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, battery life stretches by 1 to 3 hours depending on your usage.
Enable it by opening Settings, tapping Battery, then Battery Health & Charging, then Low Power Mode. Toggle it on. Your status bar will turn yellow to show it is active. You can also add it to Control Center (Settings > Control Center > Battery) so you can turn it on with one swipe from the top-right corner of your screen.
Low Power Mode stays on until your battery reaches 20 percent, then turns off automatically. You can turn it off manually anytime. There is no harm in using it constantly—it does not damage the battery or shorten its lifespan.
Key Takeaways
- Low Power Mode cuts battery drain by 1 to 3 hours and is the fastest single change you can make.
- Background app refresh, location services, and push notifications drain battery even when you are not using the phone—turn off the ones you do not need.
- Screen brightness is the largest battery drain on most iPhones; use auto-brightness or keep it below 40 percent.
- Closing apps in the background does almost nothing; the real drain comes from what apps do when you are not looking, which you control in Settings.
- Older iPhones lose battery capacity over time; if your phone is more than three years old and drains in a few hours, the battery itself may need replacement.
Disable background app refresh for apps you do not use constantly
Apps refresh in the background even when you are not using them—they check for new messages, read updates, and sync data. This happens whether you are looking at the phone or not. Turning off background refresh for apps you do not need saves 10 to 20 percent of daily battery drain.
Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. You will see a list of every app on your phone. Toggle off the ones you rarely use or do not need real-time updates from. Keep it on for Mail, Messages, and any app where you want when ready notifications. Turn it off for games, news apps, and social media unless you check them constantly.
You can also turn off background refresh entirely by toggling the switch at the top of the list, then turning it back on only for specific apps. This is faster if you have many apps installed.
Lower screen brightness or use auto-brightness
The screen is the biggest battery drain on an iPhone. A bright display at full brightness can use 30 to 40 percent of your daily battery. Lowering brightness to 40 percent or less saves significant power without making the phone hard to read indoors.
Open Settings > Display & Brightness. Turn on Auto-Brightness so the screen adjusts to the light around you. In bright sunlight it will be bright; in a dark room it will dim. This balances visibility and battery life automatically. If you prefer manual control, drag the brightness slider to the left—most people do not need more than 50 percent brightness indoors.
You can also lower brightness from Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner and dragging the brightness slider. This is faster if you adjust it throughout the day.
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, but many apps request location permission and then check it constantly in the background. Turning off location for apps that do not need it saves 5 to 10 percent of battery per day.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. You will see every app that has requested location access. For each app, tap it and choose "Never" unless you use that app for navigation or location-based features. Apps like social media, games, and news do not need your location.
You can also choose "While Using" instead of "Always" for apps like Maps or Uber—they will only use location when you have the app open, not in the background.
Disable push notifications for apps you do not need alerts from
Every notification wakes your screen and uses power. Apps send notifications constantly—news alerts, social media likes, promotional messages. Turning off notifications for apps you do not need saves battery and reduces distractions.
Go to Settings > Notifications. Scroll through the list and tap each app. Toggle off "Allow Notifications" for apps you do not need to hear from. Keep notifications on for Messages, Mail, and apps where you want real-time alerts. Turn them off for games, shopping apps, and news unless you check them regularly.
You can also choose "Deliver Quietly" for apps where you want notifications but do not need the sound or banner—they will appear in Notification Center but not interrupt you.
Keep your iPhone cool and avoid extreme temperatures
Batteries drain faster when they are hot. If your iPhone gets warm during use, it throttles performance to cool down, which uses more power. Avoid leaving your phone in direct sunlight, in a hot car, or near heat sources while charging or using it.
If your iPhone is too hot to hold comfortably, stop using it and let it cool down. Remove any thick case temporarily if it is trapping heat. In cold weather below 32°F (0°C), battery drains faster temporarily, but this is normal and not permanent damage—the battery will return to normal capacity when it warms up.
Charge your phone in a cool room rather than in direct sun or near a heater. Overnight charging in a warm bedroom will not damage the battery, but a consistently cool environment extends battery lifespan over years.
Check which apps are draining the most battery
Some apps use far more battery than others. A poorly designed app or one with a background process can drain 20 to 30 percent of your battery in a day. Identifying and removing these apps is one of the most effective fixes.
Go to Settings > Battery to see which apps used the most battery in the last 24 hours or last 10 days. Tap the time period at the top to switch between them. If an app you rarely use is in the top five, consider removing it or checking its settings to disable background activity.
If an app like Maps or Music shows high battery use, that is normal because you were actively using it. Look for apps in the list that you do not remember opening—those are the ones draining power in the background. You can uninstall them by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tapping the app, and choosing "Offload App" or "Delete App".
Frequently Asked Questions
Does closing apps in the background actually save battery?
No. Closing apps does almost nothing because apps do not use power just by being in memory. The drain comes from what they do in the background—refresh data, check location, send notifications. Disabling those features in Settings saves battery; closing the app does not. You can close apps if it makes you feel better, but it will not noticeably extend battery life.
Is it bad to use Low Power Mode all the time?
No. Low Power Mode does not damage the battery or shorten its lifespan. It straightforward reduces performance slightly and limits background activity. You can leave it on permanently if you prefer longer battery life over maximum speed. Turn it off only when you need full performance for gaming or video editing.
Why does my iPhone battery drain so fast even with these changes?
If your iPhone is more than three years old, the battery itself may have lost capacity. Lithium batteries degrade over time and hold less charge. Check Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. If Maximum Capacity is below 80 percent, the battery is degraded. Apple or an authorized repair shop can replace it. If your phone is newer and battery still drains fast, a single app may be the culprit—check Settings > Battery to see which app is using the most power.
Does turning off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth save battery?
Slightly, but not as much as lowering brightness or disabling background refresh. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth use less power than cellular data, so turning them off may actually drain battery faster if your phone then uses cellular instead. Keep them on if you use them; the savings from turning them off is small compared to other changes.
Can I damage my battery by charging it overnight?
Modern iPhones are designed to charge overnight safely. Once the battery reaches 100 percent, the phone stops charging and maintains that level. Leaving it plugged in does not overcharge or damage the battery. However, keeping the phone in a cool room while charging extends battery lifespan slightly over years, since heat degrades lithium batteries.