Disable features you are not actively using
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular radios all consume power. If you are not using them, turn them off. Swipe down from the top-right to open Control Center and tap the icons to disable Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you do not need them. You can also enable Airplane Mode in Settings > Airplane Mode when you know you will not be using your phone for a while.
5G also drains battery faster than 4G LTE. If your phone is on a 5G network but you are not doing anything that requires it, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data and select LTE instead. This is especially useful if your carrier's 5G coverage is spotty in your area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Low Power Mode slow down my iPhone?
Yes, but only slightly. Your processor runs at a lower speed, so heavy apps like games or video editors will feel slower. Email, texting, web browsing, and calls work normally. Most people do not notice the difference in everyday use.
Will turning off background app refresh break my apps?
No. Apps will still work when you open them. They just will not update in the background. Email and messages may take a few seconds longer to show new content when you open them, but nothing breaks.
Can I check my battery health on my iPhone?
Yes. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Management. You will see your maximum capacity as a percentage — 100 percent means the battery is new, and 80 percent or higher is considered healthy. Below 80 percent, you may notice shorter battery life.
Does using Wi-Fi instead of cellular save battery?
Usually yes, but only slightly. Wi-Fi uses less power than cellular in most cases, but the difference is small — maybe 5 to 10 minutes over a full day. Turning off both when you do not need them saves much more.
Should I charge my iPhone every night?
You can, but your battery will age faster if you regularly charge to 100 percent and leave it plugged in. If you charge overnight, enable Optimized Battery Charging so your phone slows charging to 80 percent and waits until morning to finish. This is gentler on long-term battery health.