Turn on Low Power Mode to cut background activity
Low Power Mode is the fastest way to extend your iPhone's battery. It reduces performance, limits background app refresh, and dims the display slightly — but your phone still works normally for calls, messages, and browsing.
Open Settings, tap Battery, then toggle on Low Power Mode. Your battery icon turns yellow when it is active. You can also add Low Power Mode to Control Center: go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, then tap the plus sign next to Battery.
Low Power Mode typically adds 1 to 3 hours of use depending on your phone model and what you do with it. It turns off automatically when your battery reaches 80 percent if you charge while it is on.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode reduces background activity and extends battery life by several hours without making your phone unusable.
- Turning off location services, background app refresh, and push notifications for apps you do not actively use saves significant battery.
- Reducing screen brightness and enabling auto-brightness prevents the display from draining power unnecessarily.
- Disabling Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular data when you are not using them stops your phone from constantly searching for connections.
- Checking which apps consume the most battery in Settings > Battery helps you decide whether to uninstall, restrict, or use them differently.
Disable background app refresh for apps you do not need running
Apps refresh in the background even when you are not using them, checking for new messages, updates, and data. This drains battery constantly. You do not need every app doing this.
Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Toggle off the ones you do not need to update in the background — for example, games, news apps, or social media you check manually. Keep it on for Mail, Messages, and apps you rely on for notifications.
Turning off background app refresh for 5 to 10 apps can add 30 minutes to a full day of use, depending on which apps you disable.
Reduce screen brightness and use auto-brightness
Your display is the biggest battery drain on an iPhone. A bright screen uses far more power than a dim one, even for the same content.
Swipe down from the top right of your screen to open Control Center, then drag the brightness slider down to a comfortable level. For most indoor use, 30 to 50 percent brightness is enough. You can also enable auto-brightness: go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, then toggle on Auto-Brightness. Your phone adjusts brightness based on the light around you, so you are not paying for brightness you do not need.
If you have an iPhone 12 or newer with a ProMotion display, you can also limit the refresh rate. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on Limit Frame Rate. This keeps your screen at 60 Hz instead of 120 Hz, which uses less power.
Turn off location services and precision location for individual apps
Location services use GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to pinpoint your position. Apps that track your location constantly drain battery even when you are not actively using them.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. You will see every app that uses location. For most apps, you do not need location all the time. Tap each app and choose "While Using" instead of "Always" — this means the app only accesses your location when you have it open. For apps like Maps that need location to work, keep it on "While Using". For apps like Facebook or Weather that do not need constant tracking, switch to "While Using" or turn location off entirely.
You can also turn off Precise Location for individual apps. In the same menu, toggle off the Precise Location switch next to apps that do not need exact coordinates — approximate location uses less battery.
Disable push notifications and fetch mail less often
Push notifications wake your phone and light up the screen every time an app sends you a message. Fetching email constantly also drains battery because your phone checks the server repeatedly.
Go to Settings > Notifications and review which apps send you notifications. Turn off notifications for apps you do not need alerts from — games, shopping apps, and social media are common culprits. Keep notifications on for Messages, Mail, and apps that matter to you.
For email, go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data. Change the fetch schedule from "Every 15 Minutes" or "Every 30 Minutes" to "Hourly" or "Manually". If you do not need email constantly, manual fetch saves significant battery. You can still open the Mail app anytime to check messages.
Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you are not using them
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi constantly search for devices and networks to connect to, even when you are not actively using them. This background scanning drains battery.
Swipe down from the top right to open Control Center and tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off. Do the same for Wi-Fi. If you use Bluetooth headphones or a car connection regularly, you can leave it on — the battery cost is worth it. But if you only use Bluetooth occasionally, turning it off when you are not using it saves power.
The same applies to Wi-Fi. If you are on cellular data and do not need Wi-Fi, turn it off. Your phone will not search for networks, and cellular data actually uses less battery than Wi-Fi searching in the background.
Check which apps use the most battery and restrict heavy ones
Some apps are straightforward power-hungry. Games, video apps, and navigation drain battery much faster than messaging or email. Knowing which apps cost you the most battery helps you decide what to do about them.
Go to Settings > Battery. Scroll down and you will see a list of apps ranked by battery use over the last 24 hours or the last 10 days. Tap the time period at the top to switch between them. If an app you rarely use is in the top 5, consider uninstalling it or using a web version instead.
For apps you use but that drain battery heavily — like Maps or YouTube — you can restrict their background activity. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, find the app, and toggle it off. You can also turn off location services for that app, or disable notifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Low Power Mode slow down my iPhone?
Yes, slightly. It reduces processor speed and limits some features like automatic downloads and visual effects. For most tasks — texting, calling, browsing, email — you will not notice a difference. Gaming and video editing will be noticeably slower, but Low Power Mode is meant for situations where battery matters more than speed.
Will turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi hurt my phone?
No. Turning them off just stops your phone from searching for connections. You can turn them back on anytime. If you need Bluetooth for headphones or a car, leave it on — the battery savings from turning it off are small compared to the convenience of staying connected.
Can I use Low Power Mode all the time?
Yes, but it is not necessary. Low Power Mode is designed for when your battery is low or you need it to last longer than usual. Using it constantly means accepting slower performance for battery savings you may not need. Use it when your battery drops below 20 percent or when you know you will not have a charger for several hours.
Does closing apps in the background save battery?
Not significantly. iOS suspends apps you are not using, so they do not drain battery just by being open. Closing and reopening apps actually uses more battery because your phone has to reload them. Focus on turning off background app refresh and notifications instead.
What is the difference between Wi-Fi and cellular data battery use?
Wi-Fi uses less battery than cellular data when you are connected to a network. But if your phone is searching for Wi-Fi networks in the background and cannot find one, it drains battery faster than using cellular. If you are in an area with poor Wi-Fi, turn Wi-Fi off and use cellular instead.